10 Great Activities for Helper and Kids in Hong Kong

Domestic helpers are such an integral part of a family’s day-to-day life and routines. And in a bustling city like Hong Kong where life is so hectic and time is at a premium, their role becomes all the more important. They act as a lifeline and form a connecting bridge between you and your kids. Your kids spend much more time with them than they do with you because, let’s face it, you are too caught up with work related issues and coping with the challenges of living in an extremely demanding city with cut throat competition. It would be fair to say that your helpers are your kids’ third parent. And considering the amount of time they spend with them and the potential role they’d perform in your child’s growth and development, you’d be well advised to try and establish a sense of mutual trust, comfort and personal connection between them. Think of all the great activities that they could do in each other’s company that would help build and foster a strong, healthy and fun relationship between them. But we know you’d be too caught up with other things to find out such methods and activities. So we decided to step in to help you out (as always!) and have devised a list of 10 great activities that your helpers could do with your little ones in Hong Kong.

1) Take them out to a kids’ movie

Movies never fail to fascinate kids. At an age so young, it is hard to figure out what’s real and what’s not. So kids often drown themselves in a fantasy world while they watch a movie. The smile on their face and the glint in their eyes is unmissable. And yes, they have a lot of stories to tell after their cinematic experience! Having a person who is willing to listen to their fables makes kids develop a sense of affinity towards them. Encourage your helpers to take your kids out for a trip to the nearby cinema. And lest we forget mentioning, the helpers would relish this experience as well after a tiring day at work. (As much as you would hate to admit it, we adults enjoy kids’ movies as much as the little ones do. A little dose of childish innocence is always welcome!)

2) One of the Top of our Great Activities - Step out in the open!

Get your helper to take your kids outdoors to places like parks and gardens. Take in some fresh air and walk barefoot on the lush green grass! It’s important for kids to spend some time every day outside the confines of your cozy home. Let them enjoy natural elements and soak in the scent of the garden flowers.

3) Accompany them for their activity based classes (swimming, singing etc)

If you have enrolled your kids for swimming, dancing or aerobic classes then it is best to ask your helper to accompany them. You’ll not only get to keep a watchful eye on them while they are out but will also be saved of the hassle of keeping them company.

4) Visit a Museum

There are dozens and dozens of museums in Hong Kong. The city is stacked with world renowned and popular museums such as Hong Kong Science Museum, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Railway Museum, Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Aviation Discovery Center and Hong Kong 3D Museum to name a few. A visit to a museum is both recreational and informative. Your children would learn a lot about various subjects such as science, art, history etc while having a jolly good time to go with it which is just the perfect scenario for them to bond with your helpers who accompany them.

5) Play games at home

Kids spend more time indoors than outdoors. So it is essential that you throw in some quality time in the hours that they spend inside the house. One way of doing is making them play indoor games. Board games like carom, chess, ludo etc help fine tune their grasping and learning powers and sharpen their finer skills. This is a fun way for them to learn and play at the same time.

6) Participate in their hobbies

Encourage your kids to spend more time practicing their hobbies. Ask them to paint, dance, draw, craft objects, or do pretty much anything they love doing. If your helper participates in these activities, it is certain to be a game clincher for you.

7) Visit Indoor Playrooms

Our city has so many venues and centers that offer fun and creative indoor recreational options. There is a host of indoor playrooms and activity centers that have unique ideas and methods for kids’ entertainment which take indoor games and activities to the next level. The Ryze Trampoline Park, the Verm City, FunZone, EpicLand are a few indoor amusement centers that your kids would love visiting in practically anyone’s company. Great activities for your kids!

8) Teach them about moral values

Moving away from the fun stuff, this is a far more serious responsibility. As mentioned before, your helpers are almost like your kids’ third parent by virtue of the volume of time they spend with each other. While it’s obviously your duty and responsibility to educate your kids about the little things in life, what’s right and what’s wrong, what they should do and what they shouldn’t, what moral values should they develop, possess, respect and follow; but a little help from someone they are comfortable with won’t do any harm at all! What’s more is that hearing the same thing from two different people, i.e. you and your helper (both of whom they trust), will only drive home the point harder. But make sure that they do this in a very informal and matter-of-fact manner. Avoid going out of the way and incorporate these life lessons through routine tasks and activities. Kids don’t like Preachers you know!

9) Read stories to and with them

Children love stories! And they also love those who tell them those stories! Ask your helpers if they could read out stories to your kids in their spare time. Better still, make your child read the story out loud along with the helper. You can trust your helper to help them understand the meaning and the hidden (moral) message of the story. This would ensure that your kids have a gala time and also understand the meaning and importance of human values that stories convey with minimal effort. And to add to that, don’t be surprised if your child picks up reading as a habit in his later years of puberty and adolescence! (drooling already?)

10) Take them to mini trips of and around the city

Hong Kong has a host of tourist attractions and sights that have people flocking towards them. Ideally, you should take out your kids to experience and enjoy the cultural heritage, artistic brilliance, technological wonders and creative genius that the city boasts of. But if you can’t, then having your helper do it isn’t such a bad idea. We hope that our list of great activities will contribute to improve the relationship between your helper and your kids. The skills required to take care of kids are very important. Your nanny can play a defining role in your children’s mental, physical and emotional growth and development.  Discuss how you want them to contribute in this aspect and take their suggestions too. Work together and see the results yourself! (Thank us later!)