Here are 5 ideas to keep you and the kids aged 12 and below, entertained at home.

1.SENSORY GAMES

Sensory skills involve using these senses of smell, touch, vision, hearing, balance, proprioception (awareness to know where your body is in space), vestibular (inner ear), and taste. All these senses work together for overall sensory functioning.

Sensory games include any activity that stimulates your young child's senses such as touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.

For example, a child may find it difficult to play appropriately with a peer when there are other things going on in the environment with conflicting noise.

Encouraging your child to play with educational toys can help them develop their intellectual and motor skills.

You can make your own sensory toys or better yet, let's support some local business by purchasing their handmade items? Example like Malaysia Toys

You can purchase uniquely handmade and assembled or curated sensory toys by local artisans. Malaysia Toys empowers local mom and pop businesses by assisting in the marketing and delivery of their products. 

Your purchase helps provide a sustainable livelihood to these families

Let's explore more ways to play with this awesome toy!

Since my kids love to play with playdough. We chose this Superheroes Playdough Kits instead !!

Look at this educational yet fun to play with sensory toys for my kids !! Love all these specialized items for each box.

Don't know what to get? Fret Not, you can ask them to personalise your box toys according to what your kids like. Isn't that great?!

Head on their official website at https://malaysiatoys.com/ for more exciting and fun toys !!

2. BOARD GAMES

Board games are never too old for anyone to play. There are many to choose from, and some like Cluedo, which will help sharpen the detective minds of children or Scrabbles, which helps to improve their spelling and vocabulary, have many good attributes or Monopoly, which helps them with mathematical and strategic thinking.

Pick one that the whole family will enjoy and share the memorable moment together.

You can get various board games and other indoor games here: https://shp.ee/gieivcj

READ ALSO : HOW TO JUGGLE CHILDCARE

3. VIDEO GAMES

Good-quality video games offer lots of benefits to children and teens. Be it playing online or offline, mobile, console or PC games. There are good and bad ways to play games.

What's good about video games is that it increases children's self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games. provide points of common interest and opportunities for socialization. develop skills in reading, math, technology and problem-solving. It also improves kids' hand-eye coordination.

Other games don't have such benefits, and violent video games have been shown to increase kids' aggressive behaviour. 

There’s a lot of aspects to raising kids. When it comes to video games, the healthiest approach is moderation. And you should keep them under supervision so that you can monitor what type of games your kids are playing and involved with. 

Hence, why not try this online gaming site www.plays.org . It’s FREE and children-friendly games!

No Crappy Apps, No Software Downloads!

All games are browser-based. Their catalogue is rendered in mobile-friendly HTML5, offering cross-device gameplay. You can play on mobile devices like Apple iPhones, Google Android-powered cell phones from manufacturers like Samsung, tablets like the iPad or Kindle Fire, laptops, and Windows-powered desktop computers. 

All game files are stored locally in your web browser cache. These games work in Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and other modern web browsers.

They have so many games catalogue for you to choose from. I love the 2 players as I can play it with my son and we’ll have a ball of a time.

And for myself, I like TYPING. Yes, a bit cliche but it somehow soothes and relaxes me out. Not to mention that it also helps with my typing skill and speed at the same time too! 

My son loves the preschool, zombie and kids game catalogue. It’s so much fun and addictive, you just want to try it all! 

4. KARAOKE 

Have you ever tried to sing with your family? This activity is not only possible at the karaoke centres but also at home, so you can karaoke without leaving your abode. Singing a favourite song together while dancing can make you feel happy. This activity is fun and stress-relieving.

Simply enjoy music in the comfort of your own living room!!  Let the inner 'Mariah Carey' or 'Bon Jovi' out and have fun rocking it out with your family at home!!

But be mindful of your neighbours by not blasting the level too high or singing too late that it becomes a public nuisance.

You can get this amazing Dual Wireless Microphone Bluetooth Speaker at 

Shopee : https://shp.ee/b8f3eu3 so that you can have a duet song sing together !

Exercise is good for our physical and mental health. Health experts recommend working out regularly to keep your body fit. 

Working out improves your mood by releasing endorphins that make you feel happy. It also lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Working out also helps you to lose excess weight and maintain an ideal weight.

Common exercises include walking, running, swimming, dancing, hiking, just to name a few. As long as your body is moving, you’re exercising.

While it is good to work out often, there is a limit to exercising. However, working out too much can harm your body. But, how do you know you’re working out too much? Watch out for these signs.

How do you know you’re working out too much?

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How do you know you’re pushing yourself too hard in the name of working out? It is hard to tell if you’re over-exercising. If you experience the signs below, you’re there.

1. Extreme muscle soreness

It’s very normal to experience muscle soreness after an intense workout. However, the soreness should disappear in no more than two days. However, when the soreness is extreme to the point that you can’t even stretch your legs or arms, you’re overtraining. 

Your body needs some time to recover after an intense workout. When you start experiencing muscular pains and soreness, reduce your workout activities or take a day off until your body recovers.

2. Low energy

Exercise should give you more energy. If your energy lowers after a workout, and you feel fatigued, you’re probably working out too much. Intense activities such as weight lifting and running can take up a lot of your energy leaving your body fatigued. 

If this happens, take some time off to regain the energy. Or change your workout plan to lower the intensity of your exercises. For instance, if you run 10km per day, cut it to 5km. If you spend 2 hours in a gym working out, cut the hours down to an hour and see how your body reacts to the changes.

3. You don’t sleep well

If you can’t sleep well after a workout, you’re doing it too much. Regular exercises should help you have quality sleep. 

When you work out more than your body can take, a stress response is activated in your body. As a result, the level of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol goes up. This lowers the quality of your sleep. 

Working out too much can also affect your appetite. 

4. Poor social relationships

If you reach a point where you can’t maintain a good relationship with people because of your physical activities, you’re probably over-exercising. When you make your workouts compulsive, it could damage your relationship with those around you.

If you find yourself cancelling or turning down plans with those you love just to exercise, you’re overdoing it. 

You need to balance between working out and maintaining good relationships with people. It’s not a must you exercise every day. Imagine turning down a wedding invitation from your best friend so you can go hiking or because you can't hit the gym. The relationship between you and your friend will not be the same after the wedding. 

Also, if your friends or family are worried about your workouts, you’re probably overdoing it. Listen to your friends and family and reduce your exercises.

5. Increased frequency of injuries

Exercises should strengthen your bones and muscles. If you do it right, and in reasonable quantities, you’ll achieve this goal. If you work out too much, you’re likely to get injuries more frequently.

When you work out for an extended period, or when you do it faster, you’ll be straining your muscles, increasing the risk of getting injured.

Some of the common injuries resulting from too much workout include sprained ankles, muscle pulls and strains, wrist sprain or dislocation, and knee and shoulder injury.

Read also : IMPROVE HEALTH

Working out: How to do it right?

Workouts are good, only if you do it right. Here are some tips to help you exercise correctly.

Do not overexert

Too much workout can affect the quality of your sleep while exposing you to injuries. Limit your exercise to what your body can handle.

If you’re a beginner, start small and increase the intensity with time. Start with 30 to 60 minutes of workouts. If you start experiencing muscle soreness, take a rest to let your body recover.

If you are building your muscles, start by lifting lighter weights.

Get an instructor

If you can’t control yourself when working out, it’s best to hire a professional instructor to help you out. A personal trainer will show you how to safely work out, without exposing yourself to training accidents. 

An instructor will give you the motivation to achieve your goals without hurting your body. Also, they’ll help you create a personalised workout plan that is ideal for you.

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Bottom line

Workouts are good for our body and brain. They boost our mood, help us manage our weight, and reduce our risk for chronic and lifestyle diseases.

However, if you experience muscle soreness lasting for more than a couple of days, your energy is low, and you are having trouble sleeping and eating, it’s time to take it slow.

You’re working out too much. Consider engaging a personal instructor to guide you on how you can make your working out routines more effective, efficient and safe. 

Take care and stay safe!