Hey Friends! Has Covid-19 Homeschool gotten the best of you yet? If it hasn’t great! But if it has, which is all I’ve been hearing so far, then you’re in the right place. Life is dishing out major lemons right now, and it’s time to make some lemonade. Though it has been an adjustment getting acclimated to e-learning based academics, we have managed to come up with a few activities that are guaranteed to keep your little pupils’ attention. Not only that; They’ll have so much fun doing these activities that they won’t even realize they’re actually learning! Try these sensory/motor activities to keep your kids busy and your sanity in tact!
This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for details.
1ST ACTIVITY: DIY MOON SAND
This activity is, by far, the easiest but also one of the messiest if you don’t have a bin. Nevertheless, it’s too fun to not try! All you need are two (yes two) ingredients: Flour and Baby Oil, and a small storage bin (like a plastic shoe bin).
Mix together two cups of flour in a bowl or bin with 1/4 cup of baby oil. Keep mixing until all of the flour clumps disappear and the consistency is like that of soft sand.
We used this activity as a combined math (measuring ingredients) and science (mixing properties together to make a new one) lesson as well as a fine motor skills activity to exercise our hands and fingers.
Store in an airtight container for future play!
ACTIVITY #2: DIY PLAY DOUGH
This activity is equally messy as the DIY moon sand, but just as fun! To make our play dough, we used the following:
1 cup of flour
1 /2 cup + 1 TBSP of water
1/3 cup of salt
1 TBSP of oil
Food coloring of your choice (optional)
In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Then add water and oil. (If you are using food coloring, I recommend adding it to your water before mixing with the flour for an evenly distributed color. Mix and knead all ingredients together until it is play dough consistency. If it’s too wet, add a little more flour until it’s the right consistency. If it’s too dry, add a couple drops of water at a time until it’s the right consistency. Store in an air tight container when not in use.
This, too, is a math, science, and motor skills lesson for kids to keep busy while learning and having fun! Everybody wins!
#3 OF 5 ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOUR KIDS BUSY: DIY POOL BALL PIT
This quarantine really put a damper on our spring break plans this year. We have a tradition of taking a mini trip to an indoor waterpark every year and COVID-19 said that wouldn’t be happening this year. Since we can’t go to the waterpark, I decided to bring [an alternative] the waterpark to us. We made a ball pit for a birthday party once, and it was the main attraction! See our party pics below! If you have an inflatable pool, blow it up and dump a bunch of ball pit balls in there and let the kids have a blast!
If you don’t have a pool or ball pit balls, try one of these:
To make it a learning activity: talk about 3D shapes (spheres), colors, or estimate how many balls it takes to fill the pool. Another option (my favorite) is to just let them get their heart rates up and burn all of that energy! Did somebody say nap time?
#4: HIDDEN PICTURES COLORING ACTIVITY BOOKS
A close friend dropped off a wonderful care package for the babes before we went on a statewide quarantine. The package included stickers, board games, card games, LEGOs, and hidden picture coloring books. The kids stormed through all of them so fast that I didn’t think the package would last long. I was surprised that they stayed occupied and enticed by the hidden pictures! It kept their attention and got their brains really thinking about what the pictures look like and where they could be hidden in the pages. What a GREAT idea! Thanks Tina!
#5 OF 5 ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOUR KIDS BUSY: NAIL SALON
Yep even the nail shops are shutting down. Aside from that, my little princesses love painting their nails and getting their nails painted. I printed a pair of lady hands on sticker paper and let them design and color the nails. Princess #1 (kindergartener) used scissors to practice cutting the hands out (further working those motor skills) while Princess #2 (preschooler) practiced peeling the stickers and using critical thinking skills. I asked questions like “What do your hands do?”, “How can we use our hands to help others?”, and “How do we wash our hands?”.
Adding hair salon to the nail shop, if you’re brave, isn’t a bad idea either. Princess #1 & #2 both love to play in my hair with their toy hair accessories. It, unknowingly, allows them to work those motor skill muscles once again and practice gripping, opening, and closing their fingers.
2 BONUS ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOUR TODDLER/PRESCHOOL KIDS BUSY
If you have little learners at home, they can continue to learn too! Here are two bonus activities that keep our tot busy and engaged!
SPELLING POPSICLE STICKS
Use popsicle sticks to help your tot learn to spell their name! Practice sequential spelling and letter recognition while you watch your tot learn to count! Popsicle sticks are great for working fine motor skills and grip, too!
Once they’ve mastered their first name, try moving on to their last name or even sight words. Your tot will be kindergarten ready in no time!
All you need are a few materials: popsicle sticks, paper, a marker, and a glue stick. We cut our paper into stars (completely optional) and marked the letters of her name sequentially to help her put her name together in order. I predict that she will have her first name mastered in about a week [or less] if we keep practicing!
HANDWRITING EXERCISES
There are a countless number of free resources and printables out there that you can download to help your tots practice their handwriting skills. If you want to make your own, try this font I found on dafont.com! You can make your own worksheets with your child’s name and let them practice as much as you want! I made one worksheet with her name on the front and numbers on the back, and slipped the page in a clear plastic pocket. Then, we use a dry erase marker to trace the words and numbers which makes it easy to erase and saves paper!
MORE ACTIVITIES ON INSTAGRAM!
There are so many ways to keep your little scholars engaged in learning. Check out my instagram for another cool math/geometry/science lesson that we worked on last week! It’s great for all school aged children!