Coronavirus isolation with kids: indoor activities for children ideas

Coronavirus isolation is a fact and we have a practical parent’s guide for indoor activities for children that will help you in this difficult period. Millions of children are staying home due to the schools being closed. Coronavirus pandemic isolation is a challenge for both parents and kids, especially for working mom and dads. Many parents are faced with the question what the kids will do all day and how to manage a kids-at-home life?

Social isolation is a great ordeal for the whole family, whether you are expanding into a large apartment or living in two rooms. Yes, parents realize that now is the time to stay home in order to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy. Yet the challenge remains – you have seven days a week to fill with something to do for an indefinite period of time. If you are working from home and you need peace and quiet, this makes things even worse and it becomes even more important for parents to know how to engage their children and get them to follow the rules.

Parent’s guide for indoor activities for children during coronavirus isolation – create a schedule

Keeping children indoors for long periods of time can drive parents crazy. You need to be prepared and act accordingly. Parents need to accept the fact that the house is probably going to be a mess for the duration of coronavirus isolation. It is important to talk to your children about coronavirus and explain the situation in a calm tone. Teach the children how to wash their hands properly and explain why.

According to experts, it is important that you make a plan and include several learning activities each day. Kids feel less stresses when they follow a schedule. Your goal is to keep kids busy and learning while allowing you to work from home and get other things done too.

If your school does not offer online training, then this task is up to you. Take a few hours for the different disciplines to help your child, if they need it. For example, if you are in the initial stages of training, emphasize reading and writing as well as mathematics. However, be sure to allow your child time to rest to be more focused and productive. If you live in a house with a yard, leave it a resting place and let the child out in the sun to breathe fresh air.

Make sure the daily routine balances school work and free time. It is not that difficult, especially if you follow the usual routine of the children. When are they used to having breakfast? Snack? Lunch? What is their school program? When is recess? Here is a sample for you:

• 8:30 – Wake up. Brush teeth, get dressed, make bed, eat breakfast.
• 9:00 – Schoolwork as per the daily program – mathematics, reading, writing, breaks, etc.
• 12:00 – Lunch
• 13:00 – Rest
• 14:00 – Doing homework
• 15:00 – Snack
• 16:00 – Reading a book/craft project
• 17:00 – Games and sports
• 18:00 – Dinner and family time
• 20:30 – Going to bed

List of indoor activities for children during coronavirus isolation

Creating a schedule and following a routine sound great but when it comes to real life, you need to know exactly what to do and come up with a plan in a matter of minutes. Here is a list of indoor activities for children during coronavirus isolation which may help you with ideas how to entertain the kids.

Baking and cooking – kids love to bake. From cookies to cupcakes, fruit or vegetable skewers – there are so many recipes suitable for children. Ask them to help with dinner, they can make the salad, for example.

Arts and crafts

• Make paper bag puppets and put on a show.
• Draw with fingers.
• Play with playdough using cookie cutters
• Make a book of drawings, every day drawing something that starts with a letter from the alphabet.
• Make a cardboard and drawing puzzle.
• Make popcorn necklace.
• Craft spring and Easter decorations and greeting cards.
• Bake simple Easter egg salt dough ornaments and then paint them.
• Make basic origami
• Paper crafts
• Button crafts
• Easter crafts
• Make pasta jewelry.
• Make musical instruments from cardboard paper and play favorite songs.
• Make potato stamps
• Fly paper airplanes
• Paint plant pots
• Make a car out of boxes
• Make cardboard crowns

Sports and exercise

• Have a dance party with favorite songs.
• Freeze dance – When the music stops, freeze in your pose and hold it until the music begins again.
• Play a volcano. The carpet should be lava and the pillows should be rocks that we should jump on so that we would not burn ourselves.
• Make a pillow mountain to climb
• Make a maze out of sofa cushions

• Animal race – Hop like a bunny or frog, squat and waddle like a duck.
• Build an indoor obstacle course. Here is an idea how to do it. Crawl under or over a row of chairs. Crawl under a string stretched between two chair legs. Jump into and out of a Hula-Hoop five times. Walk on a balance board. Throw a beanbag into a laundry basket.
• Exercise together.
• Assign house chores appropriate for the age of the kids.

Family fun

• Have a tea party with the cookies you baked.
• Make a fashion show with different clothes.
• Make popcorn and watch a movie.
• Family karaoke concert
• Have an indoor “camp out” with sleeping bags, a tent, board games, and s’mores.
• Build a fort – this is an easy activity which allows children use their imagination and will help them to entertain themselves. Card boxes, blankets, pillows, bed sheets – these are excellent building materials.

• Make a box road. Flatten out a box and draw a road with a marker. Add blocks, trucks and other toys for kids to build a city.
• Toy-Washing. Let your kids wash their plastic toys.
• Play with a torch to make shadows
• Practice tongue twisters
• Have a competition on who can build the biggest block tower
• Cook dinner together.