KID APPROVED STAYCATION ACTIVITIES
KID APPROVED STAYCATION ACTIVITIES
School is over, now what!? Since many traditional summer games are currently on standby, it’s time to get creative and find ways to keep our kids entertained at home. Below we give you a list of healthy fun-fueled activities that will get your children moving, thinking and creating, all while having the best time!
#NickyTip: “I always recommend planning the week's activities in advance. This way, we don't waste time thinking about what to do and it helps us establish a daily routine, something that’s super important for young children to have. ” -NR
ENERGY BURNERS:
As parents, although we love playing and spending quality time with our kids, we also LOVE when they’re in bed by eight. Here are a couple of indoor energy burning activities:
Pool day: It wouldn’t be summer without a bit of underwater fun. Grab an inflatable kiddie pool, fill it with toys and share some laughs while splashing around.
#NickyTip: “Make it a spa day too! Add some bubble bath (I use this one from Babyganics) and essential oils to the water for soft and moisturized skin”- NR
Dance party: Free up some living room space and have your kids moving and grooving to the sound of up-beat music! Dancing isn’t only fun, but it’s also great for improving cardiovascular fitness and developing muscle strength. You can add more excitement by playing games such as musical chairs or memory moves.
CREATIVE OUTLETS
Making time for your children to express their artistic abilities is so important. It’s been proven not only to strengthen fine motor skills, but also to boost their self-confidence. We suggest these two amusing DIY projects:
Tie-dye day: This is a fun and easy craft project for your kids to do at home. Help them make some colorful patterns on a white shirt or set, and see how happy they’ll be with their customized outfits.
Homemade slime: Children love slime, and lucky for you it doesn’t have to be as messy as it sounds. Check out this quick borax free slime recipe by WhatsUpMoms; it only takes a few minutes to make and it will keep your kids entertained for hours.
COGNITIVE BOOSTERS
These activities are like weight-lifting but for your kid’s brain:
Puzzle scavenger hunt: Have your kid(s) follow the clues and run around the house searching for the hidden pieces of a puzzle, once all the puzzle pieces are found, work together to solve it. This innovative type of treasure hunt helps reinforce basic skills like problem solving, patience, goal setting and teamwork (when done in a group).
Meditation: Meditating builds capacity for attention, resistance to distraction and helps ease worrying thoughts or anxiety. Not to mention that it improves sleep quality, academic performance and creativity. Experts argue that meditation is one of the healthiest activities that a parent can practice with a child and that it’s best to do right when they wake up or before they go to sleep.
#NickyTip: “To meditate with my daughters, I use the digital application CALM (highly recommended). At night I put on the sleep stories feature and watch how they fall asleep peacefully, while I meditate with them at the same time.” -NR
