Activities for Kids

Activities for kids provide two main benefits. Choosing the right activities for kids not only entertain them but also improve their social, developmental, cognitive and motor skills. As the mother of a young child, you seem to always be running short of time to complete your chores. This is because attending to your child's needs takes up most of your time. However, there are various ways to keep your toddler engaged in various activities while you are busy.

Some Simple Activities for Kids

• You can build a tent for your little one to go camping with her toys. All that you need is a cotton saree or blanket and four chairs. Place the chairs at an equal distance from each other. Spread the blanket over the chairs and your child's tent is ready.
• If your child shows an interest in cooking, get her a cooking set and give her some flour and biscuits. Ask her to cook a dish for your evening tea. She will enjoy both the cooking and watching you enjoy what she has made.
• You can request the child to help you with the household chores. Hand over all the socks to her and encourage her to find matching pairs of socks for you. This can even make her feel grown up!
• Get the child a set of building blocks and you will soon find the young architect busy at work. Praise her for the tasks accomplished and show her how to make more interesting constructions.
• Get the child some play dough in different colours. She will enjoy making various objects in different shapes and sizes. You can even make your own play dough at home.
• Take a paper and roll it into a tube. Seal one of the sides with a tape. Put some small non toxic objects such as uncooked rice or pulses into the tube through the open end. Now seal the open end and shake it. Your child will be amused by the sound and enjoy shaking the tube on her own.
• Place some empty containers of different sizes with their lids removed in front of your toddler. Keep the lids separately. Ask your child to match the lids with the containers.
• Try gifting the child a box of water colours and some paper. You will be surprised to see her painting with not just the paint brush alone. She is most likely to use her hands and fingers for the process. She may end up looking as if she has painted herself rather than doing any painting on the paper! Tempera paints also work well as finger paints or you can make your own finger paints at home. There are “magic painting” books available which only require painting with plain water for colours to appear. These can be fun too and slightly less messy! You can also introduce block painting by dipping the cut end of vegetables like ladiesfinger into paint and pressing them onto paper.

Games You Can Play With Your Child

There are various activities for kids that can be fun if you spend some time playing with the child and interacting with her.

• Dress your child in various costumes. Your toddler will most probably enjoy the dressing process and showing off. Older children can do their own dressing up – you only need to provide some old clothes!
• Pile a few cushions one on top of other in a step like fashion using some support under the pillows. Hold the child's hand and help her climb the steps. Alternatively, you can encourage her to climb the steps on her own.
• Put on some nursery rhymes or any other music that the child loves. Ask her to dance to the music. You can join her with some simple steps. She will enjoy imitating your actions. You can ask her to sing with you and add fun to the activity by acting out each line of the rhyme.
• Play a game of passing the parcel or musical chairs with the child. Get an elder sibling or other family members to join the fun.
• Get your child interested in crafts by giving her some sequins, stickers, crayons and other craft materials that are safe for her to handle. She may surprise you with her creativity.
• A game of catching the ball is sure to interest the child. If you are worried that a rubber ball may break your windows, create a paper ball. Roll waste papers into a ball using rubber bands or tape and throw it out to her for a catch.
• As children like to imitate adults, set up a role play. Pretend to be a shop keeper and ask your child to come shopping to your shop. You can give her a small basket and arrange some containers in front of you like in a regular shop.
• If your child desists the idea of sitting still in a place to play with her toys, get her a toy with a long string. She can walk around the place pulling the string along.
• Play simple games such as "Running and Catching", "Hide and Seek" etc. with the child. She will enjoy it more if you give her a big hug every time you catch her or find her hiding place.
• If your child enjoys collecting things, take her for a walk with you. Provide her with a bucket to collect the stuff that she will find interesting. She will love dumping the contents and refilling them.
• Point to different parts of your body and name them. You can then ask your child to identify that part of her body. For example, you can point to your nose and say "This is mummy's nose. Now I wonder where my little one's nose is." If she does not point to her nose correctly, you can hold her hand and help her identify her nose.
• Spend some time with your child in front of a mirror. Ask her who the toddler in the mirror is. This will arouse her curiosity and she will try to catch the child in the mirror.

The above list of activities for kids is not an exhaustive list. If chosen carefully, you can change this entertainment into a sense of both learning and fun for your child.