As many British families have decided to stay in the Middle East this summer and temperatures are heating up, many parents are a looking for ideas of how to keep their children entertained. When you’re stuck at home with the kids and have nothing to do, don’t despair! These fun activities for kids are easy, DIY, and can mostly be done with everyday items that you have around the house.

Have a picnic

Children love an adventure, and nothing says adventure more than doing something different. An early morning breakfast picnic is just the thing! Not only can they help you make the snacks – think croissants, pastries and fruits – they can help you pack the picnic basket and set up the whole area outside.

Write a book

Even if your children are still learning to read and write, they can still make up stories. Create a collection of blank books, and let your children draw their story. You can even write the words for them as they tell you the story, or they can sound out the words phonetically and write the story on their own.

Make an indoor den

Grab some blankets and pillows and set to work creating the perfect indoor den. Use furniture pushed together to create the structure and you can even add some fairy lights to make it more magical.

Organise a quarantine quiz night

Quiz nights are a fun and uniting family activity at home. Find your favourite topics on online quiz platforms like Triviaplaza – from movies and pop music to geography and literature. Or, print quizzes for your kids to have some educational off-screen time.

Box creations

Still a favourite! The older your child is, the more complex the designs can be! From transformer vehicles to aeroplanes and trains, the options are limitless. We’ve all got Kibson’s or HelloChef boxes ready for recycling, so get out the cardboard boxes and create!

Learn a new skill

Online courses are a great way to learn and there’s so many options available! You just need a stable internet connection and some research to find the ideal course for your child, a little bit of patience and that’s it – knowledge at the tip of your fingers!

Teach your daughter about make up

It’s perfectly normal for girls to be interested in their mum’s makeup (and boys too!) so showing your child the different types of make up products and what they’re used for can be really educational. Even is your daughter is on the younger side, you can still sit and play with her with some of your old or discarded makeup. Allowing her to make up you and testing the colours and textures are great for sensory development. The only piece of advise would be try and not link the use of makeup to beauty, so avoid saying how beautiful she looks with lipstick, but rather focus on how the specific product is bringing out the colour of her eyes or the shape of her face.

Throw an online party

Children are really missing their friends so you could help them by organising an online party over Zoom or Google Hangouts. Prepare in advance by emailing party accessories to your child’s friends. These can includes quizzes or trivia.

Make your own hand scrub

Perhaps you’ve seen sugar hand scrub recipes but never tried it? Now is the perfect time to experiment!

Ingredients:

⅔ cup of sugar
¼ cup coconut oil or olive oil (fractionated coconut oil is best or use standard coconut oil that has been melted to a liquid state in the microwave.
15 drops of lemon essential oil or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Your final consistency should be semi-dry- like sand that is just a little damp. You will need to make adjustments at this point to get the right texture. This should be nice and creamy and not too dry but yet not runny. So continue to add more sugar and or more lemon juice/ oil until it looks like a thick hand cream.

Have a sport day

Most children love a good challenge, and some of the more simple outdoor type games are great for a mood breaker – obstacle courses, relay races, egg and spoon challenge and sack races.

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Fun Learning Activities For Pre-School Kids To Do At Home

Fun and easy toddler activities to do at home!

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