Singaporean parents are always at a loss for what to do with their children over the holidays when they have to stay home. If you fall into this category, you’re in luck because we’ve put together a list of activities that will occupy your children and teach them new skills.
1. Discover A New Family-friendly Dish.
Many kids enjoy assisting in the kitchen, encouraging their passion for discovery and giving them a sense of pride in preparing a delectable dinner. In addition to keeping them entertained, they can learn valuable life lessons by doing this. Online, you can find several simple recipes they can use without having to handle anything too hot or sharp. Who knows, you might be raising a future baker or chef!
2. Aim To Complete A New Book Each Week.
If your child enjoys reading already, you’re a lucky parent. Numerous studies have demonstrated the value of teaching young children to read. Given how much time you spend at home these days, this is a fantastic opportunity to support this behaviour. During the holidays, make it a goal for your young one to finish at least one new book each week.
Consider implementing reading blocks if your youngster still needs to make it a habit to read books. A decent place to start is with fifteen to twenty minutes of reading each day. These reading blocks can be organised in several ways, depending on your child’s age and reading ability:
- You can read aloud to your kids.
- If they can, your kids can read aloud to you.
- Family reading aloud together in silence
If you have older children, ask them to briefly describe the book they just finished reading and what they learned. They will be able to strengthen their reading habits and comprehension abilities while strengthening their relationship with you in this way.
3. Engage The Entire Family in Board Games.
Playing board games together is a fantastic way to strengthen family ties if you have older children. It’s an excellent substitute instead of letting your children lock themselves in their rooms with their electronics. You might be surprised to learn that numerous board games include the following advantages for kids:
- Opportunities for early learning – Playing board games with young children can teach them to recognize colours, count squares, and improve their hand-eye coordination. Additionally, it’s a terrific opportunity to instil in children the virtues of patience and waiting for one’s time, which will benefit them greatly in maturity. Scrabble for Kids and Zingo are two excellent options for parents who want their children to learn new words through board games.
- Brain stimulation – Strategy games help young children and teenagers develop healthy brains. They support the development of cognitive capacities, reading comprehension, and critical thinking.
- Teaches vital lessons – You may not have noticed, but board games teach us crucial things like how your luck can change at any time or how it’s acceptable to lose occasionally. They can also help kids understand that things don’t always go their way and educate them to be grateful whether they win or lose.
Children learn to concentrate by playing board games that take a while to complete and can help extend a child’s attention span when played uninterrupted. But in addition to setting a good example for children, parents and older siblings should also concentrate on the game and refrain from using their phones or engaging in other activities.
4. Use Upcycled Materials for Crafts.
Please encourage your child’s creativity by getting them involved in some arts and crafts projects throughout the summer.
As an alternative to going out and purchasing supplies, you can encourage your children to use what they already have. You can use objects like empty water bottles, tissue boxes, paper plates, paper cups, and used crayons to evaluate your child’s level of creativity.
Work along with your child to upcycle these materials and create something enjoyable! Additionally, using these items for upcycling is a fantastic chance to talk to your kids about the environmental three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
5. Implement A System of Rewards for Completing Housework
There is twice as much to do around the house when the entire family is present for the holidays. Getting the kids involved in domestic chores is an excellent approach to keep them occupied over the school break.
Setting up a reward system is a beautiful method to help young children ease into the habit of performing tasks. They will start to look forward to helping out around the house as a result. The benefits could include picking what to eat for dinner, selecting the movie you want to watch, or getting an additional serving of dessert after dinner!
6. Hold A Marathon of Themed Films
Have you ever let Netflix take up the first 30 minutes of your movie night because you couldn’t select which film to watch? Undoubtedly, we’ve all been there. Setting a theme for each movie marathon or letting your kids pick one will help you avoid this issue. Get the family together to make snacks that go with the movie marathon theme if you want to take it to the next level!
7. Making Scrapbooks
Encourage your child to make a scrapbook of family photos if they have a talent for arts and crafts so you can feed their passion over the holidays! Instead of simply preserving them in a regular photo album, scrapbooking is a terrific method to protect memorable photos. Your young one can create a scrapbook from scratch using some vividly coloured construction paper if you don’t already have one at home. Making a hole in the corner of the construction paper and threading a loose-leaf ring through it will allow you to connect them. As you reflect on all the memories you’ve shared with your children, scrapbooking will strengthen your relationship with them.
8. Construct Some Fun Science Projects at Home.
Try conducting a few at-home science experiments with your children if you’re looking for an entertaining and informative activity. Thanks to these experiments, children continue to learn new things and keep their minds engaged even while on vacation. If you have a minor child, let them choose the scientific experiment or choose one together. Consider making gooey slime, your lava lamp, or a solar oven.
9. Film a Short Film or Role Playing
It may be time to make your family’s program with your kids if you’ve watched every kid’s show on Netflix. Shooting a short film will undoubtedly excite your children and spark their curiosity and creativity. According to numerous studies, role-playing can have a good effect on a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Reenacting a scene from your child’s favourite book is one idea. Collaborate with your child to make up the narrative and act it out.
10. Construct A Scavenger Quest Inside.
Another excellent way to keep kids from getting bored at home is to have a scavenger hunt. Indoor scavenger hunts are fantastic since they are cheap, simple, and can be carried out with items you already have at home. Instead of randomly choosing objects from your house, your treasure hunt might have an intriguing twist.
11. Last But Not Least, Enrichment Classes
Learners who take enrichment courses have improved their soft skills. Enrichment classes offer enjoyable challenges that aid students in developing their talents in a variety of areas, including creativity, communication, problem-solving, and public speaking. Classes assist in piquing students’ interest in their lessons, which fosters engagement. Additionally, essential to your kid’s success is motivation. When they feel challenged, your kids are more likely to be inspired to participate in classes, activities, and conversations in the classroom.
At Pftuition, our inspiring and motivated tutors are relentless and determined in helping your child learn better and also spend their school holidays more fruitfully at the same time. Engage with us to find out more about our lesson structures and have the absolute time of your lives here while learning!