10 cool activities for kids this winter

It does become difficult to keep kids entertained all the time. Especially with holidays for them but work tasks always on for you!

Let’s find out some easy, interactive and pedagogic ways of getting children involved and to keep them amused while winter is around the corner.

1)      Indoor Campout - Pitch a small tent indoors or create a pillow fort and then let the campout begin! Equip your kids with flashlights, sleeping bags, story books and snacks. Tell ghost stories, have a shadow puppet show and maybe even convince them to take a nap in the tent!

2) Hardwood Hopscotch - Kids really miss going to parks and playgrounds when bad weather strikes. So, bring some of the fun indoors via a hopscotch mat you can create in minutes. Using paper, write numbers on each square and tape them to the hard-surfaced floor in your home in the shape of a real hopscotch. Let them use buttons instead of rocks to mark the numbered square to skip while playing.

3) Play with clay – This craft-style play has always been a child’s favourite. Playing with clay has some major benefits that include sensory development, play based learning and it’s also therapeutic.

4) Art Gallery - Gather round the dining room table or easel and fuel your child’s artistic aspirations with plenty of paper, paint, crayons and markers, scissors, glue and appropriate art tools to let them create their own masterpieces. Hang up their finished work in a gallery format on a wall in your home. Ask your child to title each piece of art, and make caption signs with the title, their name and the date. Show them some famous works of art and make a date to visit an art gallery in a museum such as the Mathaf.

5) Gardening with kids - Children are born with a natural appreciation for the magic that flows through nature. They reach for the golden petals of sunflowers, dig their toes into the soft earth and begin to use twigs and berries as toys without ever having been told to do so.  Teach them how to sow seeds, pour in the right amount of water and watch their sapling bloom and blossom!

6) Learning through play - Its super easy to make learning fun when you use soft and colorful felt letters and numbers to teach your tots their ABCs and 123s. You could also get them learning through play, when you are busy in the kitchen or working around the house. Magnetic letters or words can let your children make up words on the refrigerator or on the cupboard, while you dictate it to them.

7) Photographer For A Day - Give your kiddo a quick tutorial on how to use your old digital camera, then tell him/her to go on a journey throughout the house to capture the world as they see it. You’ll be amazed at the photographs they snap through their pint-sized perspective. Upload the photos to your computer and have your child narrate them to you. You can spin this activity off into a bunch of different games including “photograph only red items,” “photograph things that start with the letter S,” and so on!

Tip –Do not hand over a prized camera unless your child can handle it responsibly.

8)      Clean up time – When cleaning and picking up is part of the expectations you establish within the family, kids catch on quickly and accept that they are an important part of making the household run smoothly and neatly. Finding simple tasks to do is the key. For as small as 2 – 3 year olds, collecting and stacking their toys or colour pencils could do the trick. Giving one simple instruction or direction at a time also works. Instead of saying, “Clean up your room” to your 7 year old, you could say, “Put away all the cars in their container”.

9) Learn new concepts via different books - Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment not only perform better in reading tests, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. In addition, reading can be a fun and imaginative activity for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them. Reading with them is another fun activity you could do once you are back home after a long hectic day. You could also tell them to read aloud to you. This would help you to judge their reading skills.

10)   Cook ‘em up - The kitchen can be a fascinating place for young kids. They see grown-ups working briskly in there and smell what's on the menu that night. Even older kids might be intrigued by how baked goods and meals come together. Younger kids can watch what you're doing and help out with small tasks, like stirring something or setting the table. Older kids can be taught how to crack eggs or measure ingredients. Even teens might be lured into the kitchen if you tell them they can choose the dish and you'll help prepare it with them.

What else would you like to add up to the list? What is your favourite activity with your kid(s)?