40 fun things to keep kids entertained
From bug safaris to mapping the virus, making music and searching for spring, Sally Peck has ideas for toddlers to teens
For most working parents, there are at least 12 waking hours in a day. And that was before coronavirus. As families face lockdown, with no end in sight, the days are somehow longer. Much longer. Now, once they’ve completed your home-learning plans, you need activities to keep the children occupied until you can all settle down for the evening.
Here, then, is a list of things to do with children, from toddlers to teenagers, to keep them engaged and happy – and to keep you sane.
PRE-SCHOOLERS 1 Head out on a bug safari
We’re going on a bug hunt, we’re going to catch a big one. Turn over logs and peep underneath for worms, centipedes, woodlice. Look for sleepy bumblebees in heather and crocuses. Spy ladybirds awakening on leaves and branches.
2 Create a colour wheel
Find flowers to match all the colours of the rainbow. You could press the flowers between heavy books or make a rainbow picture with petals.
3 Look for signs of spring
Get out on a walk – maintaining your distance from others – and look for frogspawn, the earliest lime green leaves, long yellow catkins, birds singing and nest-building, daffodils, crocuses, wild garlic.
4 Make a witch’s potion
Grab a bucket or bowl and find ingredients for a “witch’s potion”: grass, leaves, pine cones, petals, fallen feathers, beech seeds, lingering acorns. Mix with a big stick.
5 Make a nature mobile
Let them touch and explore leaves, sticks and bark, feeling the different textures and movements.
6 Move and shake
The first thing my children learnt in nursery, after friendship, was yoga. Cosmic Kids Yoga on Youtube instils mindfulness and focus in 10-minute segments for children three and up. PRIMARY
NATURE 7 Loo roll Koinobori
To make colourful, carp-like Japanese windsocks, paint with a fish-scale pattern, then cut a dozen strips of tissue paper and glue around the base. Punch holes in the other end for string and hang in the breeze.
8 Egg box caterpillars
Cut a row of cups from the carton for its body. Paint, draw eyes and glue on pipe-cleaner antennae.
9 Jam-jar lanterns
Stick shapes of coloured tissue paper to the outside of your jar with a mix of glue and water. Wait to dry, then pop a tealight inside.
10 Cereal-box puppet theatre
Cut the back panel from your box, leaving top, bottom, sides and front intact. Cut a large, square window into the front panel. You’ve made your proscenium arch. Now paint.
11 Lolly-stick finger puppets
Use the discarded cereal box card to cut out characters and glue lolly sticks to their heads (they will be lowered in from the top of your theatre).
12 Tin can planters
Glue goggly eyes, a pipe-cleaner mouth and bottle-top nose to your can (be careful of sharp edges). Then fill with compost, plant seeds, and water.
13 Newspaper fort
Lay three sheets of this paper on top of each other. Starting at a corner, roll tightly into a long tube. Tape securely and repeat till you run out. Take three tubes, and staple into a triangle. Repeat. Add them together with tape and/or staples to build forts and more.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES 14 Visit The Literacy Shed
A resource beloved by KS2 teachers, with animations and suggested questions for sparking literacy lessons. Give the films a quick viewing to check for content beforehand, and then use this as a jumping-off point for writing projects. literacyshed.com
15 Become well versed
Poet and former child laureate Michael Rosen has lots of poetry readings online, while Oliver Jeffers (Lost & Found, The Way Back Home) is reads a daily story live on Instagram at 2pm. Tom Gates has daily challenges and ideas to make, bake and doodle.
16 Write a letter
Think of an author, look at their books, and think about what you’d like to ask them. Find the contact details and write them a letter.
17 Start a discussion
Scholastic has a 20-day learn-from-home programme about subjects from place-names to eating bugs, with questions to provoke discussion.
18 Science mysteries
Mysteryscience.com supplies lessons featuring films and fun activities, such as: Why does a woodpecker peck or how do germs get in the body?
19 Parlez-vous corona?
Learning must go on when schools are closed. Duolingo (duolingo.com) is a first-class way to learn a language.
GARDEN TASKS 20 Download a challenge
At Pawprint (pawprintbadges. co.uk) you can get free challenge packs on a variety of subjects, from V-E Day to gardening. Children can work towards bronze, silver and gold badges.
21 Nature Detectives
The Woodland Trust’s Nature Detectives has activities for the Early Years age group, such as maths with conkers and handprint art.
22 Oxford Owl
Oxford Owl is superb for KS1 maths, with materials from early years (age 3 and up) to age 11 SATS, including games and challenges.
23 Let’s get physics-al
Excellent for all subjects at secondary level, Khan Academy has maths and computing for all levels. It’s Us-based but with crossover, such as in physics.
24 Go travelling
Virtual reality headsets such as the Samsung Gear VR or Oculus Go are finally worth using. Google Earth VR or Realities. io for tourism and flying are spectacular.
TWEENS 25 Think positive
When I was growing up, the neighbours had a “Joy and Think” board, on to which they pinned inspirational messages and cheery clippings.
26 Trade tomes
A Little History of the World by EH Gombrich is back off the shelf; Mythos by Stephen Fry is on order. Organise a book-swap with parents but wipe down afterwards.
27 Tuck in to recipe books
Based on whatever food is left at the shops, everyone can learn a new recipe for each week of isolation. Freeze portions for elderly neighbours; Instagram the results.
28 Signs of life
The garden is just coming back to life – we have bulbs to plant, while a vegetable patch may hold longerterm significance.
29 Card and fast
Poker is a great mental workout; Texas Hold ‘Em is easiest to learn. For younger kids, Spoons is brilliant.
30 Basketball, tennis, cricket
These can all be played at distance and in smaller numbers. Wipe the balls down afterwards…
31 Barter with time
Every minute helping with chores earns you two back in “fun” – be it Tiktoking or shooting stuff online.
32 Make music
A Fender Squier Stratocaster Bullet edition guitar costs £109 with delivery. The weekly Fender Play tutorials cost £9.59 per month.
TEENS 33 Nurture inner Spielberg
Make screen time about creativity, rather than passivity: apps like Procreate, Auxy and imovie can be used to make art, music and films.
34 Junior Bake-off
Turn mealtimes into a cooking club, of sorts, with kids responsible for the creation of the menu, as well as the prep and clearing up.
35 Prove their mettle
Get kids to be responsible for their own revision as much as possible, with the help of online resources, where necessary. FOR EVERYONE
36 Get out while you can
The National Trust is making open spaces available to visitors (for the time being). Take walks and explore nature – but stay 8ft from others.
37 Keep a diary...
These are strange times. Keep notes to refer back to. Americans call it “journaling”.
38 …and a visual record
Set up a still life and paint. Like the diary, this is a great way of keeping a log of what goes on.
39 Party!
Singing and dancing are great mood boosts. Download Just Dance for the Nintendo Switch and Lucky Voice Karaoke for IOS or Android.
40 Embrace silence
Noise-cancelling headphones – because “alone time” is important.
Contributors: Abigail Blasi, Ian Douglas, Matthew Hampton, Lucy Jones, Hattie Garlick, Sally Peck, Sarah Rodrigues