As a busy Mum of 2 I know exactly what it’s like, the cold nights are still dark and the weather’s getting colder, making it harder to keep little ones entertained.
Here at The Toy Shop we have come up with a solution…
31 activity ideas to keep little ones busy, using what you already have in the house.
Feel free to have a read, screenshot the things that you’d like to try and give them a go.
Create bubble paintings. Add washing up liquid to water based paint, blow bubbles with straws and lay paper over the top. Be careful not to suck up the paint.
Spider web- tape crepe paper up all along the hallway, then ask the kids to try to cross the hallway without tearing the paper.
Write thank you cards for Christmas gifts, use hand prints or paint using mark making with younger kids. It’s the gesture that counts.
Make a den using blankets and sofa cushions, enjoy reading a book by torch light inside the den.
Create snowflakes by gluing cotton buds into star shapes on paper.
Make fat balls to feed the birds using seeds and nuts, lay string into the mixture to create a loop to hang it up.
Build your own stick man- collect sticks, allow them to dry out and then use wool to tie the sticks together, over lapping them to create a stick man figure with arms and legs.
Create your own pizza face. Use a wrap as the base, tomatoes sauce and ingredients to give the face features, like cheese hair, pepper lips and cherry tomato eyes.
Pasta jewellery. Paint penne pasta in bright colours, allow to dry and then thread onto string to create necklaces and bracelets.
Feed ducks/squirrels in the local park.
Make fruit smoothies by blending frozen fruit and apple juice.
Make a dream catcher sticking lolly pop sticks together and then decorate with string, beads and feathers.
Salt dough decorations. 1 cup warm water, 1 cup salt and 2 cups flour. Mix, roll out, shape and bake on a low heat for 2-3 hours. Make them heart shaped for valentine’s day.
Snowy playdough- mix ½ cup body lotion and 1 cup corn-starch in large bowl, add more cornstarch until it’s no longer sticky. Add glitter if you wish. Store in air tight box at room tempertaure.
Paper and straw challenge- use a straw to lift up square pieces of paper by sucking up the straw. How many can you collect in a minute?
Make a ski slope in the house for toys- tape cardboard up against a box to create an angle, why not put toy figures onto two lolly pop sticks to create skis.
Plant bulbs or seeds into pots for Easter gifts. Store outside to keep cool and stop from sprouting too early.
Make healthy ice cubes with the kids, look after different fruit, colours and shapes, add to water tray and freeze.
Make an indoor sensory snow scene, use flour to create the snow, add pine cones, and small animal figures like polar bear and deer.
Turn daffodil petals different colours, add food colouring to the vase water, blue, green and red work really well.
Winter water tray- sprinkle white sequins, cotton balls, foam snowflakes, and polystyrene packaging pieces onto water. Let the kids play and experiment with textures.
Build a snow man- decorate an empty plastic bottle with eyes, nose and buttons, draw on the bottle or stick on the features, then find white objects to fill the bottle and give the snowman his snow- cotton balls, white buttons and white sequins work well. Ensure the top is fastened tightly.
Ice cube painting- fill ice cube trays with water-based paint and stand a lolly pop stick in each cube. Once frozen, use to paint on paper, watching as the ice melts to create beautiful patterns.
Go on a bird watch walk, write down the species you see.
DIY snowman stress ball- fill a white balloon with flour using a funnel. Let out excess air, draw on eyes, a nose and smile using black permanent pen.
Marshmallow sparklers- pop large marshmallows on skewers, dip in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles of your choice.
Indoor cinema- get popcorn at the ready, make play tickets with the kids, line teddies up to watch with you and enjoy watch a movie together.
Indoor skittles- stack paper cups into a tower and knock over by throwing large cotton balls at them. Maybe pretend you are throwing indoor snowballs.
Bath disco bath- add glow sticks to the bath and turn the lights off. Why not play your kids favourite tune and even add some balloons to the water?!
Rain collector- cut the top off a plastic bottle and leave outside, measure the height of rain after a day/week.
Make an indoor road. stick tape on the floor in lines to make roads for toy cars. Can you make a parking bay and junctions?
For more play ideas, give us a follow
Have fun through January and tag us in any pictures to share the joy @thetoyshop_robinhoodsbay
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