It’s half term. You’re in lockdown. It’s grey and cold. The kids are driving you up the wall. Thankfully, we have got you covered with some creative ideas to get all of you busy and having fun this week:
Host a teddy bear’s picnic
An idea for the little ones! Spread out a picnic blanket or a sheet on the floor in your house and invite their favourite soft toys to take a seat and enjoy some finger sandwiches and cake. Your kids will love helping to serve the food to their teddies and maybe even pour them some cups of imaginary tea. If you wanted to go the extra mile, they could also help you with the sandwich preparation or making the cake!
Have a home movie afternoon- but make it special
Everyone can grab their duvets and pillows to get themselves extra comfy, and munch on some popcorn or sweets while watching the film together. Don’t forget to turn the lights off for a proper cinema experience!
Organise a Zoom party
Invite a few friends or relatives, make a playlist and watch the kids have great fun playing musical statues and dancing at the virtual disco together. You could also include quizzes for everyone to join in with.
Have a board game tournament
Get out your board games and use each different game as a ‘heat’ of the overall tournament. Keep a scoreboard and whoever wins the most board games gets a prize at the end. You could even do a different game a day and spread the fun over the week.
Enjoy a Just Dance session
If you don’t have the console game, you can still find hundreds of the Just Dance videos on YouTube to follow along with. It’s a great way to get some energy out on wet days and also have fun.
Start a book club
Organise a book swap every few days with some of your children’s friends, by dropping the books through each other’s doors. It’s a free way of getting new books to read and they will love seeing what their friends have lent them.
Build a den
Dry day? Get outdoors for a little while! If you have woods nearby the kids will have a fabulous time gathering branches and making a den together.
Go for a welly walk
Who doesn’t love a trudge through mud and puddles? Get everyone to don their wellies and enjoy splashing and stomping together.
Make a treasure hunt
Send the kids on a fun hunt through the house and garden following the clues you have left to find the ‘treasure’- which could be anything from a little present to some sweets.
Design a family board game
All you need is some card and colouring pens, a dice and something to use as counters- Lego people, perhaps. Draw a simple snakes and ladders-style board, and then cut out card rectangles that everyone must pick up when they land on certain squares as they play. You can make the game really personal to your family by writing funny things on the cards that apply to you all- e.g. Jake ate the last biscuit again- go back 3 places!
