Raise your hand if you've been spending a lot of time at home with your kids. OK, that's way too many hands for us to count, but let's just all agree that for the most part, those of us who have kids have been spending a lot of time at home with them. Even celebrities are doing the staying-at-home-with-their-kids thing. We know because we've been checking out their social media feeds to see what kind of family-friendly activities they've been up to so we could maybe steal some of those ideas for our own families.
More from MamásLatinas: Exercises we can all do at home with our kids
Why steal ideas for family fun at home from celebrities? Well, to begin with, even though it's great to have an opportunity to bond as a family, sometimes we run out of ideas of what to do. It's natural. It doesn't mean we're boring; it just means we're tapped out. As for why we're looking to celebrities for inspiration? Well, they are creative people, and creative people come up with creative ideas. Also, we can't lie: We wanted an excuse to look through celebrity parent Instagram feeds. That way, if our kids asked us why we were on our phones when they couldn't have any screen time at the moment, we could legit say, "It's for research."
Who says research can't be fun? Not us! Anyway, we are now sharing the fruits of our research with you. A big thank you to celebrity parents who have been sharing what they are doing with their kids at home via social media. We're grateful for the inspiration and the sense of solidarity. The best part is that it's not like they are doing anything with their kids that we can't do with our own, because you don't have to be famous or rich to have fun being a parent.
Zoe Saldana had her kids do an old-school volcano science project.
Science can be hands on and so much fun. Letting children create their own volcano and then seeing it erupt before their very eyes is something they won't soon forget. Not to mention that all three of Zoe’s sons are working together learning so much during the process.
Let them lead the way.
You don't always have to be the one who comes up with ideas of what to do. In this picture, Zoe Saldana is making roti with one of her sons. Why? Because he asked, and that's a great reason.
Teach them how to chip in and give them some chores.
When the whole family is at home together, it makes sense that the whole family should chip in and help clean up. Zoe Saldana has one of her sons doing dishes in this video, and he seems quite happy to help. Notice that he is washing a plate that can't be broken. Safety first and always.
Check out Zoe’s adorable barista.
This is Cy, one of Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego’s twins, and he is mastering the art of making the perfect cafécito. This is a skill that we have no doubt will serve him well in life. Have you taught your kids how to make you a cup of coffee yet? If not, get on it! And make a big fuss about how great it is when you drink it.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend make treats with their daughter.
Their couple's 4-year-old daughter helped them make a delicious batch of Rice Krispies treats. But they put their own twist on it. Chrissy wrote in the caption, "First rice krispies! We do less then the full amount of cereal and add peanut butter chips. Also make sure to fold in mini marshmallows that aren’t melted at the end. And don’t press into the pan! We want gooey, stretchy pieces. ."
Jessica Alba works out with her daughters.
"Staying fit and having fun with my girls is everything right now!" she wrote when she posted this video. She's right; it's important for the whole family to exercise and have fun, so why not do it together? If you want your kids to prioritize fitness, then you need to prioritize it as well.
Don’t worry, Jessica Alba’s son is getting some exercise, too.
Check out this cute video of Cash Warren, Jessica’s hubby, pitching a ball to their son Hayes in their yard. He’s only 2 and he hits it! That’s not a small accomplishment considering that the bat he’s using is pretty big for him.
Alessandra Villegas considers books to be her favorite toys.
The Venezuelan television host loves reading books to her son. Here's what she wrote in the caption:
"Our favorite toy: BOOKS Nuestro juguete favorito: LIBROS
Make books and reading part of playtime. Make sure books are associated with fun.
Kids who love to read are constantly:
exercising their brains
improving concentration skills
improving vocabulary
developing their imagination
among many others, reading is FUN!"
Roselyn Sánchez likes to groove with her brood.
There is no denying that life has been a bit crazy for all of us lately, so how perfect is it that Roselyn Sánchez and her daughter are dancing to "Livin' La Vida Loca" in this video? Trying to follow dance choreography is such a fun way to get your exercise in.
Pink is literally letting her kids climb the walls if they want to.
This is Pink's daughter, Willow, and as you can see, she is quite happy to climb the walls. Kids love climbing things, and if you have a safe space in your home where they can do something like this, let them. Sometimes a doorway is all they need.
Jacqie Rivera isn't afraid of a bit of arts and crafts mess.
Check out this series of pictures with a video at the end. Arts and crafts can get messy, but making things by hand is so satisfying. Go ahead and get crafty with your kids. Cleaning up afterward can be part of the fun.
Eva Mendes and her daughters are jammin’ out to Cuban music.
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling have two daughters who have been enjoying some Cuban music via actual records and a record player. Eva posted this video on Instagram and wrote: “Trying to keep things light at home with my two little ones. Nothing like some old Cuban music to do the trick. And yes that’s my 3 year old on the piano. I think she thinks the music is coming from her. And I’m not about to correct her."
Here’s some more record player fun from Eva Mendes.
She’s got a Mr. Rogers record that she is playing for her daughters. It’s so sweet. “Mr. Rogers getting us through right now. What’s getting you through?” she wrote in the caption. Listening to old records if you have a record player is a great idea. If you don’t, listening to music on any device as a family is also an option.
J.Lo and A-Rod are playing ball with their blended family.
Alex Rodriguez posted footage of him playing ball with Jennifer Lopez and their kids in the backyard. If you’ve got outdoor space and a ball, get out there and play ball. It passes the time, gets you moving, and is fun for the whole family.
And, of course, you know that Alex Rodriguez is going to get them to play baseball.
He used to be a professional baseball player, and now he’s enjoying playing the game with his family. You know he’s probably giving them all tips on how to get better. “Yesterday was our Saturday Game of the Week. ⚾️ We hit, we threw, we played catch, we caught ground balls and pop flies. We laughed. We exercised. It's a reminder of how much fun you can have with people you love … with just a bat, glove and few balls,” he wrote in the caption.
Jennifer’s son is practicing his serving skills.
We love this idea of making things fun at home by having your kids play different roles. We saw Zoe Saldana’s son play barista, and here we see Jennifer Lopez’s son Max play server while on a hoverboard. He’s clearly got skills! “We can’t go out to any restaurants or anything but the service and entertainment here is pretty good,” Jennifer wrote.
Gisele Bündchen and her kids started a singing group.
The Brazilian supermodel and her kids sound pretty darn good together. They probably won’t ever take their act on the road, but they sure do seem to enjoy singing together. Family sing-a-longs are always wonderful. Even if you don’t sing all that well, who cares?
Christina Aguilera and her daughter have been making tons of art together.
The singer posted a slideshow showcasing the art that she and her daughter Summer Rain have been making, and it's pretty awe-inspiring. These two have their own museum going on at home. “Staying home and making art with this little one. While we distance ourselves and keep our communities safe, I encourage you to get creative–find ways to do the all the little things that make you happy,” the talented mama wrote.
We’re also loving this family slumber party idea courtesy of Ciara.
Not every family has a huge sofa situation like Ciara and her hubby, football player Russell Wilson, have going on, but a family slumber party with sleeping bags, cushions, and blankets on the ground can work, too. Put on a movie and let everyone fall asleep whenever they feel like. Notice how only Russell is asleep in this photo.
Jacqueline Bracamontes and her five daughters like to jump around.
They have a trampoline that they are putting to very good use in their backyard. If you watch this video with the sound on, it’s so sweet because one of Jacky’s daughters can’t stop giggling the entire time. The Mexican actress captioned this video: “Felicidad completa… las amo mis princesas! Por fin juntas!!!”
