More than a year into the pandemic, it continues to be a challenge for some to stay at home. This is especially true in the case of children. Kids have a limited understanding of the health problem that we are in. They may not be able to understand the stay-at-home orders of the government.
According to a study done by the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, one in four kids says they are struggling with depression. Meanwhile, one in five children says they are dealing with anxiety. This can be due to the changes in lifestyle brought about by the pandemic.
This is why it’s been a challenge for parents to be more creative in making it enjoyable for kids to stay at home. Parents now need to make the daily activities inside the house more fun.
No wonder many families are now upgrading their home entertainment.
Why improve your home entertainment?
Early this year, Deloitte Insights looked into people’s recreation at the time of the pandemic. Respondents say watching television and movies at home is still the number one form of entertainment for them as a family. This is especially true for millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. For the Gen Z population, however, playing video games is their top favorite home activity. Next is listening to music, searching the Internet, and using social media.
This shows how the use of multimedia is common across all ages in the family. Home entertainment, including television, video games, the Internet, and social media, is the ultimate form of recreation for families during this pandemic. And experts say this may continue even after the pandemic.
This is why most parents choose to convert their home entertainment into an all-around interactive hub. Some families have even built an entertainment area, where they installed a home automation system for a more modern entertainment experience.
In this entertainment hub, the whole family can gather anytime. They can stream movies on Netflix, listen to Spotify together, and play video games together. Some even invite friends and families over to engage in interactive multimedia activities together. These indoor activities compensate for the outdoor activities that they cannot do for now.
And not only do the kids enjoy such indoor activities. These moments also serve as bonding moments for the whole family. So, what can you do to upgrade your home entertainment? Here are some tips:
· Invest in a home theater system.
You should be able to find a good projector and theater screen for your entertainment room. Get a projector that is capable of HD and 4k resolution for color-rich and crisp videos. Your home theater screen should be at least 100-inch or more for the best viewing experience. It should be able to reproduce the high quality of images from the projector by reflecting the right amount of light from the projector.
· Soundproof your home entertainment area.
There’s no other way to enjoy your movie streaming or your gaming experience than to put the volume on full blast. If you do not want to rip the walls off, you may just put acoustic panels around your subwoofers and speakers. These acoustic panels come in different designs and colors, so you can hang them around like a typical wall decoration.
If you want something permanent, though, you can also have your walls, windows, and doors insulated. Hire a soundproofing expert to install these into your home.
· Subscribe to video-on-demand platforms.
Subscribing to Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and other platforms will provide your kids with options when they want to watch movies. They offer films of different genres and have a specific channel for kids. This will make you feel secure to allow them to watch even without your full supervision. There are also family plans that are available to as many devices. This means that the whole family can access the VOD on their own devices. You will also be able to check what your kids watch through your device.
It is understandable for parents to be a little less strict with how kids entertain themselves amid the pandemic. Watching movies, playing video games, and listening to music are part of kids’ everyday lives. It is now a matter of limiting screen time that parents should be responsible for. It is now up to you as parents how much screen time you will allow. But, as long as the pandemic is not over, these recreation activities at home will be part of the family’s lifestyle.
