21 amazing ideas to keep yourself and your children busy at home during coronavirus outbreak
Staying in doesn't mean
that the little ones need to feel bored any time soon
It's not easy keeping the whole family entertained and now the challenge is made even more difficult as we are advised to stay indoors due to the coronavirus epidemic.
With the schools closed,
parents will want to ensure that younger members of the family are also
learning while they are keeping busy.
Luckily, there are plenty of entertaining online resources for kids which are both educational and fun.
Here we round up our
favourites as well as look at some good old-fashioned activities to keep
boredom at bay.
1. BrainPOP
This brilliant online resource
ticks all the boxes when it comes to mixing learning with enjoyment.
There's free access to
traditional subjects like English, science and maths as well as well as arts
and crafts and even a 'new & trending' section where they can learn about
everything like top movies, the solstice and even coronavirus.
2. Tynker
Everything needed to learn
computer programming the fun way!
Aimed at ages 5+ and broken
down into three age groups, this online tool is used by thousands of schools
and now parents can get free access. There's everything from beginner puzzles
to even coding with Barbie.
3. Creativebug
If you've got a creative
steak - or even if you haven't - then this is another online resource you
should check out.
There are classes on
literally everything, including making finger puppets, knitting, creating
animal hats and fairy wands.
4. Recreate party games
Remember Pin The Tail on
the Donkey, Musical Statues and Musical Chairs? They were some of the
highlights of our childhood but with more kids now having bowling, trampolining
or pamper parties, you can bet they don't often get to enjoy these simple games
that we loved.
5. SciShow Kids
Learning about cute, weird,
and fun animals is actually science...
Tune into YouTube channel
SciShow Kids to learn about the science of animals with Jessi and her friends.
https://www.youtube.com/user/scishowkids
6. TheBrainScoop
The Brain Scoop is an
educational YouTube channel filmed at The Field Museum in Chicago and hosted by
Emily Graslie and there are plenty of fascinating things to discover such as
how bird vomit helps us understand history and why King Tut had a flat head.
https://www.youtube.com/user/thebrainscoop
7. Geeek Gurl Diaries
Fancy snooping through some
diaries - who wouldn't? - and learning about technolgy? Aimed at teenage girls,
Geeek Gurl Diaries will help you lose yourself for a few hours.
The diaries are the work of
Carrie Anne who started producing them in 2012 while she was working as a
Computing and ICT Teacher in East London. They aim to inspire a generation to
take up more traditionally geeky subjects.
http://www.geekgurldiaries.co.uk/
8. Travel the world's museums
Pretend to travel the world
by going on a virtual tour of 12 famous museums, from London to New York and
Berlin..
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
9. GEOgraphy Focus
While on the subject of
travel, this is a great way to learn more about different countries.
The Philippines, Thailand
and Brazil are just some of the far-flung places that you can learn about.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HYERScBt-e0kV0fpe0asg
10. Get baking
If you've got some flour
and eggs, get baking! There's nothing kids love more than getting flour up to
their elbows as they rustle up some cupcakes or make pastry. And, of course,
adding the decorations at the end means they can show off their creativity. If
you've got pizza bases, you can have a pizza-making session and if you have
some pasta pieces going spare they could make some pasta art.
11. SoulPancake
SoulPancake creates smart,
uplifting, meaningful, shareable content targeted to the "optimistic
millennial".
You can tune in for a pep
talk from Kid President, watch kids baking with Grandma and discover what kids
really think about each other.
12. Just Dance 2020
If you've got a Nintendo
Switch, Wii, Playstation 4 or Xbox one, this game is a must. You basically
follow a virtual dance coach as they take you through routines for some of the
latest pop tunes. You can play alone or compete with each other and this is a
brilliant keep fit work out as well as the best fun you've had since the school
disco.
13. All-In-One Homeschool
An awesome free curriculum
which features everything from pre-school to Year 12 activities and is
something that all those who home-school swear by.
https://allinonehomeschool.com/
14. Board games
Sick of being online? Dust
down the old family board games and while away a few hours over Monopoly, Guess
Who and Kerplunk!
15. Other games
If the board games are
tucked away in the attic, you can play games that don't need anything -
Charades, Hide & Seek and Who Am I? among them (ok you need a pen and
paper for the latter).
16. Kids' Learning Tube
A YouTube channel with a
mission to educate kids of all ages through original music and animation.
Discover the countries of
the world and their flags or find out more about the brilliant workings of the
human body.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EFWpvc1wYuUwrtZ_BLi9A
17. Khan Academy
Sign up to the Khan
Academy, a nonprofit organisation with the mission to provide a free,
world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
You can even download daily
schedules for children aged four to 18.
18. TurtleDiary
Introduce kids to new,
exciting ways of learning with the help of fun online games, videos,
experiments, puzzles and colouring sheets.
Activities are matched with
your child's school year so that they are age appropriate.
19. SwitchZoo
A must for animal lovers as
this is a place where you can make new animals, play animal games, solve animal
puzzles, take a guided tour, and join a zoo quest.
And if that wasn't enough,
you can listen to music performed by animals and watch a dog’s dream.
20. SeussVille
The online place to
discover the magical world of the Dr Seuss books.
Find out more about the
stories an characters as well as the experiences for fans around the world.
21. Cool Math 4 Kids
Let's face it, maths wasn't
the best subject - well, for most of us at least.
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