Peace at Home Blog

7 Fun Internet-Based Activities for Educating Kids When They’re Stuck Indoors

July 2018 | Ruth Freeman

When the weather takes a turn for the worse, children often turn to video games or television for their entertainment. Instead, take advantage of your kid being stuck inside to educate them with fun activities. Thanks to search engines and online platforms such as YouTube, there is a never-ending wealth of ideas to keep your child entertained while teaching them valuable academic and life lessons. Make their learning fun with some hands-on interactive education that your family can enjoy.

1. Get Out the Musical Instruments

According to Parents, learning an instrument can help improve children’s academic skills, develop their coordination and motor skills, refine their self-discipline and practice patience. There are numerous websites providing online music lessons for almost any instrument imaginable. You and your kid can even learn an instrument together, helping each other as you follow tutorials online.

2. Let Them Stretch Their Artistic Muscles

Kids love to draw and craft. These artistic activities let them work with their hands, express themselves, and explore their imagination. Luckily, there is no shortage of fun DIY ideas online to get your kid involved in art. You can even look up some drawing tutorials for kids to help them hone their fine motor skills. Also, painting videos for kids can teach them about color mixing and palettes.

3. Get Them Moving

Keeping kids active will improve their academic performance, cognitive abilities, and help them keep a positive attitude. When it’s raining, try out one of the fun indoor activities suggested by Today’s Parent. Or, look up some kid-friendly exercise videos on YouTube. Kids love dancing, yoga, and bouncing around as they follow the instructor in a fun exercise video.

4. Conduct Science Experiments

A rainy afternoon is a perfect time to set up a fun science experiment with your kid. They’ll learn about the world around them and how different substances interact and influence each other. Kids learn best by getting hands-on and asking questions, which is exactly what simple experiments allow them to do. If you need somewhere to start, try out this fun lava glass idea from Earth Science Jr.

5. Play Educational Games

The Internet is full of various websites dedicated to educational online games for kids. For example, PBS Kids Games provides curriculum-based entertainment and Funbrain is great for developing academic skills in preschool-aged children. You can also conduct a simple Google search to find fun indoor games you can play with your kids off of the computer, such as scavenger hunts, Simon Says, and Musical Chairs.

6. Set Up a Living Room Matinee

Sometimes all you want to do on a rainy day is curl up on the couch with your kid and watch a movie. So, why not make this an educational time by choosing a film or documentary that will encourage your kid to think critically about the world. Huffington Post has a great list of documentaries that will teach kids real-life lessons and educate them about history. You may even learn a few things yourself!

7. Teach Valuable Life Skills

Check out this great new site – SkillingIt for lots of great ideas.

Some things they just don’t teach in school, like basic financial management, negotiation, or personal communication skills. Parents can teach these skills to their kids using their own life experience alongside online resources. Teachers can even incorporate real estate lesson plans into their children’s studies to help them learn valuable academic and life skills.

“Real estate is a complex field that requires skills in math, science, English, social studies and home economics. By incorporating real estate-based lessons into your curriculum, you can help students gain valuable skills in practical math application, presentation giving, forming a persuasive argument, earth science and so much more,” notes Redfin, a real estate brokerage site.

Just because it’s wet and unpleasant outside doesn’t mean your kids should stop exploring and learning about the world. Take advantage of this family time to learn and have fun together. Just make sure you practice Internet safety by setting up parental blocks or being sure to monitor your kid when they’re online.

– Post written and provided by Jenny Wise

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