Be it a rainy day or staying in for a delivery, sometimes you just can’t get out the house for whatever reason. If your little ones are off school too, you’ll need some activities to keep kids entertained.
If you’re anything like me though, you might not have the energy to create a papier mache unicorn island, or many of the other fancy suggestions you’ll find online. You need easy, you need quick, and you need foolproof.
None of these ideas will reinvent the wheel, but if you’re lucky, they might just occupy your kids for one or two blessed hours. That could give you time to catch up on work, relax, or just opportunity to search for noise-cancelling headphones on Amazon. Kids can be bloody noisy.
Three Easy Activities to Keep Kids Entertained
What’s Missing?
A classic game of memory. Each child collects several small items or toys and lays them out in front of them (15 items is a good amount). Each then take it in turns to leave the room for 30 seconds while the other removes one item from their collection.
When the player returns, they have to figure out which item has been removed. In taking turns and the initial sourcing of the objects, this can eat up a surprising amount of time. Donate a few extra items for their collections to ensure that it lasts even longer!
Bracelet Making
Threading things on string.
That’s it. Beautiful in its simplicity.
There’s plenty of things you can use to put on each bracelet: buttons, keyrings or even Hula Hoops. Don’t worry, they’ll only want to wear it for a total of 20 minutes tops afterwards. The activity can be made easier or harder by changing up the string to thick wool or cotton thread. A great way to develop smaller kids’ fine motor skills.
Bags and Blindfolds
Another game that can keep kids occupied for ages if there’s at least two to play. Give one a bag (ideally not plastic – parenting 101), and one a blindfold. One player leaves the room to find an object while the other puts on the blindfold.
You know the rest. The blindfolded player simply has to identify the object by putting their hand in the bag. Remember though, that these are kids playing here. Kids are MENTAL. You’ll need to ensure beforehand that any cactus plants are out of the way, and that the dog’s litter tray has been emptied.
Looking for more lazy ways to stay sane during school breaks? Here’s my survival guide for the summer hols.
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