When you’ve got little ones, it’s easy to think that they’re going to stay little forever. However, we all know that kids grow up a whole lot faster than you expect. Obviously, that comes with all of the usual challenges. From outgrowing clothes at top speed to testing the limits of your authority, growing kids can often be pretty tough to handle. But there’s one thing that a lot of people tend to forget about one incredibly important part of parenting: keeping your kids entertained. After all, kids have a whole lot of energy and if they’re not using that energy properly and end up getting bored then they can get into all kinds of trouble. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do to keep your little ones entertained as they grow.

Crafting

If there’s one thing that kids often like doing more than just about anything, it’s making something out of nothing. Kids have truly amazing imaginations and being able to use that imagination is one of the absolute best ways that you can keep them entertained. And nothing spurs their imagination on that making things. Whether that’s through something like lego or, if your children are a little older, actually making stuff themselves from scratch. There are plenty of great ideas out there from foam crafting to sewing that can help your kids create the things that excite them. If they take too it then you’ll probably find your home filling up with crafting materials, scissors and glue guns. It’s also an activity that keeps their minds engaged and teaches them plenty of patience too.     

Skating

When most parents think of skating their first reaction is often one of panic and fear. After all, we’ve all seen those images of broken bones and missing teeth that have resulted from people out on skateboards. However, skating can actually be a wonderful activity for kids, as long as they are safe and careful. Obviously, the most important thing is for them to have all of the right pads and a helmet. There’s something of a stereotype that skating is kind of a delinquent activity but the truth is that most local skating areas are a great place to build communities and make friends. Your little ones will probably find that there are older people there who are more than happy to offer them advice and guidance. After all, everyone was a beginner once and most skaters are more than happy to lend a hand.

Team sports

One of the things that a lot of kids struggle with is the idea of working with other people. After all, they’re still learning about life and teamwork isn’t the easiest thing in the world. However, one of the best ways to help them learn that while also offering them a chance to have a ton of fun and keep active is through team sports. Whatever sport they’re interested in, your kids will almost certainly find it a fantastic way to work off their excess energy while also making friends and learning the real value of teamwork.

Video games

Okay, there are probably going to be a few people shocked to see this on here but the truth is that video games can be an amazing activity for kids. For one thing, they are excellent tools for training hand-eye coordination. Not only that but a lot of academic skills can be learned through video games. Any kid who plays Pokemon regularly is constantly working with mathematics, statistics, and probability, even if they don’t realise it. Not only that but games develop all kinds of skills from problem-solving, map reading, and communication. Sure, you don’t want your little ones spending hours in front of the TV without any kind of supervision, but in a controlled environment, video games can be both fun and a great learning tool.

Of course, the kinds of things that your kids are going to want to do is going to depend pretty heavily on what they are interested in. You might have ideas of what you think your kids should be doing but the last thing you want is to try and force them to do something that they don’t care about. After all, if they aren’t enjoying it then any activity is just going to become work which is the last thing you want. Make sure that you don’t just assume that your kids are going to enjoy certain things and always make the effort to talk to them about it.