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10 Things To Do With Kids At Home In Lock-Down

We’ve put together a list of 10 different things you can do with your kids to keep them entertained during the COVID-19 ‘stay at home lockdown’. You will find links to plenty of resources as you look through this list. Don’t forget to tag us @thewarwickshirereview on social media to let us know which activities you’ve tried!

  1. Play a board game or do a puzzle!

Go and have a look in the games cupboard and dust off the old favourites! Or if you think it’s time to refresh the selection, then check out the links below to see some of the best child-friendly board games and puzzles…..

10 OF THE BEST BOARD GAMES FOR CHILDREN

10 OF THE BEST PUZZLES FOR CHILDREN

13 BEST FAMILY BOARD GAMES

2. Do some baking!

Baking always seems to make children burst with pride when they experience the satisfaction of eating something they have made ‘all by themselves’ (with help from an adult obviously!). But after a few batches of fairy cakes, it can become a bit boring. So, we’ve linked some great places for you to find some interesting child-friendly recipes and food inspiration…

3. Build a den or blanket fort!

There are a few different ways to make a den/fort depending on what space and materials you have. The most common is under the table: put a large blanket over a table so the edges hang over the sides like walls. Or push pieces of furniture (like dining room chairs) close to a sofa or armchair and drape a large blanket/sheet over the top to make a roof. Fill your den with cushions, duvets and blankets to make it cosy. Here is a quick video to give you some inspiration on how to build a den: Build the coziest blanket fort ever . Or read this blog post that provides you with some extra tips on den building, indoors or outdoors, and suggestions on what materials you can use. They make great places to watch films, read books, have picnics or just play in!

4. Treasure hunt!

Send your children on a trail around the house or garden in search of clues that lead to the treasure – a toy or treat.

Write out a number of different clues each on strips of paper and hide them around the house. Each clue should lead to the next, and the last clue leads to the treasure….it’s a good way to get them to work for their treat of the day! To make them feel the part, they could even dress up as pirates for the day!

CLICK HERE for a great article that has some ready-made clues and different variations of scavenger hunts for different ages.

5. Colouring in

Let them get creative with colours! Here are some links that provide free printable colouring sheets, so there’s no risk of you running out. Just click, print and let them colour.

  • CRAYOLA has 100’s of free colouring sheets featuring different characters, seasons, disney themes, plants, animals, places, words and letters
  • JUST COLOUR has a range of more advanced colouring pages, maybe for those who are a bit older and are good at keeping in the lines

6. Reading or listening to an audiobook

Audible, the amazon audiobooks company, has announced…

“For as long as schools are closed, we’re open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet. Explore the collection, select a title and start listening. It’s that easy.”

CLICK HERE to access to 100’s of children’s books on audible for free – no account needed!

David Walliams is also doing daily readings of his childrens books every day at 11am – CLICK HERE to listen

OR, if your child would rather read a physical book, then check out these links to the most popular books right now and of all time…

  • The Book Trust – Best 100 children’s books sorted by age
  • Penguin – Must-reads of 2020: the best new Puffin children’s books
  • Ladybird – Must-reads of 2020: the best new Ladybird children’s books
  • Ladybird – Ladybird books sorted by age
  • Penguin – All children’s books
  • WHSmiths – Children’s book chart

7. Science Experiments

Bring science lessons into the kitchen at home

SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN – Mind-blowing science experiments you can do in your kitchen: Unicorn noodles, Scrumptious Slime and Chicken in a Cup!

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS TO TRY AT HOME – Fun and easy tutorial science experiments; make your own lava lamp, play with magic mud and grow your own rock candy!

27 GREATEST SCIENCE PROJECTS FOR KIDS – Never fear, science is here, these fantastic projects will have them amazed for hours!

CBEEBIES 5 EXCELLENT SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS – with video guides!

 

8. Arts & Crafts

CRAYOLA 24 EASY CRAFT IDEAS – Incl paper plate llamas, tin can pencil pots, rock art, mac and creatures, animal bookmarks, paper quill picture frames and so much more

CBEEBIES 10 MINUTE CRAFTS – 5 easy art and craft ideas that only take 10 minutes each

5-MINUTE CRAFTS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – this youtube channel has soooo many different craft ideas and hacks kids will LOVE!

9 Click and print activity pages….

9. Exercise!

Children are normally fairly active anyway, but it can be hard to get them to exercise when they’re stuck indoors with the option to sit and stare at a screen. So here are some ways to get them moving…inside…

PE WITH JOE – Home workout videos aimed at kids!

FUN INDOOR ACTIVITIES & EXERCISES FOR KIDS – From child-friendly circuits to balloon tennis there are lots of creative ways to get moving inside

For some more everyday activities, why not get your children involved in tasks around the house. For example, who can tidy their room the fastest will soon get them running around if they know the winner gets to pick the film they watch later! Or how about just putting on some of their favourite music and having a disco or play musical statues!

10. Make Learning Fun!

CBEEBIES ONLINE PUZZLES AND GAMES – These puzzles, quizzes and games make learning fun by including the CBeebies characters your little ones know and love!

BBC BITESIZE – Learning for all ages – Educational content including videos, activities, quizzes and games to help make learning and revision fun for ages 5-16+

11 WAYS TO MAKE LEARNING FUN AT HOME – Get your kids excited about discovering something new by disguising the learning activities as fun time

A lot of people recently have found themselves working from home for the first time ever and maybe finding it difficult to juggle both their workload and entertaining their kids. But why not merge the two?! Take this opportunity to teach your child what you do every day when you say ‘I’m going to work’ or ‘I have work to do’. You may be surprised by how interested they are! Once you’ve shown them what you do, they may want to sit next to you and mimic you to feel like they are at work just like you. You could set them up with some pretend work just like yours or even get them to pretend to be your secretary. It could even make working from home more fun for you!

We hope this list provided you with some inspiration on how to entertain your little ones during this difficult time. Let us know what you thought of these ideas via media, we’d love to hear from you …INSTAGRAM….FACEBOOK….TWITTER…..PINTEREST

Remember to stay at home to protect the NHS, save lives and keep your family healthy!