The 21-day lockdown announced by president Cyril Ramaphosa in order to try and stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country means that parents are now faced with the task of keeping the kids busy for a longer-than-expected vacation break.
Many parents have already started voicing their admiration for the educators who are tasked with teaching their kids every day, but what is a parent to do when the children start getting bored at home during the lockdown?
Here are four ways to help the kids stay engaged and entertained – and to help you retain your sanity – until schools open again.
1. Introduce them to the art world
A number of renowned art museums all over the world have started offering free virtual tours in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. These include the Louvre in Paris, theRijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Guggenheim in New York. Here’s an idea that’ll keep the children busy for quite some time: have them pick their favourite artwork and try and copy it with what you have at home.
2. Let Audible entertain them with stories
Audible is home to the world’s largest collection of audiobooks. Audible has now made a curated selection of children’s audiobooks available for free until schools in the US open again – which could be quite a while. While we certainly also encourage reading to your children yourself, this is ideal for when other things around the house need your attention.
3. Experience the joy of reading together
When you do have time to do so, reading to your children is an excellent way to develop their language skills. AfricanStoryBook.org has a library of more than 1000 free books to choose from – in local languages, at that!
4. Have them learn a new language
Children are especially receptive to learning a new language, and how wonderful would it be to see them walk out of the lockdown with the foundations for another language under their belts? The language-learning platform Rosetta Stone is now offering more than three months of free language learning to learners anywhere in the world.
We can’t wait to see the little ones back at Sparrow again, but until then, good luck – you’ve got this!