Mar 16, 2020

5 Easy Ways to Keep Kids Busy

With schools all over the US closing for the next few weeks, I thought I would share some things I do to keep my kids busy at home. If you are new here, hello! My name is Amanda and I homeschool my 5 kids. Over the last 4yrs, I have had to learn how to keep my kids busy and add in educational elements to their day. I am sharing those ideas with you in hopes that you will find these beneficial. After you read my ideas go visit Homework and Horseplay for more ideas!



This post contains affiliate links. This means if you purchase something I make some money and maybe I can buy myself some new books. (Because you can't ever have enough books)



Ideas To Keep Kids Busy

Poetry Tea Time:

This is an activity my kids love doing. We gather at the table and read poems. My kids especially love silly poems and riddles. We don't have tea since no one here likes it but we do eat treats. You can find lots of poems online for free. My kids are very fond of Shel Silverstein's poetry books.




Sensory Bins:

Sensory bins are a great way to keep kids busy with their hands. There are so many different ideas on Pinterest for sensory bins. You can make these as simple or as extravagant as you'd like. Fill a bin with rice and add in measuring cups and spoons. You can also fill a bin with some water and soap to make a little car wash or a bath for dinosaurs.





Library:

If your local library isn't closed I highly encourage you to check out some books. My local library allows you to request books online and they send an email when they are ready to be picked up. Grab up some books that interest your kids and you can also check out DVDs.


Plan a unit study:

This might sound like a lot of work but it isn't and it goes along with using the library. My kids are currently learning about the US Constitution. I checked out lots of different books for them as well as a DVD. We will read these books over a span of a few days and end it with watching the DVD. You can pick any topic for a unit study. Some ideas can be learning about germs, dinosaurs, trains, animals, weather, different countries or states, space, and anything else that you think would interest your child. You can also ask what they are currently learning about in school and check out books on those subjects. Our family especially love the What Was books. I will link some below.




Play Outside:

If the weather is nice where you are this will probably be a no brainer to play outside. If your kids are like mine they will also get bored being outside. Over the years I have found some ways to keep my kids entertained outside. One game we all love is the Go Find it game. Each kid picks a card and they have to find something in nature that goes with the card. On the cards will be words like soft, small, bumpy, or green. It's fun to see what the find. We also take little nature walks and the kids can search for something interesting. When we get back home I have them draw a picture of what they found and we look up information about whatever it is that they find. They really love doing this.




Here are some bonus ideas!!

  • Write letters or color pictures for those in nursing homes
  • Bake
  • Spring Cleaning
  • Hide and seek inside with lights off
  • Watch old Disney favorite movies
  • Dance Party to 90's music
  • Build a fort
  • Look through old pictures
  • Make sock puppets
  • Read chapter books aloud


    I hope you have found these ideas helpful. If you have more ideas add them in the comments below. Make sure to check out Homework and Horseplay for more ideas!

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