Our top ten ways keep little hands busy while we’re all #StayingHome

 

We know that keeping the kids entertained while staying home isn’t always easy at the best of times, never mind with the world as it is right now! So to help, we’ve rounded up our favourite activities to help you fill your days with fun!

 

Make salt dough

Salt dough is a great and easy activity and unlike baking that cake you’ve had saved on Pinterest since 2013 it’s completely kid-friendly and only needs ingredients you’ve almost definitely got in your cupboards.

Here’s our recipe:
– You’ll need 2 glasses of flour, 1 glass of fine salt and 1 glass of warm water.
– Pour the flour, salt and water into a container and mix with a spoon.
– Once the ingredients are well mixed, continue kneading with your hands!
– The salt dough must form a soft batter ball and it should not stick to the fingers. You can add a little flour if it sticks, but not too much – remember, your dough will grow.

Oh and the best bit? That there are unlimited options for themes and ideas here, make decorations, sculptures, hand and feet prints to gift to grandparents when the shutdown wanes, theme it to the season, a special holiday, someone’s birthday, you can even get a jump-start on Christmas – at this point all rules go straight out the window!

 

Get messy 

Let’s face it mess is fun! And we find that ‘organised mess’ can actually help prevent mess in place you’d rather not have it, like the kitchen you’ve Hinched for the twelfth time this morning!

Inspire My Play has endless brilliant ideas for messy, sensory play, check them out here, and we love this Mother and Baby article with 14 recipes for messy play at home.

 

Take a fitness class

We are working with our partners CARiFiT to offer FREE, live babywearing workout classes every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm! You can find all the information you need here.

 

Listen to a book 

Audible Stories is a great resource for books for kids and while we’re on lockdown they’ve said: “Stories will be here so kids everywhere and of all ages can stream incredible content to keep their minds engaged while daily routines are disrupted in these unprecedented circumstances.

“For as long as schools are closed, we’re open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.”

They’re available to listen to on a laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet here.

 

Learn a language

If home-schooling is driving you potty, you can pass French verbs over to a digital teacher… Duolingo offers free lessons in 35 different languages, and besides… ¡aprender es divertido! Download the app here.

 

Facetime Family

Just because Granny and Grandpa aren’t able to physically babysit, doesn’t mean they can’t provide a bit of free childcare. We can guarantee they’re missing your kids and your kids will be missing them too so you can almost call this one altruism.

Make some music!

Or at least burn some energy while having some fun making NOISE! Whether you have a budding Beethoven or a bubba who just likes to be heard gather whatever you have to hand that will make a racket, pots, pans, wooden spoons, bottles filled with pasta or lentils, rice etc., and let them loose!

 

Go to Disney World

Okay this is another one you need a bit of artistic licence for but dim down the lights, fire up the widescreen and ride Disneyland’s most iconic rides from the comfort of your sofa! Our favourites include: Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Frozen Ride and Mystic Manor.

 

Play with a Lion in your living room. Yep a real one. Just not quite really there.

Google’s has an AR treat for any young animal-lover. With their special 3D and “view in your space” features you can have lions in your living room, deer in the dining room and bears in the bedroom! Simply Google search your favourite animal (full list below) on your phone then click “View in 3D” then “View in your space”. Here’s the full list of animals you can see:

• Alligator
• Angler fish
• Ball python
• Brown bear
• Cat
• Cheetah
• Deer
• Dog
  • Bulldog
  • Pomeranian
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Pug
  • Rottweiler
• Duck
• Eagle
• Emperor penguin
• Giant panda
• Goat
• Hedgehog
• Horse
• Leopard
• Lion
• Macaw
• Octopus
• Racoon
• Shark
• Shetland pony
• Snake
• Tiger
• Turtle
• Wolf

Watch the Northern Lights

Explore.org and Polar Bears International are live streaming the northern lights from the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Manitoba, Canada. This is probably an early morning activity due to the time difference (they are 6 hours behind so best time to tune in is between 4am and 10am UK time). Stream the dancing, waving, emerald lights that serenade the arctic starlit sky every night here.

 

We hope these come in handy, don’t forget to tag us in your snaps if you try them out!