During the summer, it is fair to say that there are more options than usual for keeping kids entertained. If you’ve got a garden, then a few games and toys will keep them going for most of the day. If you have a pool, even better. The fun and games will keep their minds occupied, and they’ll also run a lot of the excess energy off. It’s a good way to keep them fit and healthy, too.

But even in the summer, you will get some days where the rain starts to fall and looks to have settled in for the day. And as we get out of the summer months into fall and then winter, playing outside becomes less of an option. So when you have kids around the house, the challenge becomes keeping them occupied without them becoming stir crazy. Or worse, that energy goes nowhere and – this is always a risk – they get cranky and start arguing.

Keeping kids entertained when they have to stay indoors is tougher. But there are options which allow them to use their enthusiasm productively.

Treasure Hunts: Incentivize Them To Use Their Mind

Not so much an option for the very young, this one. However for kids of five and up, a treasure hunt with clues scattered throughout the house can be entertaining and educational. You know how this goes. Give them the first clue – it should give them an idea for where the next one is, and so on. Be ready to give them handy hints if they’re stuck. At the end, have a prize they’ll really enjoy.

Get In The Kitchen: Let Them See Where The Magic Happens

When your kids eat, they likely know that you’ve cooked the food, but do they know how? To give your children an idea for what goes into cooking, allow them to be your sous chefs for a day. Nothing too complex or boring, but a few entertaining, possibly messy meals give them the chance to get interested in cooking. It gains them a useful skill and keeps them occupied.

The TV Is Not An Enemy: Just Keep It Rationed

There is no shortage of people who feel that every problem in existence with children is down to technology. This is unfair, though, and a little hypocritical. We watched TV as kids, so did our parents and probably grandparents. As long as they’re watching the right stuff and there’s a limit, it’s fine.

It’s a good idea to have a TV On Demand service for this, so you can pick something entertaining and stimulating. If you have fiber-optic web such as Frontier internet service, you can download a lot of shows to keep on deck for such an occasion.

It’s not always easy to keep kids entertained, but if you hit on something they like, they’ll remember it and want to do it again. Particularly with active games like a treasure hunt, they’ll even come up with new ideas themselves to make it more fun.