Instead of driving your children to various activities in your car, try to find activities that you can do at home and in the neighborhood. It will keep your children safe and provide activities that help them learn and get exercise. When you want to take a trip, plan a specific activity to do, like fishing, walking, hiking, or biking.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Let Your Children Help With Meal Preparation

They can help you with shopping by writing a list and looking for specific items in the store. You can search online for recipes and try preparing a simple one for a family meal. Start by creating healthy snacks and let them wash and cut vegetables and fruit. Make a homemade dip for these items. Let them learn and make mistakes, but practice safety. They can help with dinner by giving them tasks to accomplish. Washing, cleaning, setting the table, and cleaning up are important tasks your kids can handle.

Have a family pizza or pasta night and let everyone participate. Have your children look for a recipe online. Since 49% of consumers say they search for items and products, let them look for recipes on Google. Shop for ingredients at the store, and make the dish at home, letting the children help out. There are many premade pizza crusts where you just have to add the toppings and cheese. It is an easy and fun project!

Develop Outdoor Activities For Exercise

Get your children outdoors to develop a regular outdoor exercise routine in the yard or in your neighborhood. They can weed the garden or water plants if you have a garden. Your children can play games outdoors that require physical activity. They can ride bikes, play bocce, badminton, walk, do yard work, basketball, or any activity that gets them moving.

There are many games sold for children that promote exercise. In fact, Americans spend over $600 million on golf balls yearly. Kids can learn to hit golf balls in the yard. There is a game called Putterball that comes with a mat, two golf balls, and two putter sticks that lets you practice. You can buy more golf balls for a group activity. If you have room, buy a used trampoline and let the kids exercise outdoors.

Start a Hobby Where They Create Something

It’s time for your children to learn a hobby or learn a craft. You can set up a table outside where they can make things. They can learn to draw, write poems, stories, or essays. You will need pencils, paper, crayons, colored pencils, and other common supplies. Fat Brain Toys make creative kits for different crafts and projects for boys and girls. This is a good way to try a craft without committing too much money.

They have kits that involve weaving, making clay dinosaurs, easels and art supplies, chemistry, and engineering and construction. If you are skilled at a craft, you can teach your children some simple tasks to see whether they are interested. Let them choose a hobby they have an interest in, and they will be more likely to stick with it.

Teach Them About Fishing

Perhaps you like to fish and live near a local lake, pond, beach, or have your own. You can teach your children to fish by scouting for safe places to go. The local bait store can tell you the best places to stop. Instead of buying equipment, let them use what you have. Try to find a location you can fish off the dock or near the lake where they do not need a boat.

Teach them to use bait and aim to catch some fish. Keep it simple; try fishing from the beach, piers, or stream. These are good places to start. Talk to your kids about how the first fish hooks were made of a short piece of wood, bone, or stone. They were even supposed to be pointed at both ends! Keep the fishing trips short, not too long, to maintain interest. Try different locations without using a boat at the beginning.

If you’re worried about keeping your kids occupied outside of school hours, here are some ideas that’ll keep your kids fit, curious, creative, and helpful at home while spending little.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing throughout the country, many schools are taking the necessary precautions to do what they can to reopen their doors to students. About 75% of U.S. schools are public and 25% are private, and the precautionary decisions of each school vary. Some schools and universities are continuing to teach completely online while others are giving students the option to choose between online and in-person learning.

While online learning may not give your child the traditional learning experience they want, limiting in-person learning as much as possible is important for everyone’s health. According to the CDC, between 2,000 and 10,000 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per day are expected to occur by September 14, and already one-third of American families struggle to pay medical bills.

If your child is starting their next school year from home, you may be wondering what you can do to make the year better and more fun for them. After all, they won’t have their friends to make classes entertaining and back-to-school clothes don’t have the same appeal when there are no classmates to impress. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can make your child’s online learning back-to-school experience just a little more special.

Take their ‘first day of school’ photo

If it’s a family tradition to take your child’s first day of school photo, keep up the tradition. Your child’s classes may be online, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to remember their first day. Create a poster or sign with the grade your child is going into on it and have your child can hold the sign for the photo outside. Even if the school day is unconventional, it gives your child a special moment to remember.

Check out these “First Day of School” photo frame ideas!

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Personalize your child’s desk

One of the best parts about back to school is entering a new classroom that’s decked out for the new school year. Nothing beats the smell of new crayons and the feeling of opening a new notebook or agenda. Give your child that same experience by personalizing their desk area with some new materials and decor to really give that feeling of a fresh start to a new year.

Set up fun after-school activities

When your child is using virtual learning, it can be challenging for them to have a sense of separation between school and home. A great way to establish that balance is by setting up fun after-school activities like going to the park, walking around the neighborhood, and playing outside.

If your child is the type who prefers to play online games like Minecraft, which sold over 200 million copies as of May this year, for fun, be sure that they take a break outdoors to get some vitamin D before they get to gaming. Taking an outdoor break between “school” and home will help your child relax and unwind.

Ask your child what they learned over dinner

Your child may be learning online, but they’re still learning. Over family dinner, ask your child to share their favorite thing they’ve created that week or their favorite topic to have learned about. If your child is on the younger side, they can use this time for show-and-tell and show the family their favorite artwork or toy.