Parents should spend time doing fun indoor activities for kids because doing that can enhance their fine motor skills and will also help improve the relationship between parents and their kids.
Doing family activities can sometimes be a headache, especially if the parents work and have careers. Then, at night or on holidays, they have to do something with their kids, like some outdoor activities for kids.
Things to do indoors or outdoors for kids can be costly because of all the global events we have been through, like COVID-19 and the current wave of inflation. So, many parents are looking for affordable and beneficial activities to do with their kids.
We will talk about things to do with kids in three separate articles because it can take forever to read all the details of activities in one article.
So, in this blog post, we will share with you our most preferred fun activities to do with family:
Reading a book
One of the things to do indoors is reading books but adults right now hate reading in general because they did not get used to reading a book when they were still young, and they justify this by saying “Books are dull and boring”.
In fact, I was one of them.
So, as a parent, you should be keen on encouraging your kids to read funny and colorful books so that they do not hate reading.
I hated reading books until I joined college and found that I missed a lot of fun for not reading because this activity could have added to my skills like:
- Reading helps with the kid’s vocabulary.
One of the challenges that new parents face is that they do not know how to make their kids remember the words and names of their surroundings.
So, reading and using new words within sentences will help the kid memorize new words.
- Reading can improve thinking skills.
One of the benefits of this activity is that your kids will be rational and be able to process their thoughts logically, and that can save a lot of time for parents to teach their kids how to reach conclusions.
- It helps with improving memory.
Memorizing all the details of a book, like the names of the characters and the places in a story, will help the kids improve their memories because reading trains and improves activity for our brains.
Check out this article for more benefits.
Let the family cook a recipe.
One of the things to do with kids is to spend time with them and your partner preparing a nice and simple recipe. You only need to pick an easy one and explain it carefully to your kids.
Also, remember that teaching them simple recipes or even making simple sandwiches can help you greatly because they will not be dependent on you for their food.
My mom actually helped me make my own breakfast and dinner several times, and after that, I stopped asking her to prepare food for me.
Letting the kids take part in the cooking can have many benefits, like:
- No more junk food.
Your kids will gradually stop eating unhealthy food from outside, like snacks or fast food, and that will help to improve their overall health.
- Kids will eat any food.
One of the problems that parents can face during their kids’ childhood is that they hate eating specific foods.
Letting the kid prepare the recipe with your help step by step can help in convincing the kid to give it a try because we all love and appreciate any craft we do by ourselves.
One last thing to remember before letting your kids prepare food with you is that you should not allow the kids to use sharp tools. Instead, many markets have plastic or wooden tools that can do the same function, but of course, they are less efficient than real ones.
Workout together
One of the fun indoor activities for kids that almost all doctors and celebrities do periodically and advise people to do is workout.
Parents should workout regularly to be in shape and to have a healthy lifestyle, and they should make sure their kids see and witness them while working out because it will be much easier to convince them of this healthy habit while they are still young.
I have a tight schedule every day because I work for a company and do shopping, so going to the gym can be a little difficult for me.
So, I workout at home while watching online videos on YouTube or other training courses for professional coaches.
I have invited my life partner several times to join me for the workout, and after some time, our kids asked us to join the workout as well.
This activity can have numerous benefits, like:
- It can help with the hyperactivity.
Young kids have a lot of power and energy, and they want to do fun indoor activities with you, so directing your kids to workout under your supervision is better than leaving them alone unsupervised because they might end up breaking something.
- Working out strengthens the body.
All doctors say that this is one of the things to do indoors to improve the overall health of the body, including the heart, lungs, and bones.
Also, it helps in controlling weight, regulating blood pressure, and reducing blood sugar levels.
Play board games
One of the fun indoor activities for kids is board games and I am not going to say much about this one, but this activity had beautiful memories for me.
Playing board games can be a lot of fun for you and your kids, especially if there are more kids to play with, like your nephews, for example.
Games like Monopoly helped me learn simple mathematics and negotiation skills.
Learning and playing chess also helped me to think and decide patiently and to be responsible for my wrong moves and mistakes.
There are also many games and things to do indoors for kids, like:
- Uno
- Ladders and snakes
- Scrabble
A thing I remember from my childhood that you should be aware of is that if you leave your kid to play board games against other kids, then supervise them from time to time because they can end up fighting each other when someone loses.
Do a chore competition with rewards
When you do some housework and you do not have free time for things to do indoors with your children, then tell and encourage them to do chores with you, and if they do it well, then promise them some rewards.
Chores are one of the things to do with kids that can help you in several ways, like:
- Your children will be responsible for the cleanliness of their rooms.
- The children will learn to cooperate with each other.
- The personal hygiene of the kids will improve over time.
- Your children will be more autonomous than other kids their age.
Write a story for a puppet show
This is probably one of the family activities that I did not try in my childhood or with my children, but many parents suggest building a small wooden theater and making up a small story with the help of the children.
Also, learning how to make a puppet can be one of the fun activities to do with family.
Doing the show with the help of your partner and filming it will be a good memory for the family.
Other things to do with kids
Doing family activities should not be indoors only because kids feel bored quickly and it is their right to go out, play, run, and have fun.
Letting the kids do outdoor activities can help develop self-confidence and courage while socializing with other kids.
Now we have reached the end of the first part of our article, and in the next one we will cover more fun indoor activities for kids, so do not wait for more time to pass and go have a good day with the family and stay tuned for more things to do with kids.