18 ways to keep kids happy at home
Even the most prepared parents will feel daunted by the prospect of setting up school at home, never mind keeping the other plates spinning. The good news is that early years educators agree that practical life experiences should be the priority right now. Formal lessons can wait – this is a time to hold our children close and share activities that boost their confidence and develop their resilience.
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We’ve scoured the internet to find some fun activities to inspire and motivate your family. Here are 18 of our favourite ideas to keep everyone happy at home...
Artistic animals (ages 5+)
Wildlife-loving kids will be delighted with this gorgeous set of endangered animal activity sheets that are free to download from artist Abigail Brown’s website. Each sheet has a simple colouring page as well as a blank page with prompts, making this good for children of various ages. And when they’ve finished colouring, take a look through Abigail’s incredible textile birds and handmade animals for more craft inspiration.
Clay leaf craft (all ages)
Help children discover the beauty in nature by making clay leaf crafts. As Anna from The Imagination Tree says, this activity is “easy and effective enough for all ages to enjoy... and a wonderful way to explore nature through art.” A great family activity, it provides a focus for daily walks and you’ll end up with some really beautiful gifts and keepsakes of this time together.
Get reading (ages 3-11)
If you’re trying to tempt your kids off screens, remember that not all screen time is created equal. Oxford Owl has added loads of free ebooks to their site for all reading abilities. From classic Biff, Chip and Kipper adventures for early readers, up to Treasure Island for older kids, there’s a choice of non-fiction titles too. Reading together with children is one of the best things you can do.
Draw with Rob Biddulph (ages 4+)
If your kids are fans of ‘Blown Away’ or ‘Odd Dog Out’, they’ll love these downloadable activity sheets by Rob Biddulph. Penguin Blue and his mates are featured in free, printable puzzles, colouring pages and how-to guides. The illustrations are, of course, gorgeous, and there’s a great mix of simple and slightly more difficult activities. Do you live with budding young artists? Check out his Draw With Rob videos for an interactive lesson on how to draw all your favourite characters including Sonic the Hedgehog and Gregosaurus.
‘Visit the zoo!’ (all ages)
Why not make a quick visit to the zoo as part of your new daily routine? Check out Edinburgh Zoo’s webcams to see if you can catch the tigers or pandas in action. This is the perfect time for a living room picnic and, if budget allows, a new animal toy could spark an afternoon of monkeying around. Get more involved by accessing the zoo’s ‘Learning from home’ resources that were originally created for schools. Want to support the zoo while it’s closed? You can even adopt an animal.
Live music for all ages
There’s no better mood-booster than music! Get the kids moving and shaking as they sing along to Music with Mike. As well as a host of YouTube videos to watch whenever your family needs a little boost, Mike’s regular weekly schedule includes separate sing-alongs for the pre-school audience and more involved sessions for older kids.
Do a wild workout (all ages)
There’s never been a more important time to get children active and boost those endorphins. Andy’s Wild Workouts has an animal theme to keep kids interested and is easily achievable at just 10 minutes long! The moves are easy for everyone to do together, and his big grin will have everyone giggling in no time!
Themed treasure hunt (ages 3+)
This brilliant treasure map from Daisy Upton of Five Minute Mum can be adapted to whatever excites your kids at the moment - pirates, fairies, witches or favourite storybook characters. Daisy arranged for her treasure maps to be ‘found’ on the doormat, sparking off a huge amount of fun. A great way to get their daily reading practise in on the sly!
Try out yoga (all ages)
This is the perfect opportunity for kids to learn a skill to help them become stronger, calmer and wiser – Cosmic Kids Yoga. Over on her YouTube channel, Jaime weaves each session around a themed story. It’s the perfect introduction to this ancient exercise and an entertaining activity for the whole family to try together. With regular practise, the benefits of yoga will last far beyond this period of lockdown.
Make a leaf crown (all ages)
Turn your daily walk into a leaf hunt and learn how to make your very own majestic crowns from Emma Scott-Child over at the Ladyland blog. Emma says: “These are so simple because all you need is LEAVES!… that’s it. No string, no scissors, just leaves.” It doesn’t get any more simple than that.
Back garden glamping (all ages)
Looking for a fun way to celebrate a lockdown birthday or make some special memories? A family sleepover in the back garden is surely the definition of adventure right now. And the best news? You’ll still have all the luxuries of home… Check out Rex London’s guide to back garden glamping for a few tips! Then dust off the tent, find out what to look for in the night sky and tell stories by torchlight – magical.
Make salt dough (ages 2+)
Salt dough is a great material for strengthening little hands that are learning to draw and write. Try Laura and Tia’s recipe over at Little Button Diaries. Shape it into food for a play shop or a toy kitchen. You could also make handprint keepsakes, small magnets for the fridge, necklaces or doll’s house accessories. The list is endless!
Create your own dinosaur fossils (ages 4+)
Over at Rainy Day Mum, Cerys and her kids have been making dinosaur fossils from salt dough. It’s great fun in its own right, but truly epic as part of a ‘prehistoric day’! Watch a dinosaur film, set up a mini Jurassic world in a tray with sand, pebbles and leaves, and make your printed ‘fossils’. Paint them once they’ve dried out and add a coat of varnish ready for an archeology field trip in the sandpit.
Design technology challenges (ages 8+)
If you’re raising a budding engineer, this set of incredible challenges set up by the James Dyson Foundation will get sparks flying! From simple experiments that explore oxidisation, to design challenges that use gravity, these projects will keep older kids busy for days… It’s great to see the Dyson engineers getting excited about the challenges too!
Scavenger hunt challenge (ages 4+)
There’s nothing quite like an interactive Zoom scavenger hunt to foster a little healthy competition and keep everyone connected! Visit Kate over at Crafts on Sea for a great set of instructions and a printable list of items to scavenge. The best thing? Kids of all ages can play – even the really big ones!
Teenage kicks (ages 12+)
It’s not just younger children who are running out of steam at home. If you’re looking for ways to lift teen spirits, take a peek at Actually Mummy where Helen has shared a comprehensive list of unusual ideas for the young adults in your family. There’s something for absolutely everyone.
Get growing (all ages)
There’s something miraculous about watching a tiny seed become a huge plant – and while this Scouts activity is aimed at helping older kids to explore the scientific side of plant growth, it’s easy to adapt for younger children too. Make a poster to track your little plant’s progress as it changes. You never know, your kids might discover a passion for gardening that grows into a skill for life!
Be kind (all ages)
Jen Walshaw at Mum in The Mad House is putting this time to good use by encouraging her kids to think of others. Adapt her ‘acts of kindness’ list and inspire your children to become everyday heroes during lockdown. As Jen says, “It’s great to see that a ripple can make a wave, and who doesn’t need a little extra kindness in their lives?”
We hope we’ve given you plenty of fun ideas to keep your kids busy at home over the coming weeks. Browse our collection of make & build kits, puzzles and games for more ideas.
