Tips to keep your kids entertained this festive season, and boost their concentration levels

The festive season is upon us, along with those loooong December into January school holidays.

For parents who also have time off, it's an opportunity to spend quality time with their kids, but the thought of keeping the little ones busy can be daunting as well.

Human potential and parenting expert Nikki Bush shares some key advice and tips with Gugs Mhlungu on Weekend Breakfast.

While there are plenty of things to do with the kids to get them out and about, she says, it's a good idea to make some dates to do "special" things with them.

But, remember that you don't have to do a special thing every single day.

"It is nice for kids to know that, in three days' time or on Sunday, we're going to the Museum of Illusions, for instance. It's good for them to have something to wait for... Frustration tolerance is so important."

In between taking them to ready entertainment like the movies or the zoo, children need to learn to play by themselves or interactively play with you, Bush emphasizes.

Shepoints out the reality that kids only have about a minute's concentration for every year of their life! That means a three-year-old, say, will only concentrate by themselves, for about three minutes.

However, you also teach them how to concentrate by actively engaging in playing WITH your child, "because as long as you are in the play equation, they generally keep going". You could get that three-year-old to play a game with you for 10-20 minutes, which is why children are able to concentrate in class where they have a teacher leading them, she says.

"If you invest well in 10-15 minutes of engaged play time with your children, you can then step away and give them something else to play with, without you, for another period of time before you get engaged with them again."

Bush talks about two different types of toys and games, especially in the younger age group.

The first is the type your children can play with by themselves, being toys and games they've mastered because you have played with them often before.

Bush recommends having box or crate of these kinds of toys and games readily accessible. If this is in your bedroom for instance, your child could amuse themselves while you are getting dressed, playing alongside you.

Then you should have another stash of what she calls "mummy/daddy-type toys" that your child does not have ready access to, kept for example in the top of the cupboard.

When that box comes out, it signals to your child that "mummy or daddy are going to sit on the floor or at the table with me", and that they are going to get quality playtime with their parent.

"This is a nice, practical tip for parents today, so that their children know when it's time to play alone and when it's going to be a family activity."

Click on the audio link below to hear more advice from Nikki Bush in conversation with Gugs Mhlungu on 702's Weekend Breakfast, and click here to find her toy and game recommendations for various age groups