Are you at a loss thinking
about how to keep the kids occupied now the rainy grey days of autumn and
winter are here? A new
guide by The Works offers 50 fantastic ideas for fun activities at home that
will enhance your child’s learning and won’t cost you a fortune. Find 20 of
them below*
Published
1. TREASURE HUNT
Hide different objects around the house and write clues that need to be solved to find the treasure! For an extra layer of fun, give it a theme. Imagine a pirate treasure hunt where the kids can dress up as swashbucklers, each armed with their own treasure map.
2. BOARD GAMES
Board games are perfect for a rainy day. They take a while to finish, they don’t require too much setup, and most importantly, they don’t require much cleanup. And they are brilliant for social and cognitive development as kids seek a strategy and interact with others around the board.
3. BUILD A DEN
Build a fort with blankets and pillows or pitch a tent inside and pretend you're camping. Grab your favourite storybooks and snacks and use a flashlight to make a cosy campfire.
4. START A VOLCANO
First, build a mountain around a small plastic bottle using clay or playdough – you can paint it and add toy dinosaurs to make it more realistic. Put some baking soda inside the bottle. Then, pour in vinegar mixed with a little red food colouring. Watch as the volcano bubbles and erupts with fizzy ‘lava’!
Transform your living room into an obstacle course with furniture and household items, so your kids can crawl under tables, jump over pillows and balance on a line of tape.
5. MAKE SLIME
Making slime at home is a fun science experiment that is easy to do
and kids will love. First, pour glue into a bowl and add a drop of
water. Next, mix in a few drops of your favourite food colouring or some
glitter to make it colourful. Then, add a little bit of baking soda and
stir. Finally, slowly mix in some contact lens solution and knead until
it turns into stretchy slime!
Visit BBC Good Food for a recipe to make the best slime.
6. OBSTACLE COURSE
Transform your living room into an obstacle course with furniture and
household items, so your kids can crawl under tables, jump over pillows
and balance on a line of tape. You can also add some challenges, like
zigzagging around chairs or tossing a ball into a basket. Use a
stopwatch to time each run and see who can complete the course the
fastest.
This post from parents.com has a bunch of ideas for turning your living room into an obstacle course.
7. DINNER PARTY
Turn up the volume on your favourite tunes and get ready for a dance
party at home! You can even dress up in funky costumes or have a ‘freeze
dance’ game where everyone must stop moving when the music pauses.
8. INDOOR GARDENING
Bring the joy of nature inside by starting an indoor garden. You can
grow a variety of plants or herbs in pots on your windowsill and
decorate them with paint or stickers to know what you’ve planted. Choose
fast-growing plants like beans and sunflowers or herbs like basil and
mint. These are easy to look after and rewarding to watch as they sprout
and grow.
9. PUPPET SHOW
Create your own puppet show using sock puppets. Grab some old socks,
markers and accessories like buttons, and use string for hair. Put on a
show recreating your favourite tales or making up your own stories. Try
making a puppet stage from a cardboard box and decorate it with paint,
stickers or fabric curtains.
Fill boxes with toys and materials like rice, beans or sand to help
younger children learn through hands-on exploration. Using their senses
to experience different items helps build their understanding and
curiosity.
Set up challenges with blocks or LEGO for your kids to complete. Try
different ideas, from buildings to bridges to vehicles. Set fun themes
like ‘build a castle’, ‘design a spaceship’ or ‘create a zoo’.
12. MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Make simple instruments like shakers by filling empty containers with
rice or using pots, pans and empty cans as drum sets. You can decorate
the instruments with paint or stickers to personalise them. Once your
instruments are ready, gather your family and friends for a concert!
Choose some fun songs to play along to. Or make up your own tunes and
rhythms and take turns being the conductor. It's a fantastic way for
children to explore sounds.
13. FAMILY HISTORY
Help your children learn about their heritage by creating a family
tree or scrapbook filled with photos, stories and drawings. Have your
kids think of questions to interview family members about their past and
video or voice-record their interviews. This project is a lovely way to
strengthen family bonds, preserving your family's history and creating a
treasured keepsake for future generations.
14. TIME CAPSULE
Create a time capsule filled with letters, drawings and small toys
that capture the essence of today. Let your kids decorate the container
with paint or stickers
to make it more personal. Include a list of contents inside so you can
remember everything that was placed in it. You might also want to add a
note about current events or your children’s favourite things at the
time to provide a snapshot of their lives for their future selves. Seal
it securely and choose a special future date to open it, like a
milestone birthday or family anniversary.
Help your children learn about their heritage by creating a family tree or scrapbook filled with photos, stories and drawings.
15. LEARN ABOUT SPACE
Explore the mysteries of our universe! Watch documentaries, read
books and talk about intergalactic discoveries with your children. Try
to dig deeper into topics that grab their imagination, like the solar
system, black holes and distant galaxies. You can get hands-on with
space-themed crafts like building a model of the solar system, creating
star constellations with glow-in-the-dark stickers or crafting rockets
and astronauts. You could even design your own alien creatures from
another planet!
For a more interactive experience, use apps to stargaze from your home or explore space virtually. NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System lets you identify stars, planets and constellations in the night sky and take virtual tours of our galaxy.
Let your kids get creative and personalise their own t-shirts with
fabric markers or paint. They can create their own design or experiment
with patterns by trying tie-dying. Each shirt becomes a canvas for their
imagination!
Set up a workspace with newspapers or plastic sheets to keep your
area clean. Try adding embellishments like sequins or fabric patches for
extra flair. After decorating, let the shirts dry completely before
wearing or washing. This activity is great for making custom gifts or
matching family outfits.
17. VIRTUAL STORYTIME
Join virtual story time sessions from libraries or online with your
children. Many authors and libraries host live readings or have videos
on YouTube.
These fizzy delights are easy to make and a perfect way to encourage
bath time. Use simple ingredients like baking soda, citric acid and
essential oils. You can make your bath bombs into fun shapes using
silicone moulds. They also make delightful homemade gifts.
Take a virtual trip to zoos, aquariums, historical sites and museums. You can find all sorts of free virtual tours online, at sites like the British Museum or The National Gallery. If you prefer something a little more hands-on, see which animals your kids can spot at the San Diego Zoo. Talk about what they see and learn fun facts, or do some crafts inspired by the exhibits.
Play memory-matching games with cards or pictures for a fun,
brain-boosting activity. Lay all the cards face down and take turns
flipping over two at a time with your children, trying to find matching
pairs. Make the game even more exciting by creating your own cards with
different themes, like animals or cartoon characters. This game is
perfect for all ages and is a fantastic way to improve concentration and
memory skills.
