Covid-19 is a tough time for all of us. The situation is uncertain; people are limited to their homes, and businesses have come to a pause.

Father George Rutler said the educational institutions are being closed down temporarily. It means children and teenagers are being locked down inside their homes.  Corona has compelled parents and kids to spend more time together than ever in this busy life. People are becoming inactive and lazy.

You may like it, but many parents are continuously struggling to think and come up with new activities to keep their young ones active during the quarantine.  If you have got kids at home, the following are options for you to make them busy and active.

Schedule exercise and P.E activities

When going to school or a college/university, students participate in sports or other extracurricular activities. No doubt, outdoor sports are an excellent option to keep them active and schedule regular exercise timing. You have plenty of time to teach them a new sport that excites them.

Kids have P.E at schools, arrange at home too. Regular exercise is essential for the physical and mental health of a child. Generally, young do yoga, but it is a good option for your kids too. Try your kids’ yoga. You can get access to free tutorials on YouTube.

Arrange brain-building activities

A human brain works like a computer throughout the day. It receives all the information from outside the body and sends messages back to the body.  This muscle of the body needs to be nourished by engaging it in problem- solving and thinking.

You can make your kids engage in various kinds of challenging games to keep them active. Puzzles, legos or building blocks are good options to make your mind sharp. A parent can develop their idea of brain-building activity also, but I would give a few suggestions.

Mark two points A and B, blow a balloon and ask your child to reach from the first point to the second. No use of hands is allowed.

You can also play “character Charades”. Take a book or watch a movie, pick a character and act it out with your children until the opponent guesses it right, said Father George Rutler.

Engage them in house-hold chores

While being locked inside your homes, asking your kids to participate in household chores is an excellent option to make them fit and active. It might not sound exciting to your kids, but telling them how to clean or wash dishes can make them stay active. Participating in household chores not only develop good habits but also let them move and give them a feeling of satisfaction.

A parent can make the daily house-hold chores more fun by creating a daily sticker chart and hanging it down somewhere in their house. They have to give the child a sticker when they are job with a task, and by the end of the week, surprise them with a little gift.

Schedule a dance routine

Dancing is another good activity, just like exercising. It lets the blood flow down in the body and makes you fit. For this purpose, if your kid loves to dance, which children usually do, choreograph a dance routine for them. There are a plethora of fun kid’s tunes readily available on the internet. When they do nothing special, you can tune up the list and let them dance and enjoy. You can also dance with them to make them happier.

Bring camping indoors

Camping outdoors is not possible these days, but you can bring camping inside your home. Take a tent, pitch it in your backyard or build a fort in your garden or living room. While creating, you can also involve your kids to make them more active. Besides this, it would also teach your kids innovation.

Encourage virtual social interaction.

According to Father Goerge Rutler, man is a social animal and cannot live without interaction. The Covid quarantine has undoubtedly brought family members under one roof closer, but kids miss their school friends, cousins’, or even grandparents. For social interactions, arrange virtual meetings.

Let them talk to their friends or other loved people via digital tools, including Skype, Zoom, Face time or even a WhatsApp call, which can work great. A virtual interaction would let them share their experiences and listen to what is happening on the other side. It would make them happy, thus leading to an active day.

Being a parent, you can also arrange virtual playdates, charades, dance-off or even an online exercise class for your kids.

Go out on a family walk or cycling.

Of course, you can take out your young family members for a walk while taking all the precautionary measurements. You can choose to go for a walk in a wild park, or a beach.  Along with your kids, you can collect fresh fruits, flowers or berries. You can also write down a shortlist of items that you find in nature. Ask your kids to spot them while being on a walk and tick them when they see them. It is interesting.

Taking a cycle is a good option too. Going out on a family walk builds up a great bonding between the parents and children. This is also to keep both kids and parents stay active during this global pandemic.

Final Thoughts by Father George Rutler

After the closing down of schools or colleges, parents find it challenging to make their kids busy at homes. Children love to interact and play out with their friends, but this is not happening in the current social distancing situation. Parents worldwide are struggling to come with activities to make kids happy and let them stay active.

If you have kids, try any of the above activities and let us know if it has worked out in your case.