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Quarantine Activities for 8-10-year olds

Games and Activities for when your kids are bored out of their mind

By Mary KnutsonPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by Porapak Apichodilok

As a kid, it was always seemed like we were constantly on the go and if we were home for more than a couple of days, it felt like an eternity. Now, with the world under quarantine, kids and adults everywhere are bored out of their minds.

In a time of iPads and Tablets, we often forget that kids need to be active. So what can we do with these little balls of attitude, joy, and energy when they can’t so much as go past the front gate? Well, here’s some ideas!

1) Hershey’s chocolate pictionary

This is a game good for practically any age and multiple kids. Pour some Hershey’s chocolate syrup in a baking sheet then give them about 20 seconds to draw their object of choice. The other kid(s) must try to guess what it is as the picture simultaneously disappears. I have personally played this game and even as an adult, it’s a lot of fun.

2) String Laser Maze

Good for one kid or multiple. If you have any spare yarn or twine, tape the yarn in a way that zigzags from one wall in a hallway to the opposite, then back and forth. The goal is to create a kind of laser maze that kids see in spy movies, this makes them feel secret agenty and may hold their attention longer. You can even put some kind of little prize on the other end of the maze. If they touch the string they have to start over or they don’t get the prize. You can rearrange the rules however you see fit, the main thing is to get the youngsters up and active.

3) Q-Tip game

Give each kid a straw and a handful of Q-tips then set up a coffee tin or shoe box about 6-10 feet away. Have them load a Q-tip into the straw and use it like a blow dart to get Q-tip into the coffee tin. Just make sure they blow through the straw and don’t suck, that hurts. Trust me… Oddly enough, this is a game that can keep older kids amused for a while, it’s a competition against themselves to see if they can keep improving their score and bettering their aim. If you have different colored Q-tips and multiple kids, you can even divide them up by teams.

4) Clean the house – make it a game!

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap! The job’s a game!” – Mary Poppins

Practically perfect in every way, Mary Poppins knew how to encourage and educate children. One of the many ways she did this was by showing them how to turn dreary events into something enjoyable, and you can too! Need the car cleaned? “Hey, kids! Here’s a rag and a bucket, who can get their side of the car the shiniest. Splashing is encouraged!” Need them to pick up their toys? “Who can pick up their toys the fastest? I’ll time you, GO!” Follow the lessons of Mary Poppins and you’ll never go wrong! It’s a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious fact!

No one wants to spend their day cooped up inside, but that’s precisely what we are forced to do. Finding little ways to keep kids active will not only grant parents a bit of peace but will occupy children with something other than a screen.

Some of my best memories were impromptu games my brothers and I played as kids. But why wait for them to come up with their own? Now is as good of time as any to start building their memory repertoire.

Enjoy the article? Go ahead and drop a like or leave a tip! Feeling generous? Why not both, I won’t stop you!

Yours in writing,

Mary Knutson

children
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About the Creator

Mary Knutson

Mary has been writing for as long as she can remember. With a degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing, she works to push the limits of what writing and do. Her dream is to become a full-time novelist and literature enthusiast.

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