I think many of us are nervous about what the immediate future holds. School return dates are now on the table. For me it feels like a bit of a relief after such a long stint home schooling.  But if schools suddenly need to shut again, which is entirely possible we need to be prepared to take up the mantle again. However, I am not quite ready to just focus on academic progress. My head is still spinning after months of trying to relearn what I covered in school 28 years ago so I could be on the same page and support my boys. I want a few ideas up my sleeve if I need to stay indoors with my children for any length of time again. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared with suggestions for educational and fun indoor activities.

Beaches have compiled a list of 34 fun indoor activities. I have picked out a few of my favourites from the list that I know my boys will enjoy.

Learn About A New Country

As a family we love to travel so whilst we are staying closer to home, we can explore the world remotely instead.  Virtual travel is easy with apps like Google Earth where you can have virtual tours of various museums, check out live webcams from zoos and discover the wonders of the world all from the comfort of your own home. You can even take a Google Maps tour of the many festivals around the world, so you get a taste of the culture and customs of somewhere new. It’s quite an enriching experience. Plus, once life is back to normal, you can hopefully visit some of the places you discovered. Perhaps booking a trip at a Beaches Family Resort for a well-deserved holiday together.

Focus On Life Skills

With extended time indoors on our hands I think I would tick off more life skills with the boys. Mine would appreciate some cooking lessons and learning the basics of car maintenance.  Then an essential for me would be teaching them how to work the washing machine!

So, don’t feel overwhelmed if you are going to be stuck indoors for a long time again. Just start to teach your children practical things that will help them (and you!) out in the long run. Apparently, children that can handle everyday tasks are more confident. Teens especially crave independence so if you pitch it as teaching them to look after themselves you should receive less resistance.

My eldest always grumble when we have pasta for tea. So, from now on I am going to encourage him to come up with his own meal plan ideas and then cook our dinner!

Scientific Experiments At Home

Mine really enjoyed the number of scientific experiments we did during lockdown. We tried plastic from milk and making a bouncy egg and a lava lamp. There are quite a few more I would still like to try. I think they learn so much doing these. They are always enthusiastic to start a science experiment but not so keen to open a textbook and learn that way. Science can be an intimidating subject. But experiments bring it to life!

Teach Them About Kindness

If you show kindness, then they are more likely to follow suit. Use your time to sort through old toys to donate to charity. It should not be all about achievement we need to go about raising nice kids.  They will function better as adults if they are responsible and caring as children. So, make time to put away the textbooks and focus on what kind acts you can do as a family. I made sure I sent treats for the family to raise spirits in lockdown, my eldest did send a card to his grandparents full of jokes to cheer them up! It’s about taking the time to think about someone’s needs other than your own.

Learn Relaxation Techniques

If your child is worried about going back to school after so long in lockdown then its worthwhile using the remaining time teaching them some relaxation techniques. Things like counting to five whilst controlling their breathing, trying yoga as a family, or developing their visualization skills so they can self-calm will work wonders.