25 Stay at Home Activities
It's looking ever more likely that schools will close due to the Corona virus pandemic and I know that some of you are already in isolation/quarantine.
With this in mind, I have put together a list of ideas to help keep the children entertained (mine and hopefully yours too!). I know that schools will be providing learning packs but these will probably not fill the whole day and these activities have a variety of educational benefits (developing motor skills, following instructions, number & word recognition, exercise , creativity etc) whilst also being fun! I have not specified what age they are for as children of the same age can obviously be at very different stages:-
⇨ 1. Find out in advance what they are currently studying in school and see if you can get some relevant books from the library or on loan from friends. For slightly older children the Horrible Histories series are a good option and are often available in pound shops.
⇨ 2. Make a game of it. Children love role play games and thrive on routine so turn it into a game of 'Schools'. Draw up a colourful schedule for what you'll be doing throughout the day and invite them to lead registration/carpet time/some lessons (this will give you a good insight of how the teaching is done in their school too, my children often mimic their teacher's phrases when playing with their school role play set).
⇨ 3. Play dough - make the dough together and then play with it! Add loose parts such as dry pasta, conkers, pine cones, googly eyes and pipe cleaners to see what they can create. Click here for my favourite play dough recipe.
⇨ 4. Bath time play dough - a fun alternative to play dough. Super easy to make themselves and then they can play with it in the bath and even wash with it (and we all know how important clean hands are at the moment!) Click here for the recipe.
⇨ 5. Stock up on craft supplies! Paper, glue sticks, colouring books, pens/crayons etc. Paper plates & split pins are fun to use together - make a spinning code breaker for fun puzzles. Or how about making a clock by writing the numbers 1 to 12 around the edge of the plate and attaching the clock hands with a split pin in the middle. You could use this along with your schedule - change the clock to the correct time and ask your child/ren to check what it's time for on the schedule.
⇨ 6. CBeebies comics have lots of fun educational activities aimed at pre-schoolers/EYFS.
⇨ 7. Make Easter cards and/or crafts - click here for a few ideas (more paper plates needed!)
⇨ 8. Salt dough - create Mothers Day (for Grandparents/Stepmums if you are Mum!) &/or Easter gifts/decorations. We used this recipe to make chicks with cookie cutters and added a hole at the top with a straw to hang them from ribbons.
⇨ 9. Collaborative creative writing - take it in turns to make up a line of a story.
⇨ 10. Email classmates so they feel less isolated. They could even set quizzes/challenges for each other.
⇨ 11. Watch an educational TV programme together then discuss it and/or do an activity around it. There's so many great ones to choose from - Newsround, Octonauts, Blue Planet, Go Jetters - tell each other your favourite facts from the episode.
⇨ 12. Rock painting.
⇨ 13. Story Time - take it in turns to read to each other. Pre-reading children could make up the story using the pictures in the book.
⇨ 14. Dance routines - find some on YouTube to dance along with or make up your own.
⇨ 15. Butterfly prints - cut out a paper butterfly, ask your child to paint one wing and then fold it over whilst still wet so that it prints onto the other wing. A good chance to discuss symmetry. You could then go on to draw half of a person's/animal's face and ask them to complete the picture.
⇨ 16. Word of the day - choose a word in the morning and explain the meaning. See how many times you can all use it (correctly!) in conversation throughout the day.
⇨ 17. Make a game of Pairs by writing matching words on squares of paper. Turn two over at a time and try to find a matching pair. Ask them to read the words they find. 'Play' Spelling tests afterwards with the words from the game.
If they are pre-reading you could do letters instead or coloured circles - ask them to name the letter/colour.
⇨ 18. Play board games. We are loving Dobble and Uno at the moment! Orchard Games are great for younger children & usually have an educational element to them.
⇨ 19. Do jigsaws together.
⇨ 20. Make an obstacle course.
⇨ 21. Treasure hunt for letters then see how many words they can make with them. Or hunt for numbers & then put them in the correct order.
⇨ 22. Practice mark making in a shallow tray of salt/flour/sand. Can you copy a shape or a word? Can you write your own name?
⇨ 23. Junk modelling - give them a pile of cardboard boxes/cardboard tubes/yoghurt pots along with stickers, pens and glue sticks and see what they create! Or how about helping them to make an aquarium.
⇨ 24. Water play in the garden. Give them a bucket of water & a paintbrush to paint the walls/fence with. Or a water filled tuff tray/bowl with tubs/scoops/pipettes. You could also make boats to race.
⇨ 25. Write a simple story with key words missing. Ask them to complete the story then read it to you. For example - "Long ago, there was a ______ who lived in ________ with ________. They decided to go to _________ for _________ but then ______________."
With this in mind, I have put together a list of ideas to help keep the children entertained (mine and hopefully yours too!). I know that schools will be providing learning packs but these will probably not fill the whole day and these activities have a variety of educational benefits (developing motor skills, following instructions, number & word recognition, exercise , creativity etc) whilst also being fun! I have not specified what age they are for as children of the same age can obviously be at very different stages:-
⇨ 2. Make a game of it. Children love role play games and thrive on routine so turn it into a game of 'Schools'. Draw up a colourful schedule for what you'll be doing throughout the day and invite them to lead registration/carpet time/some lessons (this will give you a good insight of how the teaching is done in their school too, my children often mimic their teacher's phrases when playing with their school role play set).
⇨ 3. Play dough - make the dough together and then play with it! Add loose parts such as dry pasta, conkers, pine cones, googly eyes and pipe cleaners to see what they can create. Click here for my favourite play dough recipe.
⇨ 4. Bath time play dough - a fun alternative to play dough. Super easy to make themselves and then they can play with it in the bath and even wash with it (and we all know how important clean hands are at the moment!) Click here for the recipe.
⇨ 6. CBeebies comics have lots of fun educational activities aimed at pre-schoolers/EYFS.
⇨ 7. Make Easter cards and/or crafts - click here for a few ideas (more paper plates needed!)
⇨ 8. Salt dough - create Mothers Day (for Grandparents/Stepmums if you are Mum!) &/or Easter gifts/decorations. We used this recipe to make chicks with cookie cutters and added a hole at the top with a straw to hang them from ribbons.
⇨ 9. Collaborative creative writing - take it in turns to make up a line of a story.
⇨ 10. Email classmates so they feel less isolated. They could even set quizzes/challenges for each other.
⇨ 11. Watch an educational TV programme together then discuss it and/or do an activity around it. There's so many great ones to choose from - Newsround, Octonauts, Blue Planet, Go Jetters - tell each other your favourite facts from the episode.
⇨ 12. Rock painting.
⇨ 13. Story Time - take it in turns to read to each other. Pre-reading children could make up the story using the pictures in the book.
⇨ 14. Dance routines - find some on YouTube to dance along with or make up your own.
⇨ 15. Butterfly prints - cut out a paper butterfly, ask your child to paint one wing and then fold it over whilst still wet so that it prints onto the other wing. A good chance to discuss symmetry. You could then go on to draw half of a person's/animal's face and ask them to complete the picture.
⇨ 16. Word of the day - choose a word in the morning and explain the meaning. See how many times you can all use it (correctly!) in conversation throughout the day.
⇨ 17. Make a game of Pairs by writing matching words on squares of paper. Turn two over at a time and try to find a matching pair. Ask them to read the words they find. 'Play' Spelling tests afterwards with the words from the game.
If they are pre-reading you could do letters instead or coloured circles - ask them to name the letter/colour.
⇨ 19. Do jigsaws together.
⇨ 20. Make an obstacle course.
⇨ 21. Treasure hunt for letters then see how many words they can make with them. Or hunt for numbers & then put them in the correct order.
⇨ 22. Practice mark making in a shallow tray of salt/flour/sand. Can you copy a shape or a word? Can you write your own name?
⇨ 25. Write a simple story with key words missing. Ask them to complete the story then read it to you. For example - "Long ago, there was a ______ who lived in ________ with ________. They decided to go to _________ for _________ but then ______________."
I hope that you find these useful. Stay safe everyone!
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