Nanny to Mommy

If like many moms up and down the country right now, you are wondering how best to entertain your kids during the extended time at home you have together, we have some ideas for you here. After all, the days are long, and you will all need something fun to do to while away the hours.

As many children prefer to play games with a joypad in their hands these days, it might be that the board games you bought for your kids (or the games you had from your childhood) are now stored away in the attic or some other place in the house gathering dust. If so, now is the time to rescue them from closeted oblivion, as you can all have hours of fun and bonding time together when playing them.

Do you have any jigsaw puzzles at home? Or building blocks? Or games such as Scrabble, Boggle, or any other word games? If so, make the most of your time at home and work on them together. Not only will you all have fun, but as puzzles are educational too, you will do much to boost the brainpower of your little ones while they're away from their normal school environments. They will also discover that learning can be fun, and that will do much to improve their outlook on school when they next go back. Use word unscrambler or some other such online resource if your kids need extra help with the more difficult puzzles you have at home.

Thanks to the coronavirus, many cinemas have been closed. But that doesn't mean your family can't enjoy a movie together, as you can all cuddle up on the sofa together to watch something at home. If you have a Disney + subscription, you have an incredible backlog of classic family movies to watch together, as well as the new Pixar hit Onward which is making its way to the streaming service early. Visit our page here to find out more and download our activity sheets too. Of course, there are hundreds of movies on Netflix and other streaming services too, and you might have more than a few DVDs at home that you can finally dust off and watch with your kids.

Opportunities for exercise are limited at the moment, and this is because many of us are living under strict rules about reducing the amount of time we spend away from home. However, that doesn't mean your family can't keep fit, as there are all kinds of active games you can play together indoors. From treasure hunts to obstacle courses, take a look at this list of indoor games, and then try to come up with a few ideas of your own too (or ask your kids for their ideas).

There are all kinds of other things you can do, of course. From baking in the kitchen to getting messy with paint and playdough, you won't be short of things you can try with your kids. So, have a think, and if you have any other ideas for our readers at home, please share them with us in our comments section below.