With the monsoon season coming in, class suspensions due to heavy rains are once again common in the country. While most students would love to just lounge around in their homes during these times, being more productive is always a better option. Here are some of the activities you can do when authorities declare that there will be no classes for the day.
Fun games during class suspensions
If you don’t want your kids glued to their cellphones and gadgets all day during class suspensions, games are always a good time killer. The great thing about these games is that you don’t need a lot of stuff to enjoy them. These are also a great source of physical exercise for the young ones.
Treasure hunt
If your home is particularly large, set up an impromptu treasure hunt for your kids. Hide treats around the house that they will have to find within a given amount of time. To make it more fun, you can add mini-challenges they need to accomplish to get the treat.
Sensory bin
\For this game, you need a bin that is at least a foot deep. Fill it with dry rice, flour, or sand. You then hide different items within it that your kids can dig with spoons. This is a fun exploration game for the younger ones but your older kids will also find it very appealing.
Balloon tennis
This game is a great way for your kids to have some physical exercise during rainy day class suspensions. Place two chairs one or two meters apart. Tie a piece of string across the room to act as a net. For rackets, you can use fly swatters, handheld mosquito killers or even newspapers.
Have players sit on each chair and start the game by tossing a small balloon back and forth. You can use any scoring method you want. If you have enough space in the room, you could also do a doubles game.
Home camping
Home camping is less of a game but is still a great way to pass time during class suspensions. All you need are some pillows and bed sheets or blankets. You can also bring in snacks to add to the ambiance of the activity.
Make the “camping trip” more entertaining by incorporating other activities. Storytelling is one such activity you can include. You can even talk about the weather and teach kids about the science behind it. Alternately, doing homework would also be fun this way.
Doing household chores during class suspensions
The rainy days are also a great opportunity to get your kids helping in the household chores. While they might complain, you can make the whole experience entertaining for them by incorporating some fun elements.
Teach them how to cook
The kitchen is a great place for you to bond with your kids when classes are suspended. You can start with simple tasks like cutting vegetables or mixing ingredients. From there, teach them simple cooking activities like frying eggs or cooking rice.
For the elder ones, you can teach them more advanced recipes. Choose ones that would be perfect for the day such as soups or desserts. It would also be a good idea to have them help in the cleanup afterward to further teach them to be more responsible.
Help your kids organize their rooms
When getting your young ones to clean their rooms during class suspensions, don’t boss them around. Instead, you should simply guide them on how to do things. This will better encourage them to organize their stuff to their liking and adopt the practice later.
You can also teach them how to create simple organizing tools. Look for things like used boxes, wrapping paper, and stickers and turn them into DIY organizers. Teaching them how to segregate trash is another productive activity.
Learning new things during class suspensions
Going further, you can take advantage of class suspensions to do a variety of educational activities with your kids. These can either be directly related to their schoolwork or simply something they would want to try out.
Paint together
Painting is good stimulation for your kids’ artistic abilities. You don’t have to get them to come up with something. Just spread the paper and let them draw a variety of shapes. Another way you can do this is to get a bunch of themed coloring books and let them color the pages on their own.
Watch good movies
Some kids would want to spend the class suspension day just watching movies. Make their marathons more engaging by choosing educational movies that would interest them. Documentaries are also good materials, especially those relating to their subjects at school. Do a bit of question and answer at the end of the movie to test what they have learned.
Make class suspensions more productive with these activities
Class suspensions due to heavy rains can be a bit of a pain for parents and schools. But that doesn’t mean you will let your kids slack off on those days. Try out these activities and you will keep your young ones occupied during the rainy days.