It is hard to know how to make our children's leisure time more meaningful. There are so many distractions online and off, and more often than not, they don't lead anywhere useful. However, since children are naturally born curious, they are very open to new experiences. So it's up to us parents to use this opportunity to redirect our children's free time doing meaningful things. But how?

As parents, it is important to find valuable ways to keep our children engaged during leisure time. You need to provide them with activities that are educational and fun at the same time. However, finding activities that fit this description is not an easy task. That is why the following article has been created for you.

In this article, you will find a list of valuable activities that you can do with your children during their free time. Also, activities that will not only be educational but fun as well. Activities that will allow children to develop new skills and help them have productive and meaningful leisure time. So make your child's leisure time more meaningful at home by doing these activities.

9 Activities to Make Your Kid's Leisure Time More Meaningful at Home

These activities are pretty simple to do, and they will keep the kids' attention for hours. 

1. Cooking Together

Cooking is a very good way for children to learn about nutrition and the importance of healthy eating. It also helps children minimize their use of smartphones and other electronic devices as they become more engaged in doing the activity. Let your kids join and assist you in preparing special meals for lunch and dinner. You can have them read the instructions and ingredients to you and at the same time discuss with your kid’s different aspects of the recipe. Gather all the measuring tools and have your kids do all the pouring, measuring, and mixing. 

2. Play Imagination Games

Imagination games are perfect for children to play during leisure time. These games develop their cognitive skills, and at the same time, they have fun playing them. They encourage children to use their imagination and creativity to develop new ideas and solve challenges in a fun and safe environment. Imagination games like I’m Thinking of an Animal, Car Bingo, Hide and Seek, and Pretend Play are best to play at home as they are simple and educational.

3. Assist in Household Chores

Children can help out in the house by doing simple chores. It provides them with a sense of responsibility, and at the same time, it will teach them how to do things for themselves. To start teaching your children how to do household chores, you need to start from the basics. Children from 3 years old and above can sweep the floor and wipe down surfaces and counters in the kitchen and living room. They can hang up their clothes in the closet and clean out drawers. Children younger than 3 years old will be better at helping you with food preparation, like putting away groceries or putting items back into their original containers.

4. Reading Together

Reading books together can be challenging for children at first. But as time goes on, it will become easy for them to understand the story and follow along. Reading together will help them develop the necessary skills to read independently. You can start by reading children's books appropriate for their age and then gradually move to more challenging books as they grow older and develop better reading skills. Reading will also help your kids improve their vocabulary and language skills because they will learn new words and phrases when reading with you.

5. Create New Craft Project

Children learn best by doing. They will engage in the activity more if they are creating something new. So, make your kid's leisure time more meaningful at home by creating a fun new craft project together with your kids. For example, they can create a bird feeder from recycled materials or a birdhouse from a recycled plastic bottle.

6. Encourage to Paint or Draw

You can also encourage children to spend their free time painting or drawing. It will help them express themselves and develop their motor skills at the same time. They can paint or draw what they see around them or put their imagination into action by painting or drawing something they have in mind. Allow your kids to use different art supplies like pencils, crayons, paints, and many more. The more exposure they get, the better; it will help them develop their skills properly.

7. Play Educational Board Games and Puzzles

Playing board games and puzzles during leisure time are excellent ways for children to learn and nurture their young minds. Board games like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Jenga will challenge your kids' thinking skills while helping them develop their social skills. Puzzles are also great for your kids to develop their problem-solving skills. Choose puzzles that are good for your child's level of development. For example, you can start with puzzles with few or no pieces missing, then move on to larger puzzles with more pieces missing.

8. Introduce Children to Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening will help your children appreciate the importance of nature. Also, it is a good way to teach children how to nurture something from seedling to maturity. Children can grow fresh herbs or vegetables in small planters or containers placed on their windowsill, kitchen table, or living room. Get your kids involved by planting seeds and watching them grow into healthy plants that they can eat later on. Indoor gardening is a great activity to do with kids during leisure time.

9. Building Blocks

Building blocks can be one of the best and simplest ways to keep your kids' minds and bodies busy. Children can stack, build, and create using blocks as they learn how to solve complex problems such as fitting several pieces of colored blocks together or making a tower that is taller than the base. You can also let them build with you and help them out with the next step of the process. In addition, it will help your child develop their cognitive skills and problem-solving skills.

Leisure time activities at home allow your kids to develop their motor skills, cognitive skills and learn how to solve complex problems. It also increases children's creativity and imagination. Get your kids involved in a fun activity at home by doing it together or by encouraging them to do it on their own. Involve your kids in leisure time activities that will allow them to enjoy the moment and help them grow as a person and become responsible adults in the future.

Author bio: I'm Andrea Gibbs Born, raised, and still living in New York. I'm a work-at-home mom with a background in business development, strategy, and social media marketing. I'm a blog contributor at Montessori Academy to motivate and educate other parents about how they can get their children ahead of the game in school.

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