For many of us, we’ve been in quarantine for a few weeks now and some of us possibly thriving or some actually losing count of the day of the week. Likely, you’ve been tapped out of all your creative and clever activities for the “bored” members of your family. But take heart, if you haven’t yet employed the help of your “four-legged” friend, here’s some fresh ideas to keep the quarantine activities new and entertaining with mama’s best friend.
The American Kennel Club has some fun FREE resources and clever craft ideas to keep your littles and bigs engaged with at-home activities that include your dog(s). If you don’t have a four-legged friend, this could be a good time to let your kiddos dream about what kind of dog they’d want. Have them create their “dream dog” along with drawing a picture or finding one online, choosing a name, and creating a dog tag. Or if you’re more partial to cats, adjust activities as needed to accommodate our feline friends.
Here’s some ideas from AKC to help get you started:
Dog Art
Create a portrait of your dog. Try focusing on just your dog’s face or play with different media. You can do one in pencil and then the next one in marker or crayon.
Geometric Dogs
Create a dog picture using geometric shapes: different sized circles, ovals, triangles, squares and rectangles. You can cut out these shapes from paper, or use your computer. Here’s a fun instructional video on YouTube, using cut out paper.
Song and Dance
Change a pop song you like so the lyrics are about your dog. Perform for your family.
Make up a dance routine with your dog! Check out this fun freestyle video Musical Dog Freestyle and then practice teaching your dog to jump, spin and wiggle to your favorite song!
Favorite Places Map
Create a map of your neighborhood and include your dog’s favorite places to sniff and play.
Do-It-Yourself Agility
Create your own agility jump for your dog. Using household items such as a broom pole and chairs as anchors. Place the pole between the two anchors. Practice introducing your dog to the jump first, then guide them over the jump with their favorite toy or treat!
Paw Print Masterpiece
Make a paw print finger paint masterpiece! Using non-toxic paint, gently place your dog’s clean, dry paw. Move their paw over to the paper and lightly press their paw down. Use different colors to make a true doggie creation! After you are done, wash your pup’s paw off using warm water and their favorite dog shampoo.
Caring for Your Dog
Practice good hygiene with your pups too! Take the time to wash their bowls and toys using warm soap and water, ask an adult for help before using a specific cleaner. Make sure to brush them every day to keep their fur soft and clean!
Bake Dog Treats
With help from an adult, you can bake your dog some delicious dog treats. Find the recipe here.
For more fun activity ideas and resources, visit the MOPS International Facebook page.
Here at MOPS, we gather and support moms. We believe in the simple but revolutionary idea that remarkable things happen when moms come together, face to face. Join us on Facebook every Tuesday at 10 a.m. (MDT) for our Biggest MOPS Meeting Ever!