On the occasion of Mother’s day, Shalini Vij of Hangout suggests the following to keep your kid’s spirit high during the pandemic

New Delhi, 9^th May 2021

We all need to safeguard ourselves through this pandemic and as much as we understand the importance of lockdown, social distancing & hygiene, it’s so difficult to keep the children entertained at home through the lockdown especially now that there’s no school online due to summer vacations.

Here are some suggestions you can do as a family which will keep them entertained and their spirits up through the lockdown. As much as you may be overwhelmed with having them home full time try and spend quality time with them rather than quantity time.

1. Exercise regime-a family workout, could be dancing, a walk, bicycling, shooting the ball in hoop or just plain simple old time hopscotch. Involve them in some form of exercise along with you or get your spouse to pitch in.

2. Board games-when I suggested chess & monopoly to my younger son his reply was “Mom let’s play online” Online should be a No No, let’s play the old school way, with the board and sitting around as a family anything from Scrabble to Snakes & Ladders, indulge in some family fun.

3. Mealtime-fix your meal times as a family take turns in laying out the table, decorating the table, helping bake & cook if they are old enough. Or simply eating together, I’ve always believed a family that dines together always binds the minds.

4. Family discussion time- It’s an activity where you choose a topic of discussion and let them talk their mind out, listen to them. “Oh please hold off the advice, this is family time, this is an activity to let them speak their mind out, they are hearing you all day long, lol.”

5. Last but not least OTT Platforms and popcorn time-choosens flik or show the whole family would like to watch together and create a movie theatre ambience, improvise & make it fun.

Use this time to bond with the little ones before you know it they grow up and are off to college and then into their own world, take advantage of this lockdown time to lock in with them and create memories. 

Inputs from Ms. Shalini Vij, Director HANGOUT, Leading Name in Family Entertainment for more than a decade