{"id":9616,"date":"2015-06-24T06:32:36","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T06:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pricecheck.co.za\/?p=9616"},"modified":"2015-06-24T06:32:36","modified_gmt":"2015-06-24T06:32:36","slug":"keep-the-kids-entertained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/keep-the-kids-entertained\/","title":{"rendered":"Inexpensive ways to keep the kids entertained"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"board\"<\/a>\u201cI\u2019m bored<\/em>.\u201d If you\u2019re a parent then you probably hear these words often. \u201cBe paper, then<\/em>.\u201d is usually my response, but this doesn\u2019t seem to fair particularly well with the offspring.<\/p>\n

As parents, we are constantly tasked with having to think of new ways to keep our children entertained. Barbie dolls<\/a>, Hot Wheels, PS4s, Cartoon Network and the like will only keep them entertained for a limited amount of time before \u201cI\u2019m bored, what can I do<\/em>?\u201d enters the room.<\/p>\n

Do we then drop everything and race off to a games arcade? Maybe download a new mobile game. Or do we simply send them off in search of their own entertainment?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to think that we should put a little more effort into what shapes our children\u2019s minds when it comes to entertainment, while we still can. So here\u2019s list of inexpensive traditional and unconventional ways to keep the kids entertained during the school holidays:<\/p>\n

Fun in the kitchen <\/strong><\/p>\n

Baking<\/a> and cooking with kids can be challenging, but it\u2019s a great way to spend quality time with the little ones, and teaches the older kids new skills too.<\/p>\n

Knitting <\/strong><\/p>\n

My mother taught my daughter how to knit. A skill that I had thought I\u2019d forgotten until I pulled it from the \u2018archives\u2019 to help her save a dropped stitch. Such simple skills are often lost to new generations. Don\u2019t be afraid to teach your daughters (or son) how to stitch and knit; it will come in handy along the way.<\/p>\n

Write a story <\/strong><\/p>\n

Spelling and grammar is not important. Allowing their creativity to flow freely is. You\u2019d be amazed as to just how much you can learn about your child, and how they view the world, when they put pen to paper.<\/p>\n

Board games <\/strong><\/p>\n

Board games<\/a> are an age-old tradition when it comes to keeping the family entertained. It also aids social development and the art of competing for fun. Family-oriented games like Monopoly, Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit, to mention but a few, can easily replace technology and other more modern distractions as a form of entertainment.<\/p>\n

Take a walk<\/strong><\/p>\n

A visit to the park and a walk around a block or two is often underrated. Sometimes the best cure for boredom is good company and a little fresh air.<\/p>\n

Visit the library<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you need a break and some quiet time, take a trip to the library. Allow your children to immerse themselves in a world of books<\/a>, where silence is the order of the day.<\/p>\n

Plan a play date<\/strong><\/p>\n

You might consider yourself to be a hip and relatable parent, but sometimes kids just need to be kids, and to achieve this they usually require the company other children. Plan play<\/a> dates with friends, family and neighbours whom you trust, to ensure that your child gets the necessary social stimulation he or she needs.<\/p>\n

Visit the museum and planetarium<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learning about the past and the stars shouldn\u2019t be limited to a classroom or the Discovery channel<\/a>. Feel free to explore other national landmarks and historical places in and around your town.<\/p>\n

Spend time on a farm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Farm houses are often overlooked when it comes to inexpensive family vacations<\/a>. If you have the time to breakaway, spend a week or a weekend on a farm and allow your kids to enjoy the simple side of life.<\/p>\n

Indoor camping<\/strong><\/p>\n

A house is meant to be lived in. Let the kids have fun by making makeshift tents and forts out of blankets and old boxes. You\u2019ll be amazed to see just how far their imaginations take them.<\/p>\n

These are ideas a simple and nothing foreign to the world of entertainment, but their value far outweighs any gadget, video game<\/a> or movie, when it comes to your child\u2019s developmental milestones.<\/p>\n

How do you keep your children entertained during the school holidays? Share it in a comment below.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m bored.\u201d If you\u2019re a parent then you probably hear these words often. \u201cBe paper, then.\u201d is usually my response, but this doesn\u2019t seem to fair particularly well with the offspring. As parents, we are constantly tasked with having to think of new ways to keep our children entertained. Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, PS4s, Cartoon<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}