Quiet time activities for kids! Sanity saving for parents – especially during quarantine days! This post contains affiliate links.
As a mom of 3 kids (ages 2, 5, and 7) I have found there are certain things we NEED to build into our day so things run smoothly. Quiet time is one of those things.
Trust me. I’ve tried going without. It’s ugly for everyone involved.
I love my kids SO MUCH. We literally spend all of our time together haha. But we all need that time for some quiet built into our day. While I want my kids to know I’m always available to them, I also believe that setting boundaries and letting them know that it’s my time to work is really important too.
How our quiet time is set up:
My kids used to go into their separate rooms for quiet time, but that didn’t work once we had our third child, since then my baby and toddler shared a room. Quiet time for the older kids was nap time for my baby, which meant my toddler didn’t have a place to do quiet time. Once she was downstairs doing quiet activities while I worked, my oldest wanted to be with us. I had to quickly set up routines and expectations for all of us so we could all enjoy it!
- On a typical day, we do all of our homeschooling in the morning.
- We have lunch
- 2 year old goes down for her nap
- Older two begin their quiet time
- it usually lasts about 2 hours
The older two kids are together for quiet time, but they know that if they start fighting then they have to be separated. Although they love each other so much, they certainly do fight! But they also don’t want to do quiet time on their own…so it can be tricky haha.
I’ve found that having quiet time activities available for them is KEY. So today, I’m sharing my favorite quiet time activities for kids, and I hope that you’re inspired to try some of these in your home!
Quiet time activities for kids:
- AUDIO BOOKS.
- I don’t think we’d survive without audio books! My kids are obsessed. We get free audio books through:
- our local library (curbside pickup has been a game changer for us)
- Hoopla (we do not pay for it, but use the 10 free resources a month)
- Audible (we do pay for this service for my books and the kids. There’s many kids books included in your subscription every month, and we’ve had fun discovering those.
- I don’t think we’d survive without audio books! My kids are obsessed. We get free audio books through:
- Podcasts
- Did you know there’s lots of kids podcasts out there? Here’s some we love:
- Circle Round (WBUR)
- Wow in the World (NPR)
- Truth Seekers (Bible stories for kids)
- Sparkle Stories Podcast
- Did you know there’s lots of kids podcasts out there? Here’s some we love:
- Fort building
- Yes, it makes a big mess. But yes, it’s also worth it!
- My kids got this fort building kit for Christmas and it’s been a huge hit!
- Sensory table activities
- Since quarantine started, we’ve been using our sensory table a LOT. We have one from IKEA which was the cheapest option I could find anywhere. I’ve been super happy with it! I also love that it doubles as an actual kids table when we have the cover on it.
- Perler Beads
- My kids have gone through quite a Perler bead obsession the past few months! Here’s some we have in our collection:
- Card games
- Puzzles
- Drawing pads and journals
- It’s simple and it’s not earth friendly (we go through way too much paper) BUT my kids truly love drawing. They usually love drawing what they’re listening to on their audio books during quiet time. We love these pads from Target – they are inexpensive enough and are nice thick paper.
What about screen time?
OK I don’t want to be “that mom” – but we did find that cutting down screen time significantly improved the moods and attitudes in our home. Of course, it didn’t make things perfect! But my kids someone would always be SO cranky and moody after their Kindle Fire or iPad time.
We now use the iPad for educational apps that are rotated as part of their school time, or we watch family movies together. It really makes a big difference. Yes, there will be whining at first. But once they get in the groove, you will see their creativity blossom!
Do you have any suggestions for quiet time for your kids?
I’d love to hear them in the comments – or share them with me on Instagram! You can find me there at @TeachingandTrainingBlog
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