Keeping Your Kids Busy During Social Distancing

Healthy Ways to Keep Children Engaged and Avoid Crowds During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As parents and children prepare for spring break, the COVID-19 pandemic (novel Coronavirus) has affected Americans’ everyday lives. In an effort to limit the spread of the virus, schools and other organizations will be closed for a minimum of two weeks. Parents are not happy, though. Here are some activities parents can do to keep their sanity and avoid crowds and the coronavirus.

Make a bracelet out of nature.
My grandmother used to take me on “nature strolls” around her neighborhood when I was a child. She made me a bracelet out of sticky-side out tape. I decorated it with flower petals, grass blades, leaves and other natural items.

Make your own puppets and put on a show.
All of us have made puppets from cotton socks, paper bag, markers and a few buttons. Kids can be creative by assembling a bag of cool puppetry supplies and storing them in a Puppet Box.

Make a dress up chest.
Collect scarves and funky hats like cowboy hats or sombreros. You can also collect baseball caps for teams, hard hats for construction, etc. Costume jewelry, shoes for adults and children, shirts, Hawaiian shirts, Hawaiian lab coats for doctors, etc. Dresses, skirts and jackets. Collect anything that lends itself to pretend play.

Create cards to give to family, friends, and neighbors.
Add special embellishments like family photos, ribbons, glitter and buttons. You can add special embellishments such as family photos, ribbons and glitter. Buttons are also a good idea. Let your children write their own messages to improve their spelling and letter recognition skills. This project helps kids feel more purposeful about their crafts instead of just doing them to get by.

Create a video of a cooking demonstration.
Your kids can host a cooking demonstration of their favorite snack or meal. Looking for a snack? Try this Snack Mix. Tag @nemours if you post your video to social media!

Take a bicycle ride.
It’s a fun way to spend time with your family and get some exercise. Before you and your kids begin pedaling, make sure that you are up-to-date on .

Take a backyard camping trip.
Set up camp in your backyard if it is not too cold. It’s a great way to treat your kids to a fun staycation. You can watch a movie and eat popcorn while roasting marshmallows over the grill.

Organise a family spelling bee or trivia contest.
The winners can receive trinkets (such as stickers), activity or coloring book, trading cards, sweets, or money.

Find seashells, shark teeth and other treasures.
You can search the beach for treasures if you live near an ocean. Make your own treasure chest by placing rocks, trinkets and other items into a box filled with sand or dirt for your children to dig through.