10 Easy Ways to Entertain Kids during Lockdown

Mark Hudson • Aug 28, 2021

Keeping the kids occupied during lockdown

‘When a door closes, a window always opens.” Fans of the ‘The Sound of Music’ will remember Maria von Trapp, perhaps the ultimate nanny of all time, uttering a similar refrain. Out of strange times come positives.

Lockdowns mean many of us are spending more time with those we love and live with. That includes the kids, of course. Keeping them busy, stimulated and entertained is a challenge but it can also be rewarding.

Read on for the handpicked ideas you need to see things through until a little normality returns.

Keep a Jar of Energy Sticks

Always consult your kids and have a brainstorm about their favourite activities. You can add those that are realistic to our top ten activities. Write them all down on ice block sticks and keep them in a jar.

When you need a new activity, let them pick a stick and away you go. Be sure to make clear that they have to go along with whatever their choice of energy stick says.

1. Build a Den or Castle

Make a truly magical space within your own homes or outside in the garden. The first thing to do is to come up with a plan. Start by drawing the brief. Ask the children questions like these:

What will they make the den out of?
What will it look like?
What do they want to use the den for?

When coming up with your design, bear in mind that triangles are the most stable structural shape. If the frame must be square, make a crossbar between two of the corners to create two triangles. This will keep the frame stronger and more secure.

Source your materials for the structure from household objects. These could be anything from mops to boxes and old clothes rails. Use masking or double sided tape to stick the structural elements together.

Be inventive by checking out the garage or shed for hidden treasures like old sheets to use for the sides of the structure. You could encourage the kids to paint or draw designs on these and add Christmas lights for the evenings.

2. Try Some Creative Writing

Plan a story and engage your kids to put it into words. Get started by asking the children to:

Pick a central character
Create a setting
Incorporate a special object such as a magic door, old lamp or treasure map

Use the ‘Somebody Wanted But So Then’ model as a basic outline for the story. For example, Somebody (an alien from space) Wanted (to save a neighbouring planet from pirates) But (their spacecraft had broken down) So (they found a good fairy to fix it) and Then (chased the pirates away).

Once the kids have written the story, they could turn it into an eBook with photos they have taken and pictures they have drawn.

3. Have Fun in the Kitchen

Cupcakes or chocolate chip cookies are always a big hit with children of all ages. Keep things more simple with cornflake cakes or gingerbread decorations.

Store some plain pizza bases in the freezer and ask the kids to create their favourite toppings.

4. Create Some Greetings Cards

There’s always an occasion to give a card. Lockdown is a good time for the kids to get creative and keep in touch with relatives or friends they may not have seen for a while.

Handprints or footprints can work well as can collages made from recycled bits and pieces that you would otherwise throw away.

5. Have a Treasure or Nature Hunt

Make a list of items that you want the kids to find around the house or in the garden. These could be things like:

A leaf
A pebble
A lipstick
7 blades of grass etc

If you need to stay indoors, hide letters or words around the house that together would create a sentence or poem. Once the kids have found them all, they should reassemble the characters so that they make sense.

6. Play Bird, Fish, Fruit

This is a simple game that’s also educational. Use the list below and then decide on a letter. The letter could be the initial of everyone’s first name. The idea is to come up with one example in each category that begins with that letter.

Here is a list to be getting on with but you could add other categories to it:

Bird, fish, fruit, flower, vegetable, boy’s name, girl’s name, river, country, capital city, mammal, reptile, and tree.

7. Make a Wallpaper Collage

Roll out wallpaper onto the floor and ask the kids to lie on it (one by one). Draw around the outline of their body and ask them to cut out the shape.

Get them to decorate their cut-out body shape by drawing on it and sticking pieces of material or foil to it. They can use their imaginations to find ways to create eyes, noses and clothing. Once finished, they can pin it to a wall.

8. Create Some Homemade Playdough

Ask the children to measure out these ingredients:

1 cup of flour
½ cup of salt
1 tablespoon of cream of tartar
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
2 drops of food colouring

Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Cook, stirring quickly until they form a ball. This will take 3-4 minutes. Once the ball is cool, it’s ready to mould and make shapes with.

9. Make the Driveway Brighter

Use coloured chalks to brighten up paths and driveways. Create a hopscotch obstacle course at the same time. You can make an indoor version of the game using coloured tape on the floor.

10. Take a Virtual Tour of an Overseas Museum

Many of the world’s big attractions offer virtual online tours. Here are a few ideas:

The British Museum
Melbourne’s Sealife Centre
Yellowstone National Park

Make the Hard Times Better

We know that being a working parent during lockdown comes with all sorts of challenges. You might have the added burden of being without your usual level of support. Our list of ideas is here to help and inspire you and your family.

We’re also there for all your nanny payroll needs. These take away the stress of lots of complex admin. Contact us now for more information. We’d love it if you could give us a like over on our Facebook page as well.

< Older Post Newer Post >

GET IN TOUCH TODAY