LG has partnered with leading Child Psychologist, Emma Kenny to share expert tips for parents on the best ways to keep their kids entertained this Easter – what might seem an impossible task after a year of lockdown!
Emma’s top tips are welcomed by parents as 29% reveal they are struggling to think of new activities to do with their children over the holidays. From becoming a child for the day to a family feast, you won’t be short of ideas this Easter.
Please find Emma’s top tips below:
- Get mindful as a family (by immersing in nature)
- Plan an Easter egg hunt (and invite the Easter bunny in)
- Family film nights (with the broadest range of content)
- Get your game face on (with a hint of nostalgia)
- Be a child for a day (let your children lead the way)
- Make a creative corner (for emotional regulation)
- Make weekends count (podcasts + audio books)
- Plan a family feast (bond with online baking)
- Try to give them a really good break (no schooling just chilling)
- Sleep matters (technology with Eye Comfort Display)
- Create healthy routines (getting ready for back to school)
- Dance together (with a Strictly expert)
- Get mindful as a family
Whether you have tots or teens, try to get outside as a family for an hour a day. This will help get white light on your skin, which is fantastic for regulating the brain chemicals that aid a good night’s sleep. When you are walking, ask your children to note how many sounds they can hear, and how many animals they can spot. This helps connect you all to the present moment and will soothe the stresses and strains of the day.
- Plan an Easter egg hunt in your home or garden
This year has been a tough one, so injecting some entertainment and normality will go a long way to help your family reclaim fun. Hide a selection of Easter eggs all over your home and encourage your children to go on a competitive hunt. When all the eggs have been discovered divide them equally amongst your kids… and make sure you save a few for yourself! Bring the Easter Bunny into your home this weekend with a singing and dancing live online Easter Bunny experience from Club Hub.
- Plan some family film nights where every member of your family chooses a film they want to watch together
This means that you can snuggle up on the sofa and unwind, whilst also enjoying the amazing entertainment that is available on our screens. I recommend LG’s new range of TVs which have the broadest selection of content on the market – including Freeview Play, Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and more. If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon – add it immediately to your list. It’s the perfect fantasy escape for a rainy day!
- Get your game face on
Children love their parents to become fully immersed in their wider worlds, and whilst you may not consider yourself a gamer, it really is never too late. Why not ask your kids to introduce you to their favourite game? They won’t just get the enjoyment from beating Mum or Dad for a change, they will also benefit from your shared connection and sense of fun. Children enjoy the camaraderie and challenge that comes from playing with adults, especially parents, and this will also help them deal with occasionally losing to you which can encourage a sense of ‘sportspersonship’. Super Mario 3D World is well known for being not only child-friendly but designed for co-operative play – it also pulls on the nostalgia strings for parents of a certain age.
- Be a child for a day
As adults, we can sometimes struggle to let go of our grown-up roles, but if we allow our kids to take the lead for the day, then chances are that you won’t just enjoy the distraction, you will find yourself fully immersed in their world. Agree that for two days each week they can do a total takeover of your family day. Let them plan and help prepare your family meals, choose board games, or creative activities they wish to play, and allow them to select their favourite family films. If the weather is lovely, provide them with a list of places that you can visit as a family. These can include an inexpensive picnic in the park, or a trip to somewhere totally new for some outdoor swimming.
If you allow yourself to escape from the day-to-day grind, then you can remind yourself of your inner child, and when children are in charge you can guarantee that tapping into the ten-year-old-you will be far easier than you might imagine.
- Make a creative corner
If you are working and cannot be on hand to organise your kids 24/7 then get some paper, paints, brushes and felt tip pens and place them somewhere your kids can have fun with. This doesn’t simply encourage them to use their imagination, it distracts them too, meaning you can get on with your work without too many interruptions. Painting and crafts help reduce stress and anxiety, create a state of mental flow and use areas of the brain that aid problem solving, which also aids emotional regulation, meaning you end up with calmer, more creative and generally happier kids. Hobby Craft has an impressive selection of Easter crafts for the whole family – from simple egg decoration to Easter bonnet making.
- Make weekends count
Over the Easter Holidays and in particular the Easter long weekend, why not really indulge in some quality family time? You can choose from an amazing range of podcasts via the Spotify app on your LG TV to listen to. I personally recommend The Past and the Curious an inspiring take on history, or an audible book via an LG XBOOM Bluetooth speaker whilst enjoying a long and lazy breakfast together.
- Plan a family feast
Children absolutely love to feel a part of wider family life, so why not help them select a menu that you can all look forward to? Allowing children a sense of ownership over their environment makes them feel responsible and valued. Even more importantly it helps them with life skills and a connection with the food they eat. Often, opportunities to bring learning to life are missed because as parents we simply forget that once upon a time chopping a carrot was something we had no idea how to do. Engaging your kids in these simple, yet shared activities really help fuse family experience and increase close bonds. Research evidences that children benefit hugely from parent-child activities so the more of these simple interactions you create, the happier and more harmonious your family will become. Cake baking never fails to put a smile on children’s faces so it’s a good job the Good Housekeeping Institute is hosting an online kids Easter baking cookery class – who doesn’t love rocky road?!
- Try to give them a really good break
The past year has been tough, so instead of making them spend time revising and catching up on schoolwork, why not allow them to just spend time on activities that they love. Let them catch up on their favourite YouTube content, try Gym at Home for fun activities that keep kids moving, or let them get lost in podcasts, because as long as this is being balanced out with regular exercise, good nutrition and outdoor activities, it will only enhance their lives. Help them to listen to YouTube meditation streams, or relaxing music before they go to sleep, as these are free and can really help them unwind. Using LG TONE Wireless earbuds can help your children feel completely immersed in the listening experience. Peace Out by bedtime FM on Spotify offers short stories that help children calm down and relax by guiding them through visualisation and breathing exercises.
- Sleep matters
Children need quality sleep, even more so than adults, so make sure you have a healthy bedtime routine. The blue light emitted from phone and TV screens can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Ideally, encourage your children to avoid any screens for up to two hours before bed. If they are watching TV then a great option is LG’s new range of OLED TVs, which are “Eye Comfort Display” certified. This means they emit a lower level of blue light, known to be disruptive to sleep patterns.
- Create healthy routines
Very few of us have found the past twelve months easy to navigate, but as we move into a new phase where we will once again be allowed to enjoy the life we once took for granted, making sure that you have healthy family habits will be important. Try to get the kids up at the same time every day throughout the holidays, schedule their activities and make sure that you instil a sense of positive routine throughout their day. This will make the return to school after Easter much easier.
- Dance together
Dancing to pop and trance music has been proven to uplift mood and also get those all-important endorphins flowing. As a family, try to spend twenty minutes every night becoming a family DJ. You can take it in turns each night to choose the tracks, meaning that the kids get to share their sound style with you, as well as getting to know the belters from the 90s! Dancing is excellent exercise, and the music and movement help to soothe stress and inject laughter, love and fun into your home – all free of charge! Expand your family’s dance move repertoire with family wellbeing centre SooYoga which hosts a Kids Academy teaching everything online from street dance to Latin.