Activities for Kids (2 reposts)

 In New Zealand it is is Lockdown right now. So here are two reposts of activity ideas from years ago in case you are out of them! Thismorning we made some paint, which is why I came across these posts again, as I couldn't remember how to make it. I like this paint because it doesn't stain their clothes. You can make one lot and divide it up and make different colors.

Activities for Kids

Last post I talked about the importance of spending time with your children.

Here are some ideas for practical inexpensive activities that are fun! Most of them you have probably thought of, but hopefully there might be a new idea for you to try!

1) Tea Parties
A few times I have taken my children to a coffee shop and had something special for morning tea. It's fun to do every now and again, but since doing that I have found that you can pretend you are at a coffee shop at home and the children still have just as much fun and there is no cost! Coffee shops do get expensive!
You can have cake with a fork on plates and a milo in mugs or glasses. My children love straws with their drinks. You can decorate with a table cloth, flowers or light a candle. A teapot is fun and special for the children! Or chocolate milk or juice. Just whatever you have!

2) Make a book
You can staple paper or cardboard together to make a book. Then the children can decorate by gluing pictures, drawing, stickers, glitter etc. One time we made little books and glued on different scraps of material. My four year old once made a little book by herself and on page one she drew number 1 and drew one thing on it. The next page number 2 and so on. She needed a bit of help with some numbers, but I was impressed!

3) Wash the car
I still haven't tried this one yet, but plan to one day. Most children love playing with water!

4) Make jewelry with beads and string

5)Housework!
Helping with housework makes them feel grownup and they don't see it as work. Maybe it changes when they get older. I only have preschoolers!
Washing dishes, cleaning windows, vacuuming, taking dry washing off or pegging wet washing on clotheshorse when it is wet outside, mopping the floor, cleaning the walls or dusting, and folding washing are things that my children have enjoyed helping me with. It takes longer to do with them helping, but it is a way to spend time with them and get something done at the same time!:)  A while ago, it was a cold wet inside day, so I rinsed all the dishes well in hot water and then let the girls have turns washing and drying them (as in the photo). They loved it! My four year old told me as she was having her turn washing, "I'm a big lady!" :)

6) Make kebabs for morning tea

This isn't something we do often as it is a little bit of work, but my children love it and it is healthy. You can use any kind of food that goes on a skewer. Grapes, bananas, strawberries, marshmellows, pineapples, cucumber, cheese, meatballs, luncheon or ham all work well. Chop them up into squares and put them on a skewer.


7) Roast marshmallows on the fire


8) Make a collage picture
Get some paper or cardboard and find some things for the children to glue on. Pasta, macaroni, rice, lentils, coconut, leaves, buttons, colored paper squares, tissue paper, you name it! Salt is quite fun to glue on especially on black paper!

9) Puzzles

10) Baking/Cooking
There are so many fun things to do in the kitchen with your children.

Cakes, Biscuits, Muffins, pizza, buns, bread. Also, Icing and decorating what you have made!

11) Make icecream sundaes!
Put icecream in a bowl or glass and decorate away!

12) Painting
You can make paint by mixing 2 tblsp flour, 4tblsp water, 1 tblsp salt and food coloring.
You can make outside paint by mixing equal amounts of cornflour and water. I would usually do either half a cup of both or one cup of each. If you pour it into muffin trays, then put drops of food coloring in each cup you will have lots of colours. This is good for a sunny day. My children paint the concrete then the sun hardens it.
Also, for a sunny day, you can put water into muffin trays and put drops of food coloring in to make colored water. My children like painting outside with this too.

It's the holidays! This is my list of ideas to keep my little ones busy and make this time fun.

Play board games
Bake some yummy treats in the kitchen
    (Cake, biscuits, popcorn, bliss balls, pikelets, pancakes, muesli bars etc.)
Make a small pizza each
Scrapbook
Do arts and crafts
Colour in
Make a hut in the lounge
Look at photo books together
Play 'going on holiday'
Tea party with dolls, teddies etc.
Make a book (We have a little book called What Bunny Loves. Every page has a different thing he loves. I thought my kids could make their own little picture book like this with what they love on each page.)
Play dressups.
Have an indoor treasure hunt
Play with playdough
Have a drawing lesson.(Learn to draw something new.)
Do puzzles
Games (Memory, Slapjack, Snap etc.)
Sing kids songs
Make a collage
Build with lego
Play coffee shops with real food (cakes, biscuits, etc.)
Read stories
Play with magnets
Work in activity books
Play with window stickers
Blow bubbles
Make bubbles with straw in bowl (Fill a bowl with water and dishwashing liquid. They blow big bubbles with a straw. Lots of fun!)

Do some cleaning/housework
Play shops
Sort and declutter boxes (My children each have a special box or drawer where they keep their special things. Every now and again, it needs decluttering or it gets too full.)
Make cards for someone's birthday, new baby or whatever
Play schools
Paint