The pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused anxiety, uncertainty and fear for many. For parents, this is all coupled up with the worry of having to keep children entertained at home. But parents, do not fear! Sidonie, who leads our programme for families, has lots of great activity ideas.
It can be difficult to entertain children for a long period of time, especially if you’re in self-isolation or physical distancing, and possibly trying to work from home as well. And you may be concerned about simply plonking them in front of the TV for hours.
Eat Move Learn is our package of online resources for 7–11 year olds, which helps children learn about healthy eating and being active in a fun way. What’s more, it has loads of different activities for kids to do – whether adults join in or not.
If you need quiet time
If you’re working from home, trying to get housework done or just need some time to yourself, we have lots of activities that children can do on their own. Our Learn it with Searcher section has fun facts about food and fitness.
Burning off energy
One of the biggest concerns from parents is how their children are going to be active and burn off all that energy if stuck indoors. We have indoor and outdoor activities for you to do.
My nephew’s favourite is Wiggle, hop or creep. You’ll need scissors and glue to make a board, and at least two players. This will definitely get your children moving and working up an appetite for dinner!
Cooking with kids
Cooking not only keeps children engaged; it also helps teach life skills and the importance of a healthy diet. Our recipes for young cooks are designed for children to have fun with food – and to encourage your kids to eat their 5 A DAY and avoid high-calorie snacks. My new favourite is stuffed mushroom cat faces.
If your child is new to cooking, check out Mixer’s guides on safety in the kitchen and common cooking words.
Weekend gardening
If you have more time at the weekend, whether you have a garden or not, we have plenty of ideas to get your children planting in our Grow it with Flower section, such as cress egg heads or potatoes in a bucket.
Let us know your favourites, and your ideas for how to keep the kids entertained on our Twitter @WCRF_UK.