Top 10 Tips To Keep The Kids Entertained During Self-Isolation
“Schools out for”…well the truth is, we’re not really sure on how long school is out for. However, we are sure that our top tips on how to keep your kids entertained during self-isolation will give you lots of ideas, inspiration, family time and of course, lots of fun!
Who doesn’t love a good old scavenger hunt? It is great fun for all the family! You can create your own scavenger hunt depending on what you have available in your home, or you can use our below list that we have created especially for this:
Reading for kids is fun and it allows their imagination to run away with them. While not only being fun, it is also great for broadening their knowledge, vocabulary and understanding. While they are off school, reading a book will keep them entertained, so why not incorporate this into a Family Book Club? Everyone reads their book for at least 30 minutes each day, and at the end of the week, the Family Book Club gets together and shares what has happened in their story so far.
Top tip: Why not start the family book club by all reading The Monster Party? Connswater & EastSide Arts created this children’s book with the children’s author Myra Zepf, illustrator Tarsila Kruse and the help of Euston St Primary School, Orangefield Primary School & St Joseph’s Primary School. Download The Monster Party for FREE here: https://www.connswater.co.uk/the-monster-party/
This is partly for the kids and partly for the adults. Building an indoor fort definitely brings back some nostalgia for the adults. All you need to build your family fort is sheets, cushions, pillows, chairs or anything that you can find around the house that you think will work. Once you have built the fort, kids can have hours of fun in it, whether it be doing their school work, colouring-in or watching a movie. Lots of fun to be had by all.
Warning: This will involve a bit of mess and so make sure you get the kids involved in tidying up after themselves. Maybe run a fun bit of sibling rivalry…whoever can tidy up their fort the fastest wins a prize? Let’s be honest, we’ve all fallen for that one!
Got old bottles lying around the house? May it be drinks bottles, shampoo containers or even the cardboard inner parts of your toilet roll. These will all act as create pins for your bowling alley. Then simply find any type of ball that you have, and you’ve got your bowling alley all set up and ready to strike! Get your family together and host your first weekly bowling tournament.
Warning: Make sure that your bowling alley is set up somewhere in your home, where items can not be knocked over easily.
Being creative is a great way of letting your children express themselves through art. So get the family together and enjoy painting, creating Happy Easter cards, make little chick finger puppets and so much more! Let the kids come up with ideas of what masterpieces they would like to create and then get the whole family involved.
Warning: This can be messy, so ensure that you have your workspace cleared and covered, before the artists begin their work!
This may be more fun for the parents, however it is great to get the kids involved too. Make it a fun exercise by getting the kids to dress up and perform a fashion show in their favourite clothes, to see which clothes they really want to wear. Ask your kids to pick three toys that they don’t play with anymore to donate to charity, so that another child can have years of enjoyment from their toys. This is not only a fun clear out exercise, as it also teachers your children about donating and helping others.
Warning: This could take some time, so maybe do the wardrobe one week and the toys the next!
Snakes & Ladders, Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly are only a few ideas of board games that will keep the family entertained. Introduce a family board game night which happens once a week, where each child takes it in turns to choose their board game for that week.
Warning: Family board game night may result in very competitive behaviour, so be prepared for there to be dramatic winners celebrations.
Now that the kids are off they will want a tasty treat! So why not get them involved by teaching them how to bake cupcakes, fifteens, scones, cookies & lots more? Download some great recipes from BBC Good Food. Why not try some cooking recipes with Kids Cook With Theo every Monday & Wednesday at 4pm?
Warning: This will cause lots of enjoyment but also lots (and we mean lots) of mess. Flour will go everywhere, and milk may be spilled, but kids do love to get messy!
Roll up, roll up it’s time for movie night! Grab some popcorn, their favourite drink and sit down and watch their favourite movie. Get everyone involved in picking a movie once a week, so that everyone gets to watch their favourite movie. Now what will they choose? A Disney classic maybe? Why not introduce the kids to some of the classics that you watched when you were younger like Mary Poppins, Matilda, Jungle Book and so much more!
Warning: This may cause serious nostalgia, that may make you enjoy the movie more than the kids!
Are the kids upset about missing their end of term disco? Then creating your own home disco is a great idea. You can play lots of fun games including freeze and musical chairs. All you need is music, turn the lights down and create space for a dance floor area. Then, just let your kids dance the night away and have great fun!
Warning: This may cause lots of loud singing and funky dance moves.
Top tip: Check out Dancing With Diane Buswell on Instagram daily, for lots of ideas on how to perfect their dance moves!
