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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has compelled us all to practice social distancing. No matter how challenging the situation may be, we cannot force our children to not interact with their friends.
For children, games are not just a source of fun. They play an essential role in developing their social skills, regulating their behavior, improving their motor skills, and supporting their emotional and physical health. Thus, is there a way to not ruin children’s time with friends because of the current Covid-19 restrictions?.
To help your children play indoors and outdoors while maintaining social distance, we have come up with a list of the best social distancing games for kids that will keep them active, healthy, and happy.
20 Social Distancing Activities and Games For Kids
Explore these indoor and outdoor social distancing activities to keep children busy amidst the restrictions.
Outdoor Physical Activities For Kids
We have listed some outdoor social distancing activities for kids that make good physical activities for children.
1. Scavenger hunt
Organize a unique scavenger hunt for children. Prepare a list of objects that they can go out and search for. To make the game more interesting, you can let them create a collage out of the objects they have found or make a craft using them.
2. Charades
It is one of the most common games children of all age groups enjoy. Without having any social contact, you can let children act out the names of the movies or titles of the books or TV characters and have the rest of the group guess the correct answer by using the cues.
3. Egg and spoon race
Engage your children with the egg and spoon race. Here, children have to stand at a distance from each other, holding an egg in a spoon in the mouth. The one who reaches the finish line without dropping the egg wins the race.
4. Dance session
Make the children stand in a circle for a fun dance session. One kid has to stand in the center and dance as the music plays. The rest of the children will have to copy the steps of the child in the center. Give each kid a chance to be the dance teacher.
5. Sidewalk games with chalk
All you need to keep children engaged are chalk pieces and a concrete backyard or sidewalk. We’ll tell you how. You can organize tic-tac-toe, multiplication ladder, and addition ladder games, which are not only entertaining but also educational. You could even draw the human respiratory system, and let them learn about it as they play by marking different organs.
6. Sack race
This game guarantees endless laughter. Give one sack to each child and ask them to put their legs in it as they hold the ends with their hands. They will have to jump with the sack and make it to the finish line. This is a simple social game for children that supports their gross motor development.
7. Golf with foot
All you need is an open space. You can create the target using chalk or use hula loops. Ask the children to take turns and kick soccer balls into that target area. The child with the maximum scores wins.
8. Rope jumping
Engage your children in rope jumping while encouraging them to maintain social distancing. You could teach them different tricks such as heel-toe, scissors, skier, or straddle-cross. This is also an excellent game for improving their concentration and stamina.
9. Simon Says
Simon Says is an interesting game that can be played anytime, anywhere. Make the children stand in a circle and appoint a child to be Simon. Now, whatever Simon says, the rest of the group has to do it. For instance, if Simon says, “Look at the sky,” everyone has to look at the sky. However, if Simon gives the instructions without using the phrase “Simon says” and someone performs on the instructions, they are out of the game.
10. Field day
You can have a field day planned around sports to keep the kids active and energetic. Include different exercises, such as squats, lunges, skipping, and jumping over hurdles. All these activities can keep the children physically and mentally fit and healthy.
Indoor Activities For Kids
Have a look at these indoor activities that are sure to keep your little ones entertained and help them learn new things.
11. Cookie decoration
Bring out your child’s creative side by teaching them how to decorate cookies. Each one of them can have a bowl of colorful sprinkles and other baking goods. This is an interesting and safe social distancing activity to keep them busy and help them learn something new while having fun.
12. Bingo
Playing a game of bingo is always fun. You can play it conveniently sitting in a room while keeping a two-meter distance. This game can also be played online over a zoom call with a random number generator and amusing calls.
13. Jigsaw puzzles
Keep the children busy with jigsaw puzzles of different difficulty levels that match their potential. These games can be played online as well as offline and make for an excellent indoor activity to keep them busy and develop their focus.
14. Online music games
For children who love music, there are several music games available online that can keep them entertained and connected with music even during the pandemic. GarageBand, Simply Piano, and SingTrue are some of the popular apps for learning music.
15. Quizzes
You can find all kinds of online quizzes on different topics for children. Select the topics that interest your children and improve their knowledge in a fun way. You could choose science quizzes, IQ quizzes, geography quizzes, and many more.
16. New language
It is always a good idea to learn a new language, and with various online language learning classes, you can introduce your children to a language of their choice. Some of the popular apps to learn languages are Memrise, Rosetta Stone, and LinguaLift.
17. Mathematics games
Online math games make an interesting indoor activity for kids. There are different math puzzles and games available online that vary on their difficulty levels and make math more interesting. Download an exciting math game online and improve your children’s math skills.
18. Yoga
If you do not wish to take your child outdoors for physical activities, teaching them a few easy-to-do yoga poses is a great idea. It will not only keep them engaged but also keep them fit and healthy.
19. Indoor adventure
Create an indoor camping site using drapes and cushions, and let your children enjoy reading, learning, and playing. You could also let them get creative and decorate their camp or conduct some indoor activities.
20. Craft fun
Bring out your child’s creative side by giving them paper tapes, cardboard sheets, paint, aluminum foils, and various other recyclable items. Assist them in creating unique crafts by using different items.
Some More Fun Things To Do While Staying At Home
Here are some more fun ways for kids to practice social distancing.
- Write an email or a letter to a friend or family member.
- Use different building toys to create one big structure.
- Spend half an hour every day learning about a topic that interests them.
- Read one picture book every day.
- Organize backyard races, such as a frog race.
- Arrange for Facetime with extended family or grandparents.
- Have a storytelling session.
- Learn about plants and flowers.
- Learn baking or cooking.
- Play card games.
- Learn basic sewing.
- Build tents using pillows and drapes.
- Write a story.
- Follow kid-specific YouTube videos on exercises and crafts.
- Listen to podcasts or audiobooks for kids.
- Organize cupboards.
- Have an indoor party.
With these exciting social distancing games, your children will never get bored sitting at home. Don’t let the pandemic ruin the happy and cheerful days, and introduce the kids to these activities that can be enjoyed while following the social distancing rules.
