Don’t worry, we got you!

We’re spending a lot of time at home at the moment and it’s not easy to keep our little ones entertained through it all.

Along with Keedo, we want to make things a little easier for you with some activities to try with the kids when your mind has hit a blank. Keedo would love to see you try these ideas, so when you are busy with one of these activities, snap a picture and tag them! #KeedoCares

LOCKDOWN CHORE CHART

To make this lockdown a little more fun, we started a reward chart, but we made it a little different. We took out some monopoly money and started a tuck shop! Yes, you read right. A little shop where they can buy their own snacks. This has not only helped limit the number of snacks my kids eat (which means we don’t run out of their goodies so fast), but also made them WANT to do their chores. A win-win for all, I would say.

How it works :

I made a list of chores they can do around the house. The list is shown below. You can adapt this to your own household but this is the one that works for us. BUT, you need to explain to them as well that there are penalties. Again, the penalties can be changed to what works for your family. Anytime James gets a penalty, we deduct money. He absolutely hates it so in return, he has been much more disciplined during this time. No person likes it when money gets taken from them, especially when they worked hard for it.

I put out snacks in a bowl that they can choose from. Each snack has its own price, exactly like a little shop. I took jellybeans, speckled eggs and other jelly sweets and split it in smaller sandwich bags. Those little bags are big ticket items!

I am attaching a downloadable file below where you can download the chart and print it too. Be sure to tag @raising.wildlings_ so I can see your lockdown chart

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LOCKDOWN CHART

OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR LOCKDOWN:

I know many activities have been shared over the past week, but I am here to share what works for us. Simple activities, nothing fancy and things that can be done with what you have around the house.

SCAVANGER HUNT:

Whatever your child really likes (it can be cars, dinosaurs, flowers or whatever they like), take it and hide it in the garden. Tell them how many things are hidden and if they find them all, they get a prize!

BUILD A FORT:

Grab some chairs to make pillars, throw a couple blankets over and make a little fort. Make it as dark as possible and grab a couple flash lights and books. Kids love little hideaways and this is a perfect little getaway for any child. Add some plush toys too! Keedo currently has some incredible plush toys on sale for 30% off!

DIY LUNCHES:

If you are making a burger, keep it deconstructed. Let them assemble it themselves. Also, snack plates filled with a variety of different foods and dips are also a fun way to give them lunch (and a little more time for you to enjoy your coffee hot). Let them create, it keeps their minds going and their hands busy.

We have a set of three small lunchboxes from Keedo that we love to store little goodies in. We have the dinosaur set (you all know Jaxson’s obsession by now), but they have various awesome designs.

SHOP THEM HERE : https://www.keedo.co.za/toys-gifts/

SHAPE HUNT:

Tell them to look for objects that represent a certain shape. Let them either collect the items or write it down (depending on the age of the child). When they find X amount of shapes, they get a prize! Kids love winning things, so incentives are always a great idea.

TOILETPAPER TOWERS:

All that toiletpaper you bought? Let them make a tower and see how many rolls it takes before it falls over! Or build any type of shape – or even a fort! See where their imagination takes them. Kids can come up with some pretty awesome ideas on their own if you just guide them a little along the way.

PS – Keep the cardboard rolls on the inside of the toiletpaper to use for Easter arts and crafts!

MESSY PLAY:

So, here’s a couple options. My favorites are:

  • Bucket of sand and bucket of water: let them play with plastic cups and have them make mud cakes!
  • Cook spaghetti in food coloring and put it outside in a bowl and let them create shapes or objects with the cooked spaghetti.
  • Take a bowl and put a couple of (water safe) toys inside. Fill the bowl and freeze it. When frozen, tip it out and have them take a spoon and try get the toys out like little archaeologists. We froze dinosaurs we bought at Keedo a couple months ago.

LITTLE GARDENERS:

Have them plant seeds or plants. If there’s plants you are able to take out, take them out and have the kids replant them and water them. James loves watering his plants every day and teaches him a lot about responsibility too!

We bought our seeds from Eco Sprout and James has truly loved seeing his plants grow. We hoping to see some veggies and fruit very soon.

CLEAN UP!

Let the kids CLEAN! Vaccuum, sweep, wash (plastic) dishes, wash walls, dust – let them do it! Even if they don’t do it right, it keeps them busy and teaches them responsibility.

PAINT THE WALLS:

Take a bucket of water and a paintbrush. Let them paint the walls or pavement with the water. It keeps them busy for a good period of time and no mess to clean afterwards!

We had some rollers instead of paintbrushes – they are just as fun!

BAKE:

Bake some biscuits (biscuits are great as they can mix the dough with their hands) and let them do the icing and toppings.

Here’s a basic recipe for biscuits that can be adapted if you want to make variations.

Ingredients

250g butter, softened

140g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

300g plain flour

Method

Mix 250g softened butter and 140g caster sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then add 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp vanilla extract and briefly beat to combine.

Sift over 300g plain flour and stir until the mixture is well combined – you might need to get your hands in at the end to give everything a really good mix and press the dough together.

ICING :

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

food coloring and sprinkles

Steps

Combine all ingredients. Stir until smooth.

IF IT ALL GETS TOO MUCH:

Take a bath or take them outside. It calms then down which in return, will calm you down. You are doing a phenomenal job during these stressful times. Don’t be hard on yourself and don’t feel that you need to keep them occupied all day. Nothing wrong with a bored child – it helps their imagination grow and develop.

If you enjoyed any of these activities, be sure to tag us! We would love to see.

Stay safe.