Emma Miller
The entertainment and lifestyle of today’s children include computers, television, and smartphones. It is difficult for today’s parents to imagine how our ancestors entertained their children without electricity.
Cooking together
Many children would love to join in on the cooking. If you have a gas stove, you can cook something delicious together with the kids. For example, make lots of dumplings with different toppings or make a large pizza.
Word games
There are many word games for children, their complexity depends on the age of the child. Here are a few options:
- “gibberish” – an adult says a sentence in an invented language, and the child tries to guess what it’s about by intonation;
- make up a story – each participant comes up with one sentence;
- to guess the puzzled object with the help of questions, which can only be answered by “yes” and “no”;
- guess a word by description without naming it;
- “fortunately, unfortunately” – someone makes up a situation, and the players take turns making up a continuation that begins with the words “fortunately” or “unfortunately”;
- name names, dishes, items of clothing, and animals with a certain letter.
Table and card games
To prepare for a blackout, parents can buy board and card games in advance to play with their children. So that the child is not only entertained but also educated – you can buy an educational game.
Other activities without light
In the light of a candle or flashlight, you can do many interesting things – build a castle or cave construction, put together a regular or 3D puzzle, make soap, candle or plaster figurines, and coloring books.
Shadow Theater
At night, if you have a flashlight, you can play shadow theater with your child. Download in advance the pictures on your phone with the position of your hands for different shadow patterns. Practice with your child to show different figures, and then play a skit. Such a game will not only cheer your child up but also help him to be less afraid of the dark.
Heart-to-heart talks
A power outage is a good opportunity for parents to have a heart-to-heart talk with their children and spend time together instead of on their phones. Tell your child stories about funny incidents from their childhood or unexplained incidents. Children are sure to be very interested in learning more about you. Ask your child what he or she is excited about and what he or she dreams about.
