Sometimes, well, many times, I wish my kids could play on their own for hours without any types of assistance from me. But nothing is perfect, and often I’ll need to step in and tell them what to do. Instead of giving them an iPad or Nintendo, here are a couple of alternative ideas to keep them entertained with minimal supervision. These could keep my kids entertained for anywhere from half an hour to a few hours.
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This is perhaps the most costly yet highly anticipated and convenient idea. There are various types of play kits suitable for young children. Personally, I stock up whenever retail merchants like Target, Walmart, Amazon, or even Michaels have sales. These can include art and craft activities, Lego sets, children jewelry, or STEM and science packs. I’ve even bought the unicorn garden kit twice from different sellers for my daughter. Depending on the level of difficulty, my kids can often play on their own with assistance from my 8-year-old. For activities like jewelry sets, I might need to make knots and then leave it to my kids to put on the beads. Buying these activity kits also offers another advantage for our family. Since we have one boy and one girl, scheduling playdates can sometimes be challenging as they may not accommodate both children. If I schedule with my daughter’s friend, those girls may not play with my son, and vice versa. Therefore, to keep everyone happy and so I can chat with the other parent, I would bring one of these hassle-free kits for the child that’s been left out. Of course, this doesn’t happen all the time, but it could strain my finances. You don’t need to buy tons, but having a few on hand can be very handy when you’re out of ideas or the kids are just particularly needy that day.
2. Board Games
We don’t own a lot of board games, but the ones we do own are lifesavers. Candyland and Let’s Go Fish are by far the most popular in our family. They are easy to learn, have short time frames, and require very minimal brain work, making them suitable for 5-year-olds. The kids can easily spend half an hour playing one of those games before moving on to the next target. Games that require a longer attention span aren’t as popular so far unless one of us adults is playing.
For older kids, Chess, Scrabble, Battleship and Uno are wonderful options. My 8-year old loves to play few rounds of Chess or Uno before bedtime. These games are not just fun; they also develop academic, strategic, and social skills, and most importantly, enhance concentration and problem-solving skills.
3. Origami
I’ve always been fond of the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, origami. Back in junior high, my friends and I would gather in a local library after school and create huge floral origami made up of hundreds of folded square papers. Origami can be rather soothing to the mind and also fun and rewarding for children and even adults. It requires concentration, focus for precision, and attention to detail. Additionally, it improves hand-eye coordination, patience, and problem-solving skills. Children should start off with basic forms that have only a few steps to follow and gradually move on to more challenging creations. Bloggers Mommy Made That and Momooze provide step-by-step instructions on some basic origami such as fish, frogs, and stars. Easy Peasy Fun showcases 20 easy paper arts specifically for kids, including monster bookmarks, cootie catchers (or fortune tellers), bunnies, boats, and flower stems.
4. Play-Doh
I personally am not a fan of Play-Doh because it’s hard to clean out of tabletops or clothes, and it can get everywhere on the floor. However, the continuous kneading movement is unspeakably satisfying and soothing for both us and the kids. We have a large box packed with various colors and different shapes of molding tools bought from Dollar Tree or 99 Cent stores. The Play-Doh is mainly in sizes of 1 oz, gathered throughout the years from gifts to treat bags. We do ask the kids to play with the old opened cases and open the new ones only if the old ones have dried up. Even though they have only a few to play with, those can easily keep them entertained for at least an hour. And to speed up the cleaning, I would lay out a disposable table cloth to cover the area and just leave them to themselves. Once they are finished and put everything back, I would just wrap up the cover with any small crumbs and dump it in the trash can. No need to wipe the table or worry if a few will stick to my table.
My children love coloring, even my 8 year old. We used to buy coloring books but realized Pinterest has many more options with their favorite characters. For my son, it’s Pokemon, Minecraft and Lightning McQueen. My daughter, it’s princesses, mermaids, unicorns, or TV characters like My Little Pony and Barbie. They color any time throughout the day: before bedtime, during family dinner, or whenever they are bored. They can focus without asking questions or being disturbed and color page after page. This activity can last from half an hour to an hour depending on the characters and their energy levels. Among all the available websites with free downloadable coloring pages, Cool2bKids and Cute Coloring Pages for Kids have color by number with holiday themed. For specific characters such as Pokemon or Disney, check out Mom Junction and Monday Mandala.
6. Help Out in the House
Though requiring close supervision, involving my children in chores teaches them important lessons. My daughter finds folding clothes and assisting in the kitchen enjoyable. She eagerly helps with laundry and proudly introduces dishes she helped prepare, boosting her skills and confidence.
7. Educated TV Shows & Story Reading
Sometimes, when nothing seems to work, embracing some downtime as couch potatoes without taxing the brain becomes the only option. During such times, I allow my kids to watch selected shows for a specific time frame. Among the educational programs available for kids, Octonauts , Storybots , The Dr Binocs Show and Big Bang Academy Kids on YouTube. These shows delve into educational topics such as sea animals, biology, science, the universe, and anatomy, presented through colorful backgrounds and endearing characters. The content is easy to understand, appealing to both young listeners and adults alike. Additionally, my youngest daughter, who is at the age of learning to read, particularly enjoys Vooks. Unlike traditional storybooks, Vooks is animated with engaging music and text, offering a read-along feature that is immensely beneficial for expanding children’s vocabularies.