Many parents get used to having kids in daycare or school throughout the day while they work and go about their own lives and responsibilities. But when schools close due to an emergency or just for the summer, parents are often left wondering how to entertain kids while maintaining a sense of balance in life.
Here are some kids’ entertainment ideas from expert nannies to get you through the weeks and months ahead.
Encourage Playtime Outdoors
Fresh air and sunshine can do kids a lot of good and keep them entertained for hours during the day. Set up some yard games, such as badminton or a kickball to get kids outside and active. Backyard swing sets, trampolines, basketball hoops, and even just a driveway to practice riding a bike are all great solutions for how to entertain kids.
Let Kids Help with Housework
Whether you’re a child or an adult, housework rarely sounds like fun. But you can make it more fun and come together as a family by assigning certain chores. Chores help teach responsibility to kids and also life skills they will need in the future. But some tasks can be lots of fun for kids too, such as washing the car, cooking in the kitchen, and using a small broom to sweep the patio. One idea is to create a chore chart or chore wheel to stay organized and make housework feel like a game.
Go Camping at Home
When going on a real camping isn’t feasible, you can pretend to go camping inside or outside your home. It’s fun for little ones to set up a tent in the living room or backyard and sleep in a different place for a change of pace. To complete your kids’ at-home camping experience, make homemade s’mores in the kitchen or backyard firepit.
Design a Scavenger Hunt
Another nanny-approved kids’ entertainment idea is to create a scavenger hunt that will keep little ones busy for a while. You can do this by making a page with photos of things you have around the house that kids need to find and check off a list. Another idea is to give kids a camera phone to snap photos of the scavenger hunt items and time them to see how quickly they can complete the game.
Have Family Reading Sessions
Downtime at home is a great time to read more books, and this is true for both children and adults. Designate some time each day for family reading time so that each family member can either read a chosen book individually or aloud together for an engaging activity.
Host Board Game Nights
A fun way to engage your children at home is to play board games and card games that challenge their minds and create bonding experiences. Choose age-appropriate games that your children can grasp and enjoy for many game night sessions.
Hire Expert Help
However, keeping kids entertained can sometimes be easier said than done, and every parent needs and deserves a break from time to time. This is where professional nannies can step in and provide children with the attention they crave and parents with much-needed breaks. Nannies are experts in how to entertain kids, and families can benefit from this expertise as they learn to adjust to changing schedules and routines.
At Household Staffing International, we can set your family up with a full-time, part-time, or career nanny to help coordinate kids’ activities and provide endless hours of fun and learning. Please contact us at 212-683-7722 or via online form to discuss your child entertainment needs and how we can help.