who loves you?
Why not brighten up your day by trying this heart-warming activity - it will help to boost your child’s self-esteem and give you a lovely warm feeling!
You need:
Paper
Pen
Markers, stickers, glitter, etc. for decorating
Ask your child, “Who loves you?” and write down their answer. Ask, “Who else loves you?” and write down each name, then read the list to your child when they have finished. Top the list with the title “Look Who Loves (child’s name)” and let them decorate it markers, stickers, glitter - whatever they like, as long as it looks special! Stick the list somewhere your child can see it to remind them how much they are loved.
egg box counting
This is a fun ( and tasty!) way to help your children with their counting skills.
You will need:
An empty egg carton
Pen
Small food items (raisins, cereal, jelly beans, etc.)
Write the numbers 1-12 on the individual sections of an empty egg carton. Ask your child to identify each number then fill each section with the correct number of raisins/cereal/jelly beans. Once all the sections are filled, work in reverse - ask your child to identify each number, count the raisins/cereal/jelly beans, and then eat them!
bubble wrap stomp
We’ve all been doing a lot of online shopping in lockdown, right? Well, this is a fun (and messy!) activity to use up all that leftover bubble wrap.
You need:
Bubble wrap
Sellotape
Thick, non-toxic children’s paint
Trays or plastic/paper plates
Long roll of paper, or sheets of paper stuck together
Wrap your child’s feet in bubble wrap (not too tight!) and secure with tape. Pour a little paint onto the trays/plates, then let your child dip their feet into the paint and stomp all over the paper.
nature bracelet
This is a lovely activity to do on your daily walk, and all you need is some masking tape or gaffer tape (the wide stuff is best, but any will do). Wind the tape round your child’s wrist with the sticky side out to make a loose bracelet. Then head out for your walk and ask your child to look for things to stick to their bracelet - flowers, leaves, feathers, seed heads, whatever catches their eye. When your walk is finished they will have a beautiful bracelet to admire!
ice ice baby
This activity, while needing some forward-planning, is super fun for children and another example of stealth learning. Gather a few pots or plastic cups and put some small plastic toys inside (or letters, or numbers, or whatever!). Freeze them until solid. Remove them from the freezer and put on a tray with toy hammers, spoons, medicine syringes and a bowl of warm water, then ask your child to free their toys!
potions
This is definitely one to do outdoors! Raid your recycling bin for empty plastic bottles, hand soap pumps and medicine syringes (the ones you get with bottles of Calpol). Rinse everything out and fill each container with water; add a drop of different food colouring to each, and maybe even a bit of glitter (ideally the biodegradable stuff). Let your child mix the different-coloured liquids to make magic potions.
phonics high-FIVE
A quick and easy maths game that gets your little one moving as well!
You need:
Paper
Pen
Scissors
Blu-tack
Draw around your child’s hand and cut it out. Repeat this until you have 8-10 cut out hands. On each hand, write a different letter. Stick these letters onto a wall using blu-tack. Call out a letter and your child has to high-five the correct one.
shaving foam writing
This is a fun way to practise writing skills - it’s wonderfully messy but easy to clean up, so a win-win for everyone!
Find a plate or a tray with sides and squirt on some shaving foam (not too thickly). Your child can then practise making marks with their index finger. If they are just starting out with their mark-making, show them how to form circles and make lines or zig-zags - marks that can turn into letters in the future. If your child is more confident, have them practise the letters of the alphabet or even try writing their own name. Then rub it out and start again for more practise.
mini beast hotel
Make an insect home, place it on your balcony or in your garden and see who comes to stay!
You need:
An old plant pot, takeaway coffee cup, milk jug or plastic bottle
Bamboo canes or rolled newspaper straws
If using a milk jug or plastic bottle, carefully cut off the end so it is about 20cm in length. Make newspaper tubes by cutting newspaper lengthwise and rolling up. Ensure there is a hole of roughly 4mm in the centre. If using bamboo canes, ensure the whole length is hollow. Cut your tubes/canes to the length of your container and fit them tightly inside so they won’t fall out.
Place your bug home almost horizontally in a quiet, warm spot with the open end slightly lower to avoid waterlogging.
Paper boats
Try your hand at making a boat! You could use materials from your recycling bin to create your own, or follow these instructions to make an origami boat.
Have a go racing it across a puddle, your sink or your bath. Maybe make a few and have a race, or see how many things your boat can hold before it sinks.
scavenger hunt
Why not liven up your daily walk with a scavenger hunt? There are so may possibilities for learning while out and about - here are just a few of them:
flower pressing
An old-school classic, this. On your daily walk with your child, collect some wild flowers, like daisies, buttercups, blossom and dandelions. Make sure you don’t pick bluebells, as these are protected by law! Once you are home, open a book and line it with newspaper. Place your flowers (as flat as you can) on the page and carefully close the book. Weigh it down with additional heavy books. Store the pile in a warm, dry place and check on your flower specimens daily. Once the flowers are dry, carefully remove them and use to create flower art.
flower bash flag
This activity, also known as Hapa Zome, is a great way to work off some pent up energy!
You need:
Some white material (cotton-based works best - an old t-shirt works perfectly)
Mallet or hammer
Flower heads and green leaves
Cut your material into a large triangle and lay it down on a flat surface (e.g. a paving stone or a tree stump). Arrange your leaves and petals on half of the triangle and carefully fold it over. Using the mallet, bang the material until the colours of the leaves and petals have transferred onto the material (children should hold the mallet with both hands to ensure they do not hit their fingers with it). Open up your triangle and pick away any bits of leaf or petal, then display your flag!
painted toast
This is a super-simple activity that kids are guaranteed to enjoy. We regularly do it at nursery and it’s always a huge hit.
You need:
Sliced white bread
Milk
Different food colouring
Mix a few drops of food colouring in a cup with some milk and stir until the colour is vibrant. Repeat this with other colours until you have a selection of “paints”. Using a cotton bud or a clean paintbrush, paint once side of a slice of bread. Get creative with colours and patterns! Toast your bread and enjoy your colourful snack.
pasta jewellery
This activity is an oldie but a goodie, and it is also more feasible now people have stopped stockpiling pasta! It is also great for your child’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
You need:
Pasta tubes
String
Paints
Paint brush
Start by painting the pasta tubes - roll them in paint or use a paintbrush to create a design, just get creative! Once dry, thread the pasta onto the string and tie off to create a necklace.
decorated planter
This project teaches children about art and design, preparation, as well as how to clean up after themselves. Plus, it is loads of fun! You can also grow your own plants in the pot s afterwards and explore this process as a further activity.
You need:
A terracotta pot
Paints
Paintbrushes
Stickers, gems, washi tape, googly eyes, etc. (optional)
Put some paper down, as this will get messy, then let your child unleash their creativity on the plant pot!
shadow drawing
A fun activity for a sunny day, shadow drawing will help your little one to develop their fine motor skills. Grab some pens, a roll of paper and some of your child’s favourite toys and head out into the sunshine. Find a hard surface, like a patio or driveway, and place the toys onto the paper, making sure that they are casting a shadow. Show your child how to trace around the shadow, then let them get on with it! If you don’t have a roll of paper, some A4 plain paper will do. Alternatively, you could use chalk to draw directly onto the paving stones.
dough disco
Use some play dough to take part in a Dough Disco!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFu_ZFgQi4
If you don’t have any ready-made play dough, why not make some scented playdough with your child using the simple recipe below:
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of salt
3/4 cup of water minus 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food colouring
Flavoured essence (e.g. vanilla, peppermint, orange)
Heat the water and lemon juice until just boiling. Meanwhile, mix together the flour and salt. Add the food colouring and flavoured essence (if using) to the hot water and lemon mixture. Slowly pour the liquid into the flour and salt mixture, and stir until it just starts to form a dough. Drizzle the oil over the dough and stir again until it forms a ball (you may wish to knead it with your hands). The dough will feel sticky, but will become less sticky as it cools. When the dough is completely cool, add more flour a tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency.
sink or float?
A great scientific experiment to do with your child, and one they are guaranteed to love because it involves water!
Fill a washing up bowl with water (and put some towels down to protect your floor from the inevitable splashing - or, even better, set it up outside!). Gather a selection of items of varying densities, then ask your child to toss them into the water one at a time, trying to guess if they will sink or float before they hit the water.
what’s in the box?
After weeks of lockdown, chances are you have at least one cardboard box knocking around. Time to find a use for it, in this fun activity that will get your child using their language skills.
Cut a hole in one side of the box that is just big enough to fit your child’s arm. Then put a variety of toys into the box and close the top. Get your child to poke their arm inside and describe what they feel - can they guess which toys are hiding inside the box?
bubble snakes
This is a fun way of making bubbles that uses stuff you should have around your home.
You need:
An empty plastic bottle
Duct tape or an elastic band
An old sock
Washing up liquid
Food colouring
Cut off the bottom of the bottle and put the sock over the end - secure this with the duct tape or elastic band. Fill a bowl with water and add washing up liquid. Dip the sock into the bubble mixture and blow to make your bubble snake (make sure your child doesn’t suck, as this will not taste nice!). If you want to make a colourful snake, put some drops of food colouring onto the sock.
water painting
This activity is great for a sunny day to keep your child cool (and busy!). Just give your child a bucket of water and a large paintbrush, then let them ‘paint’ the patio, shed, walls, fence… If you want to introduce some ‘stealth learning’ you could paint words or numbers for them to copy. It is also a great way to explore the concept of evaporation, as their paintings slowly disappear in the sunshine.
kim’s game
This is a classic memory game that can be set up in moments. It’s brilliant for developing your child’s concentration and memory skills.
You need:
A tray
A cloth or a box to cover the tray
10 random objects from around your house
Ask your child to look carefully at the items on the tray for 30 seconds. Then cover the tray with the cloth/box and take one of the objects away and ask your child to identify what is missing. You can add more things to the tray as they get better at the game!