With school holidays in full swing and some cities in lockdown, many parents among us will be looking for ways to keep the children entertained at home.
Thanks to ever-evolving technology, we are blessed to have numerous online and educational games at our digital fingertips.
To save you time searching for the best online activities, we’ve pulled together the top six online game ideas that will keep the kids entertained for hours – plus you can join in!
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Move your body!
If your little ones move whenever they hear a beat, the school holidays are the perfect time for them to learn the dance routine to their favourite song. YouTube is the best place to start; type in your kids’ favourite song followed by “dance routine” for them to enjoy a free dance lesson from the comfort of your home.
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Dive into your gut
New research from Kellogg’s has revealed 65% of Australians believed if they could see inside their gut, they would be likely to take care of it. To make the invisible world of gut health visible, they have created a FREE VR experience. Available via YouTube and Steam, the online activity allows users to dive in and explore the inner workings of the gut ecosystem. The Steam version includes a series of fun mini-challenges on ways to teach your kids how to keep their gut healthy!
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Learn more about animals
If you can’t visit an actual zoo or head off on safari, don’t fret. There are plenty of animal-themed games online that will provide an educational element to engage children’s brains and support them in developing new skills. We recommend Switch Zoo, where users must match the animal parts together.
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Doodle, mess-free
Do your kids love painting and drawing but always make a mess? Take their creative brains to an online drawing class or download a drawing app where they’ll have access to drawing tools such as pencils, crayons, and pens in a variety of colours.
TOP TIP: Once their creation is complete, you can print it out and frame it.
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Maths made fun!
We use numeracy in our everyday lives, so the school holidays don’t mean the maths lessons need to pause. No matter a child’s age, the internet is home to thousands of fun logic puzzles and multiplication games that will make them forget they are actually learning. Online games like those on SPREE Interactive are super fun and categorised by age or learning level.
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Video games
Love them or loathe them, gaming consoles and devices are great to keep the kids entertained for hours. If you’re feeling guilty about allowing your children to play for hours on a computer game – there’s no need to be with the number of educational games available. For example, Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training for Nintendo Switch encourages your child to beat their personal bests to achieve a better “brain age”.
With kiddos getting bored really fast during the school holidays, these six ideas will keep them entertained for hours!