Even as the kids are headed back to school or carrying out home-based learning activities, playgrounds and other recreational facilities remain closed. In terms of entertainment, you may be running out of ideas at home.
To help you and your restless children stay entertained, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best online activities that the whole family can enjoy together in the month of June:
Experience an online street festival with Digital Shilin Singapore as they deliver captivating performances, fun virtual activities and engaging live streams of products and delicious food.
You can even purchase products and food from local businesses and have them delivered straight to your home. Keep the whole family entertained by tuning in to this event while supporting homegrown talents!
When: 12-14 and 19-21 June
Check out the link here and follow their Instagram account for more details.
Start your little one’s journey to a more sustainable lifestyle through The Conscious Festival, which will be going online as a three day virtual event. Expect talks and live sessions from key industry authorities, brand founders and activists focusing on wellbeing, business, fashion and the planet. Generate meaningful conversation with your child while engaging with the event.
There will also be a virtual marketplace showcase with over 70 different conscious brands and retailers to expose you to more eco-friendly retail options.
When: 12-14 June
For more information, check out the link here.
National Gallery Singapore has taken its biennial offering online, with lots of interactive activities to help make abstract art more accessible to kids. This is the second edition of the gallery’s biennial Small Big Dreamers festival, which first took place in 2018.
In one game based on Singaporean artist Georgette Chen’s work Tropical Fruits (1969), kids can arrange pieces of fruit in a bowl and play around with shadow. This virtual exhibition will be up from 1 June till 28 March next year.
When: Now until 28 March, 2020
Explore the website and have fun here.
Also going online is the 17th annual Singapore Heritage Festival. Uncover lesser-known stories of Singapore’s heritage through online tours, digitally commissioned works, webinars, online masterclasses, and more. This year, get acquainted with a Tanjong Pagar, Pasir Ris and Kallang not many know of – from vignettes of Tanjong Pagar’s early bustling rickshaw scene, to tales of the grand resort vacations Singaporeans used to have at Pasir Ris. Also, hone your pastry-making and belachan-pounding skills with online workshops.
When: 19 June – 5 July
Find out more here.
Continue exploring Asia from home through the Asian Civilisations Museum’s through their virtual tour of Asian artefacts in their collections. With engaging videos and kid-friendly resources, they help keep your child entertained while they continue to learn.
To keep track of upcoming events and other fun activities they offer, visit the link here.
Did you know that Snow City Singapore turns 20 years old this month of June? Get your kids to leave their birthday greetings on its Facebook, which also has a series of fun online activities for them. Admission tickets, which you can “buy now, play later”, are at half price for a limited period.
Find out more here.
Gardens by the Bay has put together free e-books and craft activities – with a plant theme, naturally – to keep your kids busy at home. From making 3D paper tulips and orchids to colouring fun, there’s plenty to choose from. You can also play them videos featuring its team of horticulturalists showcasing parts of the Gardens, and e-mail questions to the Plant Doctor.
Find out more here.
Join educators from Singapore Science Centre as they explore the night sky. The live vodcast will be on June 12, 4.30pm, and live stargazing on June 26, 8pm. Both sessions will be hosted on its Observatory Facebook.
When: 12 & 26 June
Find out more here.
Do your kids love to draw? Adobe and Time magazine have collaborated on an online art lesson series. Each weekly episode includes a new drawing assignment and participants get to vote on the following week’s assignment. Best for kids up to eight years old.
Check out the link here.
“Cooking is always appealing to young children, especially when they can enjoy the spoils of what they have created in the kitchen such as cakes or cookies”, says Matthew Scott, head of Pre-school Courses at British Council Singapore. “They can learn the practical skills from kneading pastry to measuring the right amount of ingredients.”
Bake a yummy chocolate cake or dessert with your kids. No oven? Try this no-bake peanut butter chocolate pie. Check out our easy and healthy kid-friendly recipes.
If your kids are crazy about cars, this website by automaker Porsche is perfect for them. You can also find a wide selection of child-friendly games and activities for free.
Check out the link here.
Google Arts & Culture is an educational website with fun facts, awesome activities and surprising stories for families to explore together. Visit museums, learn simple recipes and discover the great masters of the art world.
Check out the link here.
Netflix, which previously allowed teachers to screen its educational documentaries in schools, has put them on Youtube now that schools are closed and kids are at home.
The documentaries on the Netflix US Youtube channel include nature series Our Planet and films like Period. End Of Sentence, which looks at efforts to dispel the stigma surrounding menstruation in India.
Improve your child’s Chinese while you stay home together. Check out this curated list of Mandarin cartoons on Youtube channels. These animations include familiar favourites that are translated from English, such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, as well as cartoons from Japan, Korea, Russia and, of course, China.
Put the family’s iPad to good use with Apple’s 30 Creative Activities For Kids, which features apps that are free to download from the App Store.
Build and knock down a Leaning Tower Of Pillows in slow-motion using the Camera app, or draw emojis with crazy eyes and moody eyebrows using the Keynote app. Older kids may enjoy dissecting a life-like virtual frog using Froggipedia, a cost-efficient alternative to dissecting lab specimens.
Android users can try apps from the Google Play Store such as Epic! Kids’ Books, Audio Books, Videos and eBooks, which provide multiple modes of engagement for children, says Poh Yeang Cherng, principal consultant at Kingmaker Consultancy, which specialises in cyber wellness.
Even a commonly used app like Google Earth can keep the kids entertained as they revisit memorable holiday spots or explore new destinations, he says.
Too much screentime? Consider these alternative activities instead:
Make use of any old packaging that is destined for the recycling bin, Matthew from British Council Singapore suggests. “For example, I have fond memories of fashioning a castle out of old cereal boxes and toilet rolls! For older children, the complexity of the tasks can be escalated to tasks like origami crafts, or even a friendly competition to see who can make the best paper aeroplane.”
And if you found bits and pieces of art supplies, try out some of these craft activities from the Queen herself!
Empower your kids to take charge of their learning and play time. Teach them to establish clear routines through a template or chart. “Tasks can be separated into categories such as ‘Must do’ and ‘Want to do’, and then divided into the different times of the day: morning, afternoon and evening,” Matthew from British Council Singapore shares.
Encourage them to think of different topics such as art, play, or even simple housework. This way, kids will be able to balance a sense of responsibility with fun.
All sports facilities such as the pools are still shut, but ActiveSG has compiled workouts for the whole family that you can do at home, including circuit training and games.
Try Passaball, where the aim is to throw and pass along items, like balls or bottles of water, without dropping them.
Feeling cooped up? Take them out for a walk, jog or cycle – you’re allowed to do so in your neighbourhood. Sadly, the beaches at East Coast Park, Changi Beach Park, Pasir Ris Park, Punggol Point, Sembawang Park and West Coast Park remain closed.
Remember to wear a mask when the family sets out. Remove the mask when doing strenuous exercise but everyone should put it back on once that is done.
“Have the kids say Hi to one another on Zoom,” suggests Dawn Fung, founder of Homeschool Singapore, a community of homeschoolers. The kids can also play games like Pictionary or Taboo on Zoom.
Engage with other holed-up families. “Share tips on how each family is coping. Make a date to meet regularly for 15 minutes each time. At the end, get everyone to post a ‘I survived the siege’ presentation,” Dawn adds.
A reward chart typically involves awarding a child star-stickers when he meets certain objectives set by his parent, such as doing household chores or hitting academic or personal milestones. Dawn recommends flipping the script.
When your child designs a reward chart for you, the goals he wants you to work towards may be different, she says. He may want you to earn stars by spending more time playing with him, for instance.
Dawn says: “It can be a humbling experience. You may rethink how realistic your goals for your children are. Perhaps you will exert less pressure on them afterwards.”
Artist and illustrator Gracie Chai suggests involving the kids in decluttering the home and using the discards for craft projects. Shredding past years’ assessment books to make collages could spark joy – not only of the Marie Kondo kind – for kids out of school.
If the clean-up unearths old photographs, your children may get a kick from posing and recreating photos of you when you were their age.
Text: Young Parents, Additional Reporting: The Singapore Women’s Weekly
