7 Fun Activities to Keep the Kids Entertained – Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of Fun Activities to Keep the Kids Entertained.  We can’t thank Dr Adam Arnold enough for sharing his ideas with us so that we can pass them on to you.  I know some of you are super busy and completely overloaded at the moment so we are hoping these wonderful ideas can help take some of the stress away and keep the kids happy at the same time.

This week you will find some old time favourites as well as some very creative fun to share with the family.  Don’t forget to let us know which were your favourites and please share any ideas you might have to help everyone else out.  Remember we are in this together!

1. Jewellery Making
   When the kids are bored, bring out the shoebox and let them make necklaces and bracelets.

   If your house is anything like mine you will find buttons saved from every piece of clothing you have bought hiding in a drawer and lots of old necklaces you no longer use in the jewellery box.  If you don’t have enough and thrift shops or stores like Kmart, Target or BigW aren’t available to increase your options then try adding dry pasta or other items from your craft boxEncourage their creativity by giving them different options and choices of ribbon, rag, string.

   The more you can find for them to use the better.  And once they are done you can have a dress up tea party showing off your newly acquired jewels!

2. Ghost Stories for the Not So Faint Hearted
   If you’re ready for a sleepless night or extra persons in your bed, try an evening of ghost stories.

   First, find a couple of flashlights, then cover a table with a heavy blanket.  The goal here is for the kids (and you) to make up ghost stories as ghoulish as they dare.  Everybody crouches under the table, with just the lights from the torches and takes turn telling stories.  Depending on the age of the kids participating, be prepared to be freaked out!

   If you don’t feel like spending the night under a table you can just shut off all the lights in a bedroom or living room and have everyone gather around the flashlight (like a fire) and you each take turns telling a story.The one who tells the scariest story wins a special surprise!

3. Board Games are Always Fun
   This makes me think of my own childhood.  So many nights playing Monopoly, Scrabble, Trionimos with my mum.

   Board games are always a huge hit, so make sure you have plentyof them handy, everything from the simplest to the most advanced.There are so many to choose from just make sure you pick the ones that are age-appropriate, it’s no fun to buy a game only to realise that your kids won’t understand the rules or how to play.  You can even pick games that make kids think and teach them while they play so you can be helping them learn while they are having fun!

   If you’ve played them all before you can come up with new ways of playing the games; under a blanket with a flashlight, under the table, out in the shed, or even with new “home-made” rules etc.  It will add that little bit of excitement to games the kids may be tired of.For those not keen on board games you can  find books or sites on-line that have 100’s of card or dice games, a great fall back when all else fails!

4. Mini Golf INSIDE
   I love this one as it is creative and gets the kids active at the same time!

   Start by getting the kids to sit down together and design a crazy golf course to run throughout the house or just one room if you want to limit the mess and chaos.  Use toys, bathroom stuff, kitchen utensils or anything else at hand to create the “holes” and routes.  If you don’t have a golf club at home you can make one out of thick cardboard or the small plastic golf sets are easy to come by in most toy shops, and they’re usually extremely cheap.  I recommend using a ping pong ball or something similar in size and light as the gold ball (I don’t want everyone ringing the clinic telling me that little Jilly has broken the glass cabinet in her enthusiasm to put the ball in between Big Ted’s toes 😊).

   Make the rules very clear, no swinging at each other, no hitting the ball in the air and keep the clubs on the ground so nobody gets hurt.  You can make it more fun by having treats ready for whenever a child reaches the end of the golf course and if you have competitive kids a prize for the winner.

5. All About Pictures
   Making mosaics is lots of fun and can keep the kids entertained for hours.

   You will need to collect a whole bunch of colourful magazines, or old picture books you no longer want as well as some small sheets of cardboard or even wood.Give the kids a sheet of cardboard/wood each, some glue and some of the magazines and let them rip and tear them up to their hearts content.

   Once they have their pictures picked out have them create a collage pattern with their images and then glue them onto the cardboard or wood mosaic style to fill it all up and you will have a forever keepsake and they will have art that they will love!

6. A Beach at Home
   This is great for the younger kids especially as our weather is still being kind to us and being outside is still a possibility. And since we won’t be travelling these school holidays it can give the kids a sense that they are still on holidays even though they are still at home!

   For those of you who already have one of those plastic shells in the backyard it’s time to turn it into a beach.  For those who don’t you can often pick one up cheaply at stores like Kmart and BigW as well as some beach toys like buckets, spades, etc.  Fill one half with sand and the other half with water.  Add a whole lot of kitchen utensils and containers, and the kids will occupy themselves for ages. Help them build sandcastles or create a beach scene in the sand.  Use pebbles in the backyard to represent shells and a torn up garbage bag to be sea weed.  Let their imagination run wild!

   When playtime is over put all the toys and creative extras into a plastic bin to keep them altogether ready for the next play time and remember to cover the sand pit so animals won’t mistake it for a “litter” box leaving new surprises for the kids on their return!

7. Ribbon Sticks
   Everyone has watched the Rhythm Gymnastics at the Olympics so here is the chance to make your own little gymnast with very little effort.

   For this you need nothing more than some strips of wide ribbon and some bamboo sticks.  If you don’t have those then try using the cardboard inside of the wrapping paper, a long ruler or a garden stake.  I am sure there are lots more things around the house that would fit the bill.  Then all you need to do is tie a length of ribbon at one end.  Make the ribbon length no longer than what the kids can handle and if you have more than 1 child to make these for, try using different coloured ribbon so there is no fighting 😊.

   Now let the kids loose with the sticks and tell them to try to make shapes, circles, and snakes etc just like the gymnasts do on T.V.

We hope these ideas are helping to while away some of the long hours keeping the kids entertained.  We will be back next week with another 7 but in the meantime reach out if you need us.

Stay happy, healthy and safe.

Lorraine 💚