I believe almost all of us parents have experienced (for some, on a daily basis) the blood-curdling yelling, shouting, and crying from our kids – the older sister lashes out at and hits her baby brother because he took her toys, the brother suddenly slaps the sister because she messed with his building blocks, and the list of reasons go on infinitely.
“Mummmmmm!!!”, “He pushed me!”, “Nooooo! She pushed me first!”, “Mummmmmm! Make him stop!!!!”
All too familiar?
Whether you’re a mum who sees your kids after office hours or a stay-at-home mum who faces them 24/7, just stay calm, we’ve got you. Here’s a compilation of 8 fun activities for you to keep your kids busy that’ll (hopefully!) stop all the awful bickering.
Grow A House Plant (or More!)
This activity deserves to be on the top of our list because it helps to eliminate unseen toxins in the air, which taints the indoor environment of our house. Also, being close to greenery makes us feel more at ease with our surroundings.
That is why filling your home with house plants is definitely a good idea! Plants such as Golden Pothos (Money Plants), Snake Plant, Aloe Vera, and Spider Plants are easy to repot and maintain. You may get the older kids to help dig out young shoots or get a cutting from the mother plant and have the little ones to replant it into smaller pots. You may also want to share with them about how important trees and plants are to humans and the earth!
There is Always a Reason to Be Grateful
Create a gratitude vision board with the kids.
You may tape a manila card or hang a big photo frame (be sure to remove the glass covering!) on the wall. Take out a stack of old magazines and get the kids to flip through them to look for any images or words that remind them of joy or blessings (or whatever keywords you determine) in their lives. Cut them out carefully, and tack them to the board.
The board will make for an interesting personalised wall décor, and definitely a good reminder for the family to give thanks for the good things the family has.
Indoor Drive-In Cinema
OK, don’t judge. Sometimes, we can’t deny that the TV does make for a great sitter (shhh!).
Get one cardboard box for each kid; make sure the boxes are big enough for them to sit in. You may or may not decorate the boxes to look like a vehicle (you could use paper plates for wheels – you’re welcome!). Teach the kids how to make popcorn (bonus activity!), pick out a family-friendly movie, prop the kids up nice and comfy in their individual boxes with pillows and blankets, and voilà! Just while the afternoon away!
Indoor Picnic
Well, you do see this coming, don’t you? If we can organise an indoor “drive-in” cinema, an indoor picnic is definitely on the cards!
For this seemingly simple activity, I’d suggest parents to make it special by first sending out an invitation to the kids the night before, informing them of an impending picnic in the living room (it’s all in the details, you see); you may also want to get them to come up with a list of food to prepare and actually let them prepare the food together!
Now’s the time you spread out your best picnic blanket right smack in the center of the living hall, strew some pillows and bolsters on it, place a few potted plants around the area to set the mood, and have a feast! Parents and kids bonding time don’t get any more luxurious than this!
Pillow Fight (With A Twist)
This is a no brainer, but if done well, kids and parents would have so much fun! Instead of hitting each other with pillows mindlessly, give each of your kids an oversized t-shirt, have them stuff the pillows under their t-shirts (the sight of this alone would make for so much laughter!), and sumo-bump away!
Just be careful to remove all tables and hard furniture, and remember to set the rules: Definitely don’t go overboard by ramming each other too hard. Parental supervision is important during this activity!
Never Ending Story
Here’s a super-fun game with kids ages 6 and above. Start with a phrase, such as “once upon a time,” and everyone takes turns to add on a sentence to make a story! The story may be long or short or never-ending, depending on your imagination. You may put out a jar with a variety of genres written on strips of papers in it; so just pick out a random genre and take on from there!
Rave On!
An Ibiza pool party is too far-fetched? Well, bring the party home! Switch off the lights, turn up the most upbeat music you can find – Barney’s theme song used to be one of our family’s favs! It’s all techno Baby Shark these days. Throw in some glow sticks, party hats, and old New Year’s Eve party glasses – you’ve got yourself the coolest rave in town, baby!
A Family that Plays Together, Stays Together
With a little time, props, and patience (mostly on the parents’ part), organising kid-friendly home activities is really not that hard. In the years to come, kids may not remember the bruises they gave each other but the good times they spent with their parents and siblings! So, call for a time out, not to send the kids to their rooms, but for everyone to come together and make some memories!
Print, Make & Learn
Sometimes we don’t need a lot to have fun. A good printer, a few pieces of papers, a tube of glue stick, and maybe a popsicle stick bring just as much fun as going to the amusement park!
The HP Little Makers now makes it even more convenient for parents to organise a make-and-learn time with their kids right at home! HP Little Makers is back with a Family Edition Challenge and now parents can head over to their website to print out these 8 educational and fun challenges to attempt at home. From now till the 23rd November 2019, join the #HPLittleMakers challenge and you and your family might just walk away with RM10,000 worth of HP prizes!
If you wish to participate, you’d just have to follow these 4 simple steps below:
With the HP printers, you can print out your Little Makers challenges by using the HP Smart App available on Google Play and Apple Store.
All the 8 Little Makers Challenges, such as Around the World, Paper Plane Physics, Look at the Stars, and many more are available for download on www.hpmalaysia..com/littlemakers. Let’s take up the HP Little Makers Family Edition Challenge and create bountiful memories with our little ones today!