8 Ways to Keep Kids Busy and Learning Over the Holidays

The holidays are always a challenging period for parents with lots of kids to take care of. The sound of kids playing and running all around the house can almost drive you crazy if you do not find ways to keep them busy. It is important you learn how to utilize these holiday seasons and ensure the kids return to school better and smarter. In this post, we will explore certain ways you can achieve this during the holidays.

1. Choose Educative Videos for you kids

Kids love watching videos whenever they are home on holidays. As a matter of fact, if you give your kids the freedom to do whatever they love with their time, they wouldn't mind staying glued to the TV screen watching one video the whole day.

You can turn this unparalleled love for videos to your advantage. There are several useful and educative videos out there that can help in your kids' cognitive development. Companies that are already in this industry, such as Speech Aim, who are actively engaged in delivering educational videos with a scientific background to contribute to child development are having a huge impact on the overall child’s cognitive development. In fact, Generation Genous, have gone a step further and have upgraded their videos with puzzles, activities, quizzes which are all part of the videos that children watch.  According to experts, educational videos are beneficial for children and their development in several ways. To ensure your kids watch the right videos, you have to choose what they watch yourself.

There are several educative videos to choose from. There are videos that help children improve their vocabulary, world knowledge, learn new skills and anything you can think of. You can go as far as getting the videos in the subjects and courses they offer in school to help them prepare for the next session.

2. Expose Them to Gardening

One other great way to keep your children busy during the holidays and help them learn new things is to let them take turns in tending the garden. This is one very effective way to prepare your children to take responsibility early in life.

You can give each of the kids a portion of your garden to take care of or have them take care of some aspects of gardening in turns. You can let them be part of the planting, irrigation, weeding or harvesting process as the case may be. However, it is important you supervise them always to ensure they do thongs right and not get harmed in the process.

3. Delegate Duties to Them While in the Kitchen

It is never too early to let your kids be a part of the cooking. You can get them to help out with little things like getting something from the kitchen cabinet while you cook. If they are old enough to mix the though during baking, let them handle it.

The more you let them help you out in the kitchen, the more they learn to do things on their own even in school.

4. Get Them to Declutter the house

If you have been procrastinating on decluttering your home, the holidays are a good time to do so. You can begin with a portion of the house while they watch. Once you are sure they understand the process, get them to declutter and arrange their rooms.

Make sure you get them a basket for things they need and another basket for things they no longer use. You can supervise the decluttering process. They can begin with their toys and end with their clothes. Encourage them to sort out toys and clothes they no longer use for donation.

5. Take Them on a Visit to a Nearby Orphanage

Get all the stuff your kids selected for charity and accompany them to needy homes like a nearby orphanage. When you get there, encourage them to donate this stuff.

This way, you will be helping them learn how to share early in life and how to be kind to others who are less fortunate than them.

6. Give Them Drawing and painting Assignments

Each kid has his/her area of interest. The holidays offer a good time to help your kids develop their skills and talents.

Encourage them to explore their passions while at home depending on what they are passionate about. If they love painting, get them painting materials and ask them to let their imagination run wild. The more they imagine things and paint, the more their brain develops.

7. Encourage them to Read

Give them a book to read and summarize while you are away. Make sure you choose the right books for them. You can get them some inspiring children's novels, storybooks, etc. You can also give them some puzzles to solve before you get home. Anything that challenges their little brains is good for their cognitive development.

8. Develop the Writer In Them Early

Alternatively, you can ask them to make up any story and turn it into a short fiction book. The more they practice, the more they learn. Kids will always be kids, so you wouldn't expect them to behave like adults. To get the best out of them, set a reward for each challenge or task. Rewards work best when they are things these kids love more than anything. If you apply these techniques, you will be amazed at your kids' mental development before school reopens.

 

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