The question of how to keep a young child entertained for an extended period is not a simple one. It’s not enough to provide the child with a few toys, and hope that will be enough. What’s more, you don’t want to use TV or tablets as an automatic default. They’re not toys, and they’re filled with content that may not always be appropriate for your child’s age.
The solution for this problem is to come up with creative ways to keep your little one occupied for hours. And I know the first step you take is to search for some ideas on the internet, which is great, but it can’t get you what you need. You can find thousands of ideas, and it can be overwhelming to choose some for your child. That’s why you landed on this article now because you want to find the right activities that suit your child’s interests.
Luckily, you are in the right place at the right time because I have prepared a list of 9 fun ways to keep your child entertained at home. The great thing about these lists is that there are a lot of them you can choose to make the child happy. Well, make yourself ready for some cool activities because I will show you one by one.
Cook Together
“Eat, sleep and snore. And this is what kids eat.” I know you have heard that a lot of times. Well, that is a very true statement, but you can change it by doing something that makes the child feel happy. So cook together with the kid and have fun while preparing some yummy dishes. Your child will feel so motivated to eat what you have made for him. Anyway, the best thing about this activity to keep your child entertained at home is that it helps you bond with your little one so you can teach him how to clean up by following some basic rules on handling the garbage, which he will have some memories from your childhood anyway.
Play Board Games
I am sure you have spent some time playing board games with your family as a kid, and it was so much fun. Well, it’s still fun, and if you bring those memories back by playing these games together with your little one, then you can’t go wrong. You can play some racing and building match games that will give the kid a great sense of accomplishment when he beats you. I mean, at this age, they love to win all the time. It’s an absolute must for them.
Create Music
This idea is very cool to make your child enjoy. All you need is a guitar or piano, and you can give him an opportunity to create music with these things. Let the child play with his hands on the guitar’s strings, or let him play some notes on the keyboard, and he will be engaged for an hour. It’s like having a concert that can bring lots of fun for both of you. If you want more ideas, you can consider these lists of fun music activities with kids.
Learn the Alphabet
One of the 9 fun ways to keep your child entertained at home is by learning the alphabet! Learning the alphabet is very important because it helps the kid learn how to spell and improve reading skills. I am sure you have started teaching them about the alphabet, but you can make it more interesting through nursery rhymes or music. So teach your child the alphabet by having him sing along with some nursery rhymes, or just let him hear them on TV or your favorite CD. It will be the best way he learns them because of his exact attention span for this kind of learning.
Play Dress-up
Do you believe your kid loves dressing up? You may be surprised, but they love it. And if you don’t believe me, try buying some fun dress-ups like capes, sunglasses, hats, and scarves. I am sure the child won’t stop playing with these things for hours. You can act like Batman or Superheroes that he sees on TV to inspire him to dress up. Just give him the costume to wear and let him try them on at home.
Build Legos Together
Block building is something every kid loves to do, whatever the age may be, because they love the thrill of making structures with their own hands without any help from adults. This is a great way to keep your child entertained at home. You can build different things from the things you always see around the house. And if you want to make it more fun, you can build something together with your child. The point is to make him be engaged in the task and have a great time doing it.
Play Hide and Seek
What comes into your mind when I say “hide and seek”? Do you remember playing that as a kid? Well, it’s a fun game that can entertain a young child for hours. Just teach him how to play hide and seek, and he will surely enjoy being the seeker because he will be running all over the house trying to find his parents or siblings hiding from him. And the most important part is to be careful with this game because it can cause some health issues that children can catch.
Read Stories
Reading stories is the best way to create a bond between you and your little one. You can read to him or let him choose the book he wants to hear from you. Montessori-friendly books are a great way to start this activity with your child because they offer a lot of interactions. It will make them feel like they are reading the book themselves while learning the letters and words from stories, which is very important for their future reading skills.
Make Arts
This idea is mostly for girls, but it doesn’t mean that boys can’t have fun with this activity. You will need to buy some materials that are fun to paint between for both of you. You can buy some beautiful paper, paintbrushes, or watercolors, whatever makes your child interested in making art. And I am sure he will love to do this activity with his parents because it will make him feel like a real artist.
Hopefully you enjoyed this article on 9 fun ways to keep your child entertained at home!
Author bio: I’m Andrea Gibbs Born, raised, and still living in New York. I’m a work-at-home mom with a background in business development, strategy, and social media marketing. I’m a blog contributor at Montessori Academy to motivate and educate other parents about how they can get their children ahead of the game in school.