How to run a home quiz show your kids will love
It’s getting tougher to keep kids engaged at home while the pandemic rages on outside. Playing musical chairs may be fun, but as parent, you might be wondering whether they need something more than just an hour of laughter as they tear around the house. We have an idea for you: Try a home quiz session.
The recently held HT School Republic Day Quiz, which has been declared as Asia’s largest online school quiz by the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records, witnessed record setting participation from all over the world in its Prelims round, including more than 19,000 students. The participants were all too excited to be a part of this online quiz show, to say the least.
This reflects the popularity of quiz among students even now, in the age of digital games and social media. So, arranging a home quiz session will definitely have its perks too. Here are our tips on how you can be the coolest quiz master mom or dad, and wow your kids into learning more.
Begin by assembling 30 questions
It may not sound like much, but it’s a good starting point. There would be 3 rounds of 10 questions each. Choose from a range of topics that interest your kid, or that he or she is exposed to. Try a mix of current affairs, geography, sports, trivia, movie / music, and literature.
Choose the time and venue
Decide whether you want a Sunday morning or a Tuesday evening. Choose the location: should it be the dining table, the living room sofa, a bedroom or a balcony? To spice it up more, you can migrate locations as you progress up the rounds.
Rehearse a bit
Try asking the questions to the mirror. Put on your ‘workplace voice’ instead of the ‘parent’ voice. Dress formally. And add some snacks. The kids don’t know this ‘other’ you, and they would really enjoy it.
Don’t lecture, try to be keep it pleasant
You may want to put in a lecture when they present a very wrong answer. But a quiz is not a class lecture, in fact, it works so well because it’s an incentive to study without an adult telling students to read up. You can teach them at study time, but during the Q&A session, just be a quiz master.
Keep the quiz tight and focused
Don’t attend to other work or calls, and don’t allow kids to tinker with anything during the quiz. One hour, with breaks between the rounds, is enough for the 3 rounds
Offer an award
It could be a large chocolate, a suitable book / movie / game, a toy or an accessory. The award is mandatory. But it should never be something expensive like a tablet. That will give our wrong signals
Involve others to heighten competition
Get your kid to invite classmates, or call some neighbourhood kids over. It can’t be a quiz between just the two of you. The charm of a quiz lies in the speed and competitive spirit of the event, so retain both factors.