Interesting Activities To Keep Children Engaged During The Lockdown

Written by Shamita Bhowmik.

In the present time when schools are shut down and children are stuck at home for months due to lockdown, often it becomes difficult for parents to keep the kids happily engaged at home. Despite online schooling and extracurricular classes, they often complain that they are bored or they do not wish to play with the same toys repeatedly.

This can be solved with little imagination and help from adults and online resources. Here I will be sharing some of the old games of the 90s that are simple but intriguing, new children games of the present, unique plays created by kids by mixing old toys and exciting children story creation activity.

Games Played Using Paper

Soldier and Thief Game – It is an old game that is played with just four pieces of plain paper. They are four players, Police, King, Minister and Thief.  The king has the highest point. He asks the Soldier to find the thief. If the soldier fails, then the King tries to catch the thief. If he fails, the thief gets all the points and wins the game. 

Fortune Telltale/ Color Man – This game is played with two to four players. A fortune Telltale is created with a square sheet of paper. The player first selects the colour like Orange and Red and then the number. The telltale reveals the fortune of the players.

Games Using Handkerchief

Handkerchief Thief – This outdoor game can also be played indoors. You need three to five players. One person is the thief and the rest sits on the floor forming a circle. The thief runs around the circle and throws the handkerchief at a player’s back. If the player spots it, then she runs behind the thief. If she fails to catch the thief he sits down, she becomes the thief and the game continues.

Blind Fly – This game is played with three to four players. A child is blindfolded with a handkerchief and she has to catch the other players. Care should be taken that slipper, stool or any other stuff does not come on the way of the child. So that she does not topple over.

Games Played with Fingers and Hands

Hidden Finger Searching – This game is played with two players. The first player chooses one of the ten fingers of the second player. The second player hides that finger with his other fingers and the other hand. The first player tries to search for the hidden finger. Then the role is reversed and the game goes on.  

Ikkir Mikir – This game can be played with any number of players (more than one). All the players place their fingers on the table. Now one player touches the fingers one by one and chants Ikkir Mikir Cham Chikir. The finger where he stops chanting is folded. The first person whose fingers are folded wins the game.

New Plays Created by Kids with Old Toys 

Chicky Chicky – To play this game, you need two toy chicks and blocks to make chairs and table and some mini books (create mini books with two small rectangle pieces of paper glued together in the middle). The little chicks learn to read. They also learn dancing. You can make your own music or play music from the net. 

Snacks Party Game– The toys go for a long drive in a jeep and on the way, they find a girl toy selling toffees, pastries, cakes and cookies to their delight. The food gives them a brilliant idea. They find a peaceful spot and enjoy a yummy snack party. 

Today’s New Games 

Stone Paper Scissor – This game is played with two or three players. The symbols of Stone, Paper and Scissor are shown by different hand postures. Scissor cuts paper and stone smashes scissor. If a player shows a paper sign, he can grip the stone and get points. The player with more points wins the game.

Linking Game –This game can be played with two to six players. In this game, there will be a denner who gives the topic and the other players have to link to the topic. For example, if the denner tells chocolate, then the other players can say dark or tasty. 

Zig zag toe – This game can be played with two to five players. In this game, one player picks up a paper chit and then she will read out the word written on it. Then the other players have to make different sentences with that word. For instance, if a person tells “plants”, then the other players have to form sentences such as ‘plants are very important for our survival’.

Some Age-old Games that Never Lose their Charm

The board games like Chinese Checker, Snakes and Ladders and Ludo are almost every household favourite. Parents can play these games with their children. The laughter and the fun shared can be an unforgettable experience and the kids learn at the same time.

Story Creation Activity

Children books are good companions for kids. However, when encouraged, children themselves can create good stories. This activity can be conducted with a small group of children. It is best monitored by an adult who gives the prompt like ‘There is a knock at the door’. 

The children are usually excited to contribute to the formation of the story. When observed, it is noticed that each participant expressed his preferred character like superhero, fairies and genres like adventure and fairy tales while adding and that makes it a very unique story.

Children when left alone often create new plays and games of their own. These are simple activities that develop their imagination and reduce dependency on the regular supply of new and expensive toys. Parents and other children can also give them company and make it a fun group activity. So next time, the child is bored, try out one of the activities listed in the article. 

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Shamita Bhowmik loves to create short stories for children. She admits that she gets the inspiration for writing books from her daughter. She initially started making up stories to entertain her kid. She has so far published three children e-books on Amazon: The Mysterious Toy Room, Magic Land: Amazing Short Stories for Kids (Bedtime Stories) and The Charming Land of Mystery and Magic. She started her career as a Freelance Content Writer and has worked with different organizations around the world for ten years.

Find more details about the writer on her profile on Facebook and LinkedIn!

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