What to cook and what to eat? Other than these, one more questions pops every morning, what to do with my kids, how to engage them in a productive way. Here are some ways of keeping them busy and believe me it will keep you busier.

n Make a chart of daily schedule of games to play.

n Keep a fix time every day.

n Before you begin prepare well.

n After you are done, discuss why you did it (important)

n A project like this will ask a lot from you as a parent: being silly, being creativity, extra time and on top of all is patience.

Saying ‘yes’ to watch TV is easier, this is engaging and challenging

Plan your route. Scout out locations. Write and number the clues, and put them in numbered envelopes. If your kids are older you can use word cards describing a place where you have hidden an item. For example: “I am cold and make a ‘bing bing’ noise if left open”. The answer is the fridge, of course. Kids love this combination of a quiz and hunt. Add in some random rewards to keep things interesting.

Each member owns a channel. Let them watch, prepare a script and practice. Decide a day of show.

n Discovery channel (Must have)

n Bhakti songs / prawachan

n Saas Bahu Serial (this can be real fun, picks those familiar to kids)

n English serial channel

n Mahabharat

n News channels (can be avoided in current situation)

Transform your living room into a kid’s gym and create some fun and age-appropriate sports stations. Trail of paper sheets - walk over without touching anything else but the paper. A planking station is great fun as well, if you have a soft carpet. Make obstacle course by mugs / classes. Make jumping ropes. To make it more competitive you can use the stopwatch to time the duration of each exercise. Make a sheet or goal tracker.

The easiest way to create a stable den is through using a blanket or bed sheet to cover a table and some other furniture moved together. You can create quite a spacious den using four chairs arranged in a square with the blanket placed over the back rests. Add few cushions added into the cave kids will have a great time for sure. Kids between 1 and 10 would love it. Build a fort with them and have a tea party inside.

Decide a date. Get your favorite clothes, dress ups or even mummy's clothes out and strike a pose! Take pictures. Lots and lots of them. You will certainly cherish them. Variations and additions could be to have a Costume Night or a Nail Art competition or Hair style competition.

One person is designated Simon, the others are the players. Standing in front of the group, Simon tells players what they must do. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words “Simon Says.” If Simon says, “Simon says touch your nose,” then players must touch their nose. If Simon just says “Touch your nose” and if the players touch their nose they are out.

Capsicum, lady finger can be used as a stamp painting.

Apples, pears, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, corn cobs, green beans, oranges, lemons, and limes can be used for portrait painting.

World view

Have a big printout of world map (if possible) or draw it. Point out different countries you visited or wish to visit. Discuss the basic facts, famous fun activities done there. Talk about the history (in story form).

Who am I

Draw a letter, word, or picture on one member’s back and have him guess what you’ve drawn with some clues.

Some dos and don’ts:

n Do appreciate using descriptive praise.

n Do reward generously with stars on their shirt or study table.

n Do Not compare one to encourage other kid to play.

n Do involve kids in generating more such games. They may surprise you with completely new game which even google can’t think of.

Last thing: Increase difficulty level. Challenge your kids to aim high. Motivate and help them to achieve it. Lose to Win.

(The author is Trainer, Councillor with PIET)