Spending an extended amount of time at home can be a perk to begin with, but then start to feel slightly dreaded after a few weeks. Children have a lot of energy, but those over the age of 5 may be used to having their friends around them, so the isolation can start to take its toll after a while. That’s why we’ve come up with a few activities that you can do at home, either indoors or outside in the glorious sunshine that the UK seems to be getting at the moment!
1. Loo roll crafts
This is one of those essential items that every household has lying around at one stage or another, but did you know that there’s a whole world of opportunity waiting? From rockets, to ball runs and finger puppet shows, you can really let your little one’s imagination soar with such a simple item.
Top tip: invest in a craft tuff tray to contain any mess; we use them here at Shine for messy play, and they’re ideal for keeping your home interiors clean.
2. Create a blanket/pillow fort
This one is really easy to do for children to do themselves (with a little bit of help from mum and dad of course). Simply gather your pillows, blankets, duvets and any other soft furnishings, then assemble using furniture you have available. The backs of chairs are great ‘posts’ for holding the shape of your fort, and a blanket draped over the top forms the ‘roof’.
You can add fairy lights (check that they are indoor approved for safety purposes) for decoration if you wish, but the little one’s will have a blast just being able to move in and out of their new play area. You could even take this idea outdoors when the weather is nice – it doubles up as some extra shade, too.
3. Paint stones for the garden
This is a lovely little idea when the sun is shining and you want to enjoy some time outside in the garden. The best kind of paint to use on stones is acrylic paint, and you can create anything from animals, to simply writing names or handprints to save as a keepsake to remember when they were little. It adds some colour to the garden, and will keep the whole family entertained for a while.
Let us know if you try any of these ideas out by tagging us in your snaps over on Instagram @shinechildcare. We’re posting some more activities and ideas on our grid to help get you through, so we’d love to see how you get on with them!