Tag Archives: indoor activities

Mom

Selfless Acts Mama’s Did to Make Their Child’s Lives (and Their Own) as Normal as Possible in 2020

Who isn’t going to remember 2020 as the year of firsts? Mama’s everywhere were forced to put their creativity caps on and think of ways to entertain their child(ren) at home – myself included! Take a look at some of the awesome ways mama’s made staying home the cool thing to do.

My neighbor has kept all of her kids home since March due to COVID, and as a result, she completely transformed her home office into a classroom. She built cubbies to make the kid’s lockers (like they would have had at school), ABC’s are hanging on the wall, there is an art center and library with hundreds of books. It’s truly amazing!

Another mama who is keeping her 7-year-old twin’s home from school for the first semester, put together a deal with Grandma to offer a two-day-a-week ‘boarding school.’ The twins packed their bags and spent the night at Grandma’s house for two days, and completed all virtual learning at her house. New face, environment, relief for mama and a fun trip!

Two other moms put together a regular playdate where their toddler boys switch off homes and hang out for two hours twice per week. This helped to get some socialization for the boys and some time away for mama. The kids hang out upstairs with a regular babysitter in a fully stocked playroom filled with games, books and activities.

Mama’s are struggling as we hit the end of the year, but killing it at the same time. Their hard work to make their child’s lives as ‘normal’ as possible during the pandemic is the reason why 2021 needs to be the year of the mama. We have a light at the end of the tunnel, but if you need support, motivation or guidance, please reach out to us for childcare help.

Looking to hire a babysitter or nanny? Bell Family Company provides fully vetted on-demand babysitting, including full and part time nannies, baby nurses, temporary care, help with virtual learning, and more! Learn why BFC is the best childcare agency, with childcare providers available across the U.S. (on-demand service available in the tri-state area). Contact us today to hire!

Activities

Ways to Keep Kids Engaged & Entertained at Home

With life at home being the new normal, parents are struggling to find new ways to keep their kids engaged and entertained without leaving the house. There are several resources surrounding this topic now, so we took some time to collect a short list of our favorite findings to help save from endless scrolling.

From virtual field trips, craft projects and yoga, your family is bound to find activities that will help keep the kids entertained. You can even learn about space from an actual Astronaut with thanks to the Kennedy Space Center!

• Keeping Kids Active: What Parents Can Do
• Physical Activity & Nutrition
• Creative Activities for Kids
• Science Experiments
• Online Music, Language, Cooking & More
• Scholastic Learn & Read
• Art Making Activities
• Stay-at-Home Resources From MommyPoppins: Homeschooling Support, STEM, Games & More

Looking to hire a babysitter or nanny in NYC? Bell Family Company provides fully vetted on-demand babysitting, including childcare for when a child is sick, full and part time nannies, baby nurses, temporary care and more! Learn why BFC is the best NY Childcare Agency servicing the tri-state area. Contact us today to hire a nanny in NYC or to book the best babysitters in NYC!

Play/Games

The Winter Olympic Games for Kids

Sitting and watching the Olympic games is great, but wouldn’t it be even greater to be involved in the winter game action yourself?

After tuning into the various games on television, and teaching your children about the sport(s), turn your living room into a mini PyeongChang, and create some winter Olympic games of your own!

Of course, these games aren’t nearly as rigorous as freestyle skiing or speed skating, but they are guaranteed to be just as fun! Maybe more along the lines of curling, if you will.

1. Snowball toss: For this game, grab some plastic cups, markers, and cotton balls, and then try your luck at getting the cotton balls into the cups.

2. Snowman slam: You’ll need white foam cups, construction paper or markers, and some white socks for this one.  Then see if you can toss the balled up socks and knock down all the snowmen. This could be fun for bowling, too!

3. Pin the carrot: Think of this as the winterized version of pin the tail on the donkey. A large roll of white paper will work best, along with some colored construction paper, and a blind fold.

4. FREEZE: Number four on the linked list brings a musical game where all you’ll need is something to play music and an open space for the kiddies to dance. When the the music stops, the kids have to freeze!

5. Snowman draw game: Grab some paper plates and markers, and you’ll be all set. The child will hold the paper plate on their head with one hand and try to draw a snowman holding a marker with the other.

If you try out the games, we want to see it! Post your photos to Facebook and tag @BellFamilyCompany in your post!

Written by our Marketing & Social Media Consultant, Taylor Bell

Activities

Upper East Side Activities for Kids

Snow, rain, and cold, are all weather elements New Yorkers have to face. Rather than cocooning yourself at home and turning to the same ol’ activities, try out something new!
There are great indoor activities offered all around NYC, and we want to share some of our favorites to do in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Try out one of these fun places, and fear those dreary NYC days no more!
1. The Craft Studio (1657 3rd Ave.)
Try out their events including crafts, camps and classes, seasonal workshops, unique toy, gift, and party supply shop, and after school programs.
2. My Gym: Lincoln Center (22 W 66th St.)
They offer structured, age-appropriate, weekly classes that incorporate music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and more! Fun bonus, you can try a class for free!
3. The MET (1000 5th Ave.)
#MetKids is a digital feature made for, with, and by kids! Discover fun facts about works of art, hop in their time machine, watch behind-the-scenes videos, and get ideas for your own creative projects. Look, learn, and create together during fun, interactive programs for kids of all ages.
Another great tip is to check out KidPass – a monthly membership that gets your child into thousands of the best kids activities in the city near you. Some of the activities include arts and crafts classes, indoor playspaces, sports, music lessons, museums, and more!
Ladybug
Written by our Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, Taylor Bell