Mummies, it’s that time of the year for you to gear up and put your cape on! It’s the holiday season, the end-of-year no-school holiday, the stuck-at-home season, and so many more.
And this year, things are definitely different as compared to the previous years that we had. I bet we can’t even compare the current situation with our childhood days, where we had all the freedom in the world to go out and have fun without worries.
That being said, mum’s guilt is real, mummies! We want the kids to enjoy the year-end break, we want to reward them (and ourselves) with a good holiday with sunny beaches and all, we want to lay back and just spend more ‘quality’ time with the family away from home.
Na-ah! Not going to happen! It’s official, it’s gonna be a home-bound holiday this year.
Or is it? Calm down, mummies. Yup, we might not be able to plan for a nice getaway like we used to. We might not get to cross out the places that we’ve visited this year like we had done it before.
But, it shouldn’t stop us from having fun, rewarding the kids, spending quality time with them, and ‘travelling’. Look at the bright side: The on-going pandemic might be a blessing in disguise. Seize it while it lasts!
So, instead of travelling for the holidays, why don’t we plan out some fun home activities with the kids to make it all worthwhile?
Here are some ideas of the many things that you could have fun with the whole family. Try them out and you’ll be thanking us later!
Whip out international cuisines from your kitchen.
This holiday season, you should be enjoying the exotic and original taste of sushi and sashimi in Japan but you have to stay home, instead?
Here’s an idea: Bring sushi and sashimi to your home. Try out various international dishes just to entertain the kids and relieve your ‘what’s for dinner?’ headaches.
Let the kids participate. Involve them with the preparation from researching recipes, cutting up the ingredients, cooking and up to setting up food on the table.
If cooking is not your forte, just order food deliveries from your family’s favourite restaurants. To spice things up at home, dress up for dinner. Make it special for the whole family. Have it once a week till everything gets back to normal again.
Learn foreign languages.
One thing about travelling is that we get to learn about the people, their cultures, and languages of the countries we visit.
Learning a foreign language has always been exciting. I remember how my little darlings were fascinated with simple foreign words like “syukran”, “ooi”, and “kap” during our travel adventures.
While we may not get to travel at the moment, you can still challenge the kids to learn a new language. Just start with simple words and ask them to share and practise with others.
The best is to start using them when applicable. Trust me, it sure is fun seeing them trying to speak a different language!
Find international pen pals (or maybe email-pals).
What’s more interesting than to learn about the different parts of the world from the people who are living there, am I right?
Though writing snail mails may seem irrelevant in the time we’re living now, considering to find and start a pen-pal relationship might be a good idea to kick start with your kids.
With the online platforms available nowadays, it’s really easy to connect with the world at your fingertips.
Through social media, try reaching out to the locals of any countries that your kids might be interested to know more about and send them a genuine, friendly greeting message telling them your intention. Or best is to let your kids start introducing themselves, of course, with your supervision.
So start connecting, mummies! But, always remind your children about the safety measures to be taken when contacting strangers from the net.
Travel virtually in first class.
Mummies, try to find the silver linings behind the cloudy skies. If you can’t bring the kids to visit the museum or zoo, there’s a way to bring the museum and the zoo to them: Simply travel virtually!
Start your tour with the kids via Google Earth and search for the country they wish to travel to, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can explore the world with just a few clicks.
When you’re done exploring Google Earth, you might want to enjoy and visit some virtual museums, zoos, and aquariums available online.
Visit the iconic art gallery in Paris, The Louvre, and be mesmerised by the views and knowledge you’ll be getting from all the 7 galleries they have, including the Egyptian Antiquities Gallery.
You might also want to explore the British Museum at no cost as there’s always something new to learn.
If art galleries and museums are not your kids’ cup of tea, get soaked and excited exploring the Baltimore National Aquarium and Houston Zoo.
Watch documentaries and foreign movies.
You won’t believe how overwhelming the internet can be with so many documentaries, anime, and foreign movies available online. Take Netflix for instance. Hence, savour and enjoy all that’s available with the kids.
Yes, I know, it might seem like you’re encouraging them to use gadgets ‘freely’. Just keep in mind to always monitor what and how long they watch the content.
I would recommend a few foreign movies that are worth watching like My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service by talented Japanese producers and even the famous animation movie called Knight Rusty German.
Spend time planning with your kids and have a themed movie night, which would add more fun to your weekly movie night at home.
Of course, there are tons of activities that the whole family can have fun with while we’re all home-bounded, and not being able to travel much this year isn’t really a bad thing at all. For whichever awesome activities you’re planning for the kids, just don’t forget the number #1 rule: Get them involved and have fun!
So mummies, have fun taking a family trip around the world without leaving your home!
Year-end holidays are great in so many ways, especially when you have fun family activities to fill up your time. For more fun-filled holiday ideas right within your home, visit our Cuti-Cuti Family articles here!