Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.
After a day of mental stimulation in the classroom, children need a stress-relieving activity to wind down from school. Instead of allowing your child to camp out in front of the TV between homework and dinnertime, direct them to an interactive pursuit. Something that will spark their creativity, stoke their curiosity and even teach them a few things.
These are some of my family’s favorite after-school activities:
- Snack art: Your after-school downtime can begin at snack time. Instead of laying out your child’s snack for them, put small bowls of fruits, veggies, nuts, what have you, in front of your child for them to make a piece of edible artwork on their plate. Put out fun cookie cutters for a snack that’s sure to fill and thrill them!
- Obstacle courses: For the kid with an abundance of energy after school, arrange an obstacle course to help them burn off their exuberance. The course can be inside or outside, and you can use items from around the house to make it. Try timing your kids as they go through the obstacles to keep them interested in the game and on task. Challenge them by asking them to go through the same obstacle three different ways.
- Tape town: Take Legos or Barbies to the next level with an easy-to-make (and take apart) “tape town.” On a carpet or rug, put down painter’s tape to make the outline of highways, houses and shops for your child’s toys. This encourages your child to use their imagination and think spatially. Once you help them lay down the tape tracks, they’ll most likely dive into playtime with little parental supervision.
- Tape web: This is another tape activity for the energetic child. Use masking tape to create a web in a low-traffic doorframe. With the sticky side of the tape facing you, mark a number of points at various places throughout the web based on how difficult it would be to hit them. Next, wad up a piece of paper into a ball and have your kids throw it at the tape web. Don’t forget to keep track of how many points they earn!
- Tag-team drawing: This activity is a great way to keep multiple kids engaged and relatively calm. All you need is a different-colored marker for each person and a large piece of paper. The first person will start out drawing for 10 seconds then pass it to the person next to them. Regardless of how much you’ve finished in those 10 seconds, you have to stop and give it to the next in line. Pass the drawing around until the sheet of paper is full. Don’t talk to others beforehand about what you’re going to draw and you’ll end up with a creative piece of art!
Bree