Fun Activities To Keep Kids Busy At Home
Fun Activities To Keep Kids Busy At Home
Long stretches of time off school either for breaks or unexpected closures can mean parents have to find creative ways to keep energetic children entertained for several days in a row.
You can keep mealtime simple with takeout or delivery of a Family Meal to Go from Bob Evans, but finding fun ways to fill the hours between meals is a little trickier.
We've put together a few family-friendly activities you can do at home to keep the kids busy and entertained while off from school.
Creative Worksheets
You don't have to set aside a lesson plan, but having a few worksheets and activities kids can work on at home can add a little fun learning to the day. From word searches to mazes, creative worksheets can provide a fun way to sneak some education into your time at home.
To help get you started, we've collected all the fun activities we've used on our kid's menus. Just click the link below and print out at home. Share your completed worksheets with us on social using #farmkids!
Get Bob Evans Activity Worksheets
Set A Schedule
School offers children a set schedule they can expect everyday, so during extended time off at home it can be important to find your own rhythm. Working with your kids to create a "schedule" can help you set your own routine during the long days at home. Letting your child help you decide what activities should go where, including time for play, meals and rest can help keep your children busy and you at ease throughout the day.
Get Outside
A little bit of fresh air can do everyone some good when home for long stretches. As long as the weather holds, get everyone together for a long walk or just play in the backyard. Playing a few rounds of hide and seek with your kids is also a great way to get yourself moving. Best of all, burning off that excess energy means you might have calmer kids for the rest of the day.
Cardboard Box Buildings
Most garages have a few empty boxes waiting to be recycled, so use those to spark imaginative play! A cardboard box in the hands of a child can turn into anything. Stack multiple boxes into a castle, let the little ones decorate them with paints and markers, the options are endless. If you want to get really fancy, let the kids have a flashlight or some LED lights leftover from Christmas to light up their creation. After so many fun ideas, the most challenging part of playing with boxes is convincing your child to take it down when they’re done.
Screen Time
With so many options for instantly streaming movies and TV, it can be tempting to led the kids binge a show while you take a break. Making screen time special can help you set limits without stress. Use your schedule you created to have some designated time for the kids to watch what they want and set aside special movie screenings where the entire family can watch together.
Arts & Crafts
Crayons, markers, paints, pencils, paper. Get everything out and let your imaginations run wild with a craft day. Set out some newspaper and don’t worry about the mess of a painting session or come up with a story together.
Make A Fort
A classic pillow fort can mean hours of fun for the family. With a few pillows, couch cushions, blankets and chairs, you can build a fort that will set the stage for play. Forts not only are fun to build, but they can a place to read, color by flashlight or have a rest. Connect your fort to the cardboard creations you made earlier and you’ll have a playset to remember!
Get Food Delivered
Online ordering makes it easy for everyone to get what they want or you can order a full comfort meal with a Bob Evans Family Meal To Go. With choices that serve up to eight people, you’ll probably even have some leftovers to enjoy later!
While long stretches off school can be a challenge, with a little bit of organization and a lot of creativity your family can find fun ways of making lasting memories together.