It's undeniable that the best thing we can all do right now is to stay at home as much as we can to prevent the spread of COVD-19. To those of us not used to spending 24/7 with the kids, it can be a daunting prospect! Liss and I have put together 22 things that we've been doing with our kids to get through the day. These activities have been tried and tested by our own kids. We've got activities for rainy days, lazy days, active days and more! Hopefully you can do most of these activities with things you already have in your house. If you've found them helpful, please leave a comment below or let us know if you've got anything to add. We love to hear from you!
Download our activity calendar here!
1. Decorate Arrowroot Biscuits
All you need is some sweet biscuits and some icing and sprinkles or lollies to decorate. Here is a picture and link from Kidspot if you need more inspo! This is a great Easter activity too as the decorated biscuits look a lot like Easter Eggs!
2. Create a huge hopscotch on the driveway!
This is a great activity as it gets the kids outside and active. All you need is chalk!
3. Get the kids to make an obstacle course.
Another great outdoor, active activity! Get your hula hoops, chairs and stools and create a course that involves jumping, crawling and throwing balls into a large container. This one is GREAT for gross motor skills.
4. Paint and create with empty toilet rolls
We all know how in-demand toilet paper is at the moment! I've never appreciated it more in my life! Start keeping all the empty rolls for your kids to play with and see how many animals or toilet roll people you can make. Try cutting out 'wings' with coloured paper and glueing it on the roll. Draw eyes on the toilet roll. Wrap it in wool or washi tape. Draw a face on it and give you child some scissor to give your toilet paper person a 'haircut'. Great for developing scissor skills!
5. Create a small world in the dirt, sandpit or garden bed
Take your recycled boxes outside to be the 'buildings and houses'. Or make a construction site with your trucks. Make it REALLY exciting by adding some water and make it muddy!
6. Make some playdough
Here's a great recipe. Click the picture. If you can't be bothered making your own, we have some in our shop.
7. Start a morning yoga routine.
Kids yoga will help build strength, balance and confidence! Click the picture.
8. LEGO Challenge
Ask the kids to build a fence with lego so that the animals can't get out. Great for developing higher thinking skills and problem solving.
9. Coloured Water Play
Put some water in some clear containers and put a drop of food colouring. If you use different colours, the kids can experiment with mixing colours.
10. Build a sheet fort
Kids LOVE cubbies! Pop a large sheet over the dining room table or over the ironing board and pop some cushions underneath. This will provide hours of play!!
11. Online Storytime
Head over to Storyline Online to stream videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
12. Have an online Dance Party!
Just Dance is SO much fun! Your kids will love learning some new dance moves to show their friends when social isolation ends! Click the picture.
13. Daytime Bath Fun
Fill up the bath and pop in some lego and other 'waterproof' toys. Give the kids some old toothbrushes and give everything a good scrub!
14. Egg Carton Craft
Don't throw out ANY of your food boxes during isolation! They can be used for all sorts of crafty activities! Egg Cartons are great for making ladybugs, caterpillars and boats! To make a boat, use a skewer as a mast and a bit of paper as a sail and pierce the egg carton with the skewer.
15. Teddy Bear Picnic
Give the kids a rug and some plastic dinnerwear and tell them to take their teddies outside for a picnic. Here's the song.
16. Shaving Cream and Blocks
This is a messy one. But your kids will love it! It's a great sensory activity too. Use the shaving cream as 'mortar' and some blocks or lego as 'bricks'. A spatular or toy hammer might be useful too.
17. Nature Collage
Get the kids to collect some leaves, twigs and flowers from the garden. Pop some contact on the wall with the sticky side facing out and 'stick' the bits onto the contact. If you don't have contact, just use paper and glue.
18. LEGO Challenge!
Build a rocket ship!
19. Treasure Hunt
Get a sibling (or yourself) to hide an object and then draw a map to instruct the 'Pirate' where to find the 'treasure'.
20. Learn to draw
Sit the kids in front of an iPad with Art for Kids Hub on and let them develop their drawing skills. My kids have been loving this!
21. LEGO Challenge!
Build a new hospital
22. Craft Box Construction
What can you build with all your empty boxes? A robot, house, monster or boat?
We hope these activities help you get through these days at home. I do hope life will return to normal soon but in the meantime I hope we can embrace these slower days at home. If you need some more inspo on activities to do at home with the kids, check out our Learning Resources or Art Supplies section. We also have LOTS of Digital Downloads which are great if you need something quickly.
If you love the idea of doing craft with your kids but don't have the time or craft supplies at home. Then check out our Craft Boxes, they complete with 6-8 activities pre-packed with everything you need to complete each activity. Ideal for Work at home parents and mums and dads who need activities to keep the younger kids occupied while they help the older kids.
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