5 Creative ways to engage your 4 year-old during holidays!

Holidays are a time to unwind and get creative. They are an opportunity to break free from the everyday monotony and explore new dimensions. What fun would it be if you skilfully engage your child in the same? You experience a sense of mutual growth and contentment as you spend quality time with your little one. With the Diwali holidays just around the corner here is a list of 5 creative ways to engage your 4year-old:

1. Reading and Recitation

Your child loves it when you read to her or help her read on her own. Reading helps her communicate and concentrate better and also helps her think logically. Rhymes, on the other hand, expand their imagination and also encourage predictive reading as the child anticipates the rhyming word. Both reading and recitation support language building in the child. You can buy or rent books or even download and print interesting reading materials. However, ensure that all the material is ready with you so that on the day of the holiday you just sit and start.

2. Outdoor play

With sprawling a/c malls and gaming zones, a child feels lost in a garden or park or ground. You can spend the holiday time encouraging them to play outdoors. It is the most appropriate area for developing gross motor skills in a child. The practice of ball-handling skills, like throwing, catching, and striking, manipulative skills as pushing a swing, pulling a wagon, and lifting and carrying movable objects all develop better in open spaces. In fact, while you play with your child you relive your own childhood.

3. Art and Craft

Art is one of the most effective means to bring out the feelings and expression of your preschooler or a primary school going child. Vegetable painting, finger painting, pattern writing, cutting and pasting, greeting card making, cotton sticking, colouring with crayons, sketch pen shading, so many options. Origami and clay moulding are also very creative means to engage a child. The final product is a thing to display to the other family members and your child feels like a proud creator.

Also read: 7 Skill building activities

4. Movies and plays

Since yesteryears, movies have played a crucial role in influencing and inspiring children. Carefully selected movies and plays are a form of entertainment and at the same time a fun filled method to impact the psychological development of a child. Key life lessons are the concluding morals of typical children movies. Also for you, it is a lighter casual option where you just need to sit beside, best with some popcorn and chips.

Also read: 5 Must watch movies for an 8-year-old

5. Cooking

You want your child to feel big and responsible? Try involving them in the kitchen and their response and interest will surprise you. The entire idea of preparing their meal excites them and they start taking and following instructions. The sheer joy of serving and appreciating the food you have created together turns into a memory to cherish. You may refer to the Internet for children’s recipes and trust me you will find a whole lot of them.

Let these upcoming holidays turn into a holistic and well-planned development initiative for your child through these fun methods. You can involve your spouse and other family members as well. Not only the child but even you will look up to and wait for what is next if done with enthusiasm and interest.