The pandemic caused everyone to stay at home to keep their families healthy and safe. This also meant that kids lost the chance to interact with other kids in school as these facilities were closed. Even now that the world is becoming less dangerous due to more people getting vaccines and booster shots, some parents will really worry about letting their children go out to mingle with others. This comes down to how some parents will choose to keep the kids inside the home to protect them as much as possible.
Although, doing this can stress out your children as they need some kind of outlet to expend their pent-up energy. And many activities do just that. But sometimes, what your kids need are activities to calm them down. Instead of engaging in rough play, they might benefit from relaxing tasks to calm their excited and anxious minds. Here are some ideas to help you soothe your children full of life and vigor.
Gardening
Gardening is a great task to do when stressed, and this can apply to children. Gardening will let them feel more in tune with nature as they touch the plants and the soil with their bare hands. They will get to see the wonder of life (in plant form) as the greens grow and flourish where you planted them. You can take your kids out into your lawn, plant some seeds or spouts, cut some dead stems, and water the soil.
Or you can start an entirely new gardening project inside your homelike an artificial vertical garden wall if you don’t have a lot of space outside. All in all, interacting with plants is always good for the mind, so your kids and the entire family can take part in your gardening efforts to keep both a beautiful garden and a serene mind.
Book Reading
Reading books is both educational and calming for kids. For younger kids, reading stories to them helps to develop their listening skills and extend their attention span as you read. They get to hear new words that you can explain to them to widen their vocabulary. And depending on the stories you tell, they will also learn some important lessons to keep in their minds for life. For older children, letting them read books themselves and asking questions about what they’ve learned maintains good interaction between you and them.
Cooking and Baking
Food is always something that connects different kinds of people, so you can also connect with your child. Making food requires some finesse that can be learned only through experience. You can let your kids join you as you cook or bake different foods to give them something to do while at home.
Choosing simple foods might be more appropriate for younger children, but you can make more advanced dishes if your child is very interested in the task. Just remember to keep them away from flames and sharp objects when they are helping you prepare the food.
Board Games
Board games are starting to become a thing of the past, but that shouldn’t stop you from playing one or two with your child. Many board games like chess and scrabble ask for a certain level of concentration that can help to distract the mind from worries and various stresses. But simpler board games like chutes and ladders can be played with younger children to keep them occupied for some time.
Origami
Origami is the art of folding paper to create different things and structures. From simple shapes and airplanes to animals and playful gadgets, you can teach your child to create something out of a sheet of paper. But this will require you to learn how to fold paper into your desired objects. Thankfully, there are plenty of tutorials and how-to videos that you can follow online with just a quick search.
These are only some of the activities you can do with your children. You can find more by looking at your kids’ interests and playing off of that to keep them well-engaged in your chosen activity. But know that each child is unique, so find those that your son or daughter will enjoy doing.
Children with special needs will also require a different approach to calming activities, so be wary of some of the mentioned ideas before trying them out yourself. With these, you should be more appeased with your children’s temperament and mental state. Spend a lot of time with them and talk to them while this pandemic slowly disappears and everyone can have their lives back once more.
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