It ain’t easy taking care of your kids. Not only do you have to do the usual stuff like feeding them, bathing them, making sure they’re not hurting themselves, but you also have to entertain them!
Kids just love to play games, and parents, not so much. As much as we love our children, we also need some “me time” to keep ourselves sane. That’s why we looked around on theAsianparent Community for games that you can let your kids play so you can have some time for yourself!
As always, make sure not to leave your child unattended for a long time. If your child is too young, then it’s best not to leave them alone or unsupervised.
1. Play-doh or finger paints
Diana Lai, a mother of 3, shares that at home, she lets her kids play with Play-doh or finger paints. This builds up your kids’ motor skills and it also engages the creative side of their brain. It’s also something that your kids can do while you take that much needed break!
Just make sure to keep things clean by making sure that you lay down some newspapers so that they don’t make a mess with the fingerpaints or Play-doh.
2. Have a scavenger hunt!
This one takes a bit of preparation, but Hui Qun Ng shares you can try and create a scavenger hunt at home. Just hide a bunch of clues on pieces of paper around the house and let them work it out so that they can find their prize!
As for you, your prize would be the alone time you get to have whilst your little one is looking for clues around the house. Just make sure not to hide the clues too well, as your kid might try climbing or going to unsafe places around the house in search of clues.
3. Let them play with Legos
Alvin Cruz, shares that you can give your kid some Legos to build with and play games. Legos are a great toy for kids since it keeps them busy, keeps their brains working, and it also builds up their motor skills. It’s also a game that kids can play just by themselves!
Just make sure to teach your kid to clean up once their done, and not leave their lego pieces around. Stepping on a Lego brick is not something that you’d want to experience!
4. Arts and crafts!
Nadiah Syazana shares, “I remember when I was little, my dad always get us to draw, paint or even creating simple craft works. I enjoyed it a lot, and actually a big influence of who I am today – I enjoy (crave) creating new things everyday! :)”
Arts and crafts are a great activity for kids! Not only can they do it by themselves (giving you time to relax, hehe), but it engages their imagination and gives them a sense of fulfillment since they created something on their own, and with their own hands.
5. Let your kid make some music (or noise)
While it’s not really relaxing, letting your kid play with pots and pans or other things that make noise is a good way of getting them distracted so you can do other things.
Danni Siew shares, “When my daughter was about 9 months old, she loved banging pots and pans and making a lot of noise. So, around this age, we started making home-made instruments, eg. uncooked rice in an empty bottle for her to shake, she really loved this!”
READ: How to prevent tantrums when playing games