7 Amazing Ways to Keep Kids Engaged During the Holiday

Is it holiday again, and are you looking for ways to keep the kids engaged during this period?

If this is the situation, then you are not alone.

I have 5 kids.

At least I have a fair idea of how these kids can do all things yet do nothing.

They will jump from the bedroom to the sitting room and then end up in the kitchen to eat. 

In the night time, they will want to continue playing again.

When you wake them up for morning devotion, they will be sleeping as though they’ve not slept for weeks.

One week to the end of the holiday, they will remember they have holiday assignments.

Now I have to juggle my normal daily routine with their unending assignments.

Plus I have to also prepare them for the new school session.

Ah ah!! 

Things don’t work that way.

As Stay At Home Moms, it’s our duty to ensure that our kids make the best use of their holiday period. 

You must look for ways to keep them engaged during the holiday so that they remain productive. 

But why is this even necessary? 

Find out in this next heading.

What are the benefits of keeping kids engaged during the holidays?

There are a lot of benefits you can derive from keeping your kids engaged during the holiday.

Here are some of them;

1. You will have more time to yourself:

This one is a no brainer. 

When kids are busy with one productive activity or another, you will have more time to yourself.

For instance, if you enroll your kids on summer classes, while they are away, you can do other stuff with your time.

There will be no one jumping from the bedroom to the sitting room.

2. It will help reduce your workload:

Depending on the age of your kids, there are some tasks that you can delegate to them.

You don’t have to continue doing all the work in the house now that they are home.

The kids can do the cleaning, wash plates, make their beds and sort their clothes.

All of these tasks are easy to do and will help you to save time for other tasks.

3. Helps you to maintain sanity:

As Stay At Home Moms, there are a lot of things that can toil with our sanity.

One of those things is when our kids are insubordinate or unruly.

In fact, I explained this when I wrote about the different causes and symptoms of depression for Stay At Home Moms.

Don’t overlook topics relating to your sanity.

Depression is real for most Stay At Home Moms, but we’ll get over it together.

Being able to keep your kids engaged will keep them away from doing acting out most times because they are engaged in activities.

Also, you will not have to raise your voice all day cautioning one child or another.

4. The kids learn new things:

There are a lot of things your kids can learn if you keep them engaged during the holiday.

For instance, your kids could learn how to use a computer or learn to program. 

You can also teach them how to play educational board games like scrabble and monopoly. 

If you push them, they can also learn new topics from their next session curriculum.

You too will be surprised at how quickly they are able to learn new things.

5. You will enjoy family time together:

Keeping the kids engaged during the holiday does not always have to be work, work, work.

Sometimes, you could also enjoy family time together. 

You and your kids could go shopping together with hubby. 

If you love games, then you could play board games together.

You may not have the time for this type of activity when school is in session.

So, you have to take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts.

6. Helps you to control screen time:

Generally, kids and television are like 5 and 6.

They are always together. 

If you allow your kids, they will watch all TV shows and flip from one cartoon network to another.

If you think you can stop them from using the television, then prepare for the inevitable. 

They will use your phone to watch every YouTube video they see.

That’s why finding ways to keep them engaged during the holiday is important. 

You will be able to reduce the time they spend watching TV and playing video games.

There are many other benefits you can derive from keeping your kids busy during the holidays.

However, let’s jump into the different ways we can keep our kids engaged during holidays. 

How to keep kids engaged during the holiday

1. Guide them to start mini projects

You can build character and skill in your children by starting a mini-project. 

It’s productive and fun. 

You can guide them to build Lego houses, especially for boys.

The girls could learn jewellery making or make DIY home décor items or knitting.

The idea is to increase the fun quotient and to teach them a new skill at a minimal cost.

2. Enroll them on holiday classes and boot camps:

There are a lot of holiday classes that will keep your kids engaged and help them to learn new things.

My personal favourite is the STEAM holiday boot camps.

STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

In this age of technology, you will be doing your kids a great service by enrolling them on STEAM boot camps.

There’s so much they can learn.

3. Get them to read books:

Another good way to keep your kids busy during the holiday is by getting them books.

We all know that readers are leaders.

So, cultivating that habit in your kids from a young age is really the best way to go.

The older kids can get books that teach them those things they don’t learn in school e.g. personal finance books.

On the other hand, you can get visual storybooks for the younger ones that can’t read.

After reading, they can share lessons or a summary of the book with everyone in the house.

This will boost their confidence and presentation skills.

4. Play educative games:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Yeah! That’s right.

You can engage your kids with games.

But not just any game, you need to select those games from which they can learn.

For instance, a game like scrabble will help your kids to learn new words.

Monopoly on the other hand will teach them about personal finance and investment. 

Chess will teach them to strategize before making moves and so on.

5. Engage in outdoor activities:

Everything does not have to be done indoors.

There are some activities that you can take outside.

You could take them for a walk in the evening rather than sticking to their electronic devices.

They can play a sport or even pick up groceries for you. You might even want to introduce swimming and football games.

Spending some time outside when the temperature is pleasant will help to keep boredom away and also keep them physically active.

4. Assign responsibilities to each child:

No longer will you have to do all the tasks in the house by yourself now that you have the kids around.

You can assign responsibility to each child.

It could be watering plants twice a day, dusting, taking the dog for a walk or working in the kitchen. 

What this means is that each child is responsible for that work all through the holiday period.

Give them a schedule to stick to, and ask if they are enjoying it. 

This is the best way to initiate them in household chores.

7. Plan weekend picnic or cinema:

Okay, here’s another tip that will help keep the kids engaged during the holidays as well as foster family bonding.

Planning a picnic with your kids or going to the cinema together is a sure bet.

This could come as a reward for their good behaviour throughout the holiday period.

Also, it could be a reward for their good performance in school.

Even though you just go out and have fun together for the fun of it, that’s okay.

Conclusion

The holiday period is not a time for kids to play all day and night.

It’s time for kids to explore and learn new things.

Their teachers will love them when they return to school smarter with new experiences. 

Also, the teachers will respect you for being a super parent to your kids.

So, tell me in the comment section, which tip are you going to use first?

Will you enroll your kids into STEAM classes or are you going to assign them responsibilities?

Let me know.

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Love & Light 

Viv ?