The Covid 19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the entire world. It has dramatically influenced the lives of people on various levels, making it challenging for everyone, whether old or young, men or women, students or workers, to live in these circumstances.
However, the way it impacted the lives of children was not the case with anyone else. The pandemic has isolated us in our houses, preventing us from taking our children to picnics and amusement parks, causing them to lean towards electronic gadgets.
This situation has impacted children in such a way that they have become physically inactive, are not learning new skills as educational institutions are also closed. It is especially important if your child is between the ages of three and four since a critical developmental stage during which we must engage them in physical and mental activities.
I was in a similar situation some time ago and was very anxious about my toddler’s mental and physical fitness. So I searched on the internet for some playful as well as educational activities to engage my child in.
Since I found them helpful, I decided to share them with your guys too.
11 Activities to keep your 3-year-old Busy and Entertained
1. Play with blocks/Legos
Involvement with building blocks or Legos helps children improve their cognitive abilities; it teaches them to sort, match, and count. Additionally, by combining three and four small blocks, they create a larger block, making it an excellent approach to explaining the idea of big and small.
Playing with blocks is not only enjoyable, but it also aids in the learning process of children. It helps them improve their math skills through counting and enables them to distinguish between sizes and colors.
They can play with their friends and siblings hence helps in making them understand the notion of sharing.
2. Pool party
Every child enjoys water-related activities. Taking your children to a water park is not always practical or necessary, particularly during this pandemic.
You can set up an inflatable pool in your backyard, fill it with water, balloons, and rubber toys, and see the magic happen.
Not only will it be enjoyable, but it will also help develop gross motor abilities such as sliding, crawling, pushing, and squirming. Swimming also helps grow muscles and bones, which helps keep children physically active while having fun and laughing.
3. Sorting and DIY
Kids are curious beings. They love to sort out between tangled objects. Sorting and then recycling them into a new thing will definitely be fascinating to them.
I love this game personally because it doesn’t require any special equipment. You can use any useless or spare things available at home like ribbons, cards, plastic bottles, markers, CDs, etc.
You can make them sort plastic, metal, and paper objects separately. This will not only be fun but also help them distinguish between different materials of things.
After sorting out, encourage them to make anything new out of this, like wrapping ribbons around bottles give them a new vibrant look, thus helping them understand the process of recycling through DIY.
4. Play Simon says
‘Simon Says’ is also a fun game to play with your three-year-olds. This game can be played individually or in a group, enabling you to teach your child the value of teamwork.
In this game, one person assumes the part of Simon and commands the children to perform certain chores, such as “Simon says, scratch your nose,” and each kid is required to do so. In this manner, they will get knowledge about numerous body parts or whatever else you wish to educate them.
Another advantage of this game is that kids learn to take orders and act accordingly, which teaches them to be humble.
5. Engage in Reading
Reading can introduce children to a fascinating and imaginary world. By reading any storybook, the child can relate to and fantasize about their favorite characters.
Because books can be the best companions, it is critical to promote an early enthusiasm for reading. And this can only be possible if your child learns to read by the age of two to three, as 90% of the child’s brain is matured at this age. Personalized storybooks worked great for me in this regard.
You can also enroll your youngster in a reputable online learning program (Reading Head Start is one such example) to aid his reading journey. Trust me, it works, as I can attest from personal experience.
6. Letters with play-dough
We all know how much kids love play dough. Just merely holding it and squishing it in their hand amuses them. An engaging activity is to set out different colors of play-dough, shaping them into alphabetical letters, saying them out loud, and allowing your child to copy you.
Making little things with the play-dough will not only satisfy your 3-year-old’s temptation to hold the play-dough, but it will also enable them to be able to recognize the different letters and their sounds early on as well as enhance your child’s crafting skills.
7. Building with pillows
Collect pillows of all sizes around your house and carefully place them in such a way that it makes a pillow house with a roof and walls of the pillow. Throw a sheet over the opening to act as the door. Fill the inside with more pillows, a cozy blanket, and fairy lights to make it more exciting for your child.
Pretend like you’re out camping or like you’re hiding from a ferocious dragon outside. This is not just a pillow house for your child, but an environment where they can let loose and create all sorts of mystical fantasies in their mind.
8. Dip and stick
Not everyone has the skill to master the use of a paintbrush, especially those at a naive age. But what is something we can all do? Well, we sure can dip our hands in paint and splatter it on paper.
Roll out a giant-sized chart paper, surround it will take several colors of paint, and have fun! Let your child make handprints and do anything they desire. Paint their face with your fingers too.
A little chaos every now and then is harmless, and if your child is enjoying the time of their life, the mess doesn’t even matter.
9. Animal charades
Animals and the distinct sound they create are something that children recognize very early on. Make numerous animal sounds, such as lion, cat, dog, etc., and act them out as convincingly as possible.
Make your kid guess it, tickle them when they think it right, and add some new ones to broaden their knowledge. The trick with kids is that it’s likely to entertain them the following thousand times if something amuses them the first time.
So don’t be afraid to repeat the animals if you run out. The constant repetition will help them enhance their learning process.
10. Hide and seek – A classic
A game you can play with your child regardless of the size of your house because they will continually choose the same hiding spot repeatedly because what matters to them is how excitedly you react when you find them.
Let them hide first, then also give them a chance to seek. To give it a little more drama, pretend to be a cop while seeking and be scared when you get sought.
Children adore reactions, and this one, combined with physical activity, will keep them occupied for quite some time.
11. Potty Training
3 is the peak age for potty training. Most of the 3-year-olds can use a toilet instead of diapers. So, try to shift your toddler from changing table to potty seat. However, here it is pertinent to mention that the process can be a little daunting if you have a cranky kid. Therefore, you’ll have to be very patient.
Also, numerous potty training books for kids and parents are available online, and they prove themselves a lot to help in this regard. You can read your kids these stories to make them understand that now it’s time to ditch the diapers!
Toys that your three-year-old will love to play with
The following is a list of two highly recommended toys that I purchased for my toddler and found to be both fun and educational.
VTech Touch and Learn Activity Desk
VTech’s Touch and Learn Activity Desk teaches toddlers how to draw and write in a fun and interactive way. The educational toy features illustrated demonstrations that assist children through the process of mastering the proper stroke order for capital and small letters.
It also encourages your child’s creativity by drawing various items and teaching them to write their names.
It comes with a stylus and stencils, making it more engaging and appealing to children, especially under five years of age.
LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set
This interesting toy helps your kid engage for a long time with its unique features. The kids can excitingly learn alphabets and phonics through lights and music.
Additionally, the letter tiles have magnets that enable children to adhere to refrigerators and learn both the alphabet and shapes. This toy is multi-featured, and you will get a complete educational package in just one accessory like letter shapes, alphabets song, fridge magnets, and learning phonics.
Moreover, it helps children develop their fine motor abilities and also aids in vocabulary development. If you have a child in the house, this LeapFrog fridge phone magnetic kit is a must-have.
Conclusion
The pandemic has taken a toll on almost everyone. But the children are among the greatest victims as this situation has ruined their interactive social age. They are bound to stay at home without any physical interaction with anyone; consequently, all of this has hindered their learning process.
However, it is our responsibility as parents to assist children in surviving this experience with minimal damage. We must continue to involve them in physical and mental activities that will help them develop into healthy adults.
In summary, schedule time for your toddlers and organize activities for them because this is critical for their physical and mental well-being.
This article is written keeping all of this situation in mind to help you guys in the process of keeping your young one busy and entertained.
Peace!