Tips of activities for kids indoor in the time of lockdown?
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@lmrush great minds think alike
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There are a TON of things to do! I have a 3yo and used to homeschool my 2 other children. If you have painter's tape (masking tape in a pinch), you can make temporary hopscotch, roads for cars, or even obstacle courses (each strip would be a place to walk along, jump turning your feet, etc - there are a lot online). Balloons are for indoor volleyball, paper plates are great masks, and if you cut out shapes from all different colors of paper you have a Simon says that's educational. I used index cards for numbers and letters and would hide them all over the living room until they found and matched everything. When in doubt documentaries can often spur great play. Our coffee table has been a hobbit hole, an ancient Egyptian tomb (complete with resting mummy that could come to life), and a beaver dam. The beaver dam was after my 2nd child had seen a PBS documentary on beavers and began dragging pillows and blankets to the table with her teeth "swimming" to make her "beaver dam". It lasted 3 weeks. If you need any other ideas feel free to message me and I'll send them out!
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I just saw a funny post on facebook recently. A parent had 3 kids. He wanted to take a nap, so he had them all draw him while he took a nap on the couch.
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I love all the suggestions so far. Homemade playdough is always a winner with us and kept my 3 year old occupied for longer chunks of time than most activities. We've been playing lots of hide and seek this winter. Little cooking projects seem to be fun for them. Even something as simple as crumpling up a ball of paper and kicking it around is entertaining. 3 is such a fun age where you could do almost anything and they are super into it.
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Thank you so much for all these wonderful suggestions. I would definitely try them out. We know it is at least 2 weeks school/kindergarten lockdown. Luckily shops are open as normal. We are not short in anything yet.
I might design some papercut out dolls like this one! I thought it might be fun for a 3 years old, and it will keep painting/drawing. If I manage to do so, I will release the pattern for free on my website, so all stay-at-home parents can use them if they want to.
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@xin-li these paper dress up dolls were my absolute favourite thing when I was kid
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Same as the others : my niece (who is 4) asks me to draw something: she is really interested in the process and watches quietly until the image is traced. Then it is her turn to colour the image. This is a quiet activity and keeps her busy 1 hour or more.
Good luck!
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@xin-li What a wonderful idea! I should think of something to share...pay it forward right?
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@demotlj That sounds like fun!
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@xin-li I used to make paper dolls like this when I was a girl, but out of felt. That might be better for a 3yo.
A lot of homeschoolers have been speaking up because they are accustomed to having their kids home all day when others are not: https://www.facebook.com/LovingEarthParenting/photos/a.209205382425665/2973726835973492/?type=3&theater
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I just found this link @xin-li that might be great! They're providing a list of materials and then going live every day with a different activity starting I think on Monday.
https://www.mcharpermanor.com/post/supply-list-for-our-first-week-of-projects -
We are in self-isolation at this moment. My toddler has a bit cold symtom during the last couple days (mostly running nose). We are almost certain she is just having a common cold. But since there is no way for us to really know, we decide to go full self-isolation mode.
Luckily we live in the city center, there is online grocceray delivery service, there is neighbor volunteers offering to do shopping for you service.Thank you so much for all the tips. Yesterday we built a cozy hole with blanket, pillows, and sofa. And we kept making art together. Here are some art pieces we made it together. I like to draw on top of my toddler's drawing :-). Everything is looks so much more raw when I do my art on top of hers.I wonder if my art will have a complete new style after the corona is over.
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My mom neighbors and I had a conference out on our street after the schools were shut down to share resources/support. One mom suggested this website (I know, screens, but it's kid friendly):
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Hm. @xin-li I wonder if you could make some family pop-up book "dummies" together? Or maybe some rotating dials using a brass brad in the middle, giving homemade paper dolls different heads and torsos and legs? Or maybe plant a "paper garden" with some drawn flowers taped to straws or utensils--you could put it in a planter in the window and suspend some clouds and rain on string from the curtain rod. Or even decorate the room with drawn and taped stars or rainbows or trucks on the walls? Or maybe make drawn and folded rectangular paper houses to create a little village with no roofs to play with the people inside? Paper plate masks?
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@xin-li I love it! A collaboration piece is a fantastic idea! My friend does this with her boys. Let me think a bit and see if I can remember what I did when I taught preschool. Best of luck to you guys. The world is slowly starting to stop things here in my area.
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You can make a mobile with a coat hanger and thread or light string and paper or cardboard drawings. You can write and illustrate a book together and use cardboard to make the cover. Bind it with string or thread.
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http://www.bouletcorp.com/2020/03/16/hybrides-le-jeu/
That s in French, but basically you draw characters on one side (like a bear, a dino, etc), other characters on the other side (like a ant for example) and when the columns and lines meet, you have a wonderful monster (like half dino, half ant).
The real game is a bit more complex - this is simplified given your child is only 3.
Share with us the results and have fun!
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I haven't checked it out, but I saw this list of "online field trips":
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SvIdgTx9djKO6SjyvPDsoGlkgE3iExmi3qh2KRRku_w/preview?fbclid=IwAR1tCdyGaimoauLexCeIVEoQqR1KMKMkLXPS88ZmU0ot_VK3HyEqZycot6I&pru=AAABcQpPeOE*YzMPg5qlgGNon9fGbeVNFAMy sister (with 5 kids) shared this one: https://adventuresinfamilyhood.com/20-virtual-field-trips-to-take-with-your-kids.html?fbclid=IwAR2FyWKTkfMnKrRaPxwyueFMkATILMqRkgA94fy_A2L1ao2Os8yuyG8xZ7M
"I love this! So many great resources! Each section has worksheets and activities to make the tours interactive." -
The Cincinnati Zoo is having daily Facebook Live streams at 3PM (EDT) featuring a different animal each day.
Facebook: https://local12.com/news/local/cincinnati-zoo-to-start-facebook-live-safaris-featuring-furry-friends?fbclid=IwAR3Was4YjFUdszadRx0M6HNraHL3mPBI-SmiOyRUrZQNXi-yyiqa62Bc9Wc
(Watch live & they might answer your question from the comments.)
Website: http://cincinnatizoo.org/home-safari-resources/?fbclid=IwAR0x4URlnMcZq6F1UiTxaNLgPo3y5l9GxuaJm1AuX0cOSm2TeD5_wXvTysc
(The website gives more info & an activity related to the animal that you can do at home.)They have featured 3 animals already, & you can watch the previous videos anytime.
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Hey, I realise this topic is a few years old now but I thought I'd add a comment in case anyone watching the thread finds it to be useful. I have recently started my own YouTube channel to help kids learn how to draw basic characters and objects. Ideal for when they're stuck for something to do indoors! I'm happy to share the channel with you, perhaps your children might want to give one or more of my videos a try. Thanks, Tom
