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200+ Creative Things to do with Kids at Home (Lockdown Bucket List + free printable)

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THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE LIST FOR PARENTS AND KIDS AT HOME DURING COVID-19**

I know some of you are still crying into your coffee at the thought of managing your munchkins 24-7 until, like, the end of all time. Sure, #thestruggle is real but it doesn’t have to turn into famageddon. As promised, I’ve put together a mammoth list of 100 thing to do with kids at home during lockdown.

I’ve been sent so many homeschooling and family activity suggestions lately, it’s making my head spin. So I thought it would be a good idea to create a centralised resource for parents and kids coping with the COVID-19 quarantine, self-isolation and social distancing measures.

My 200+ things to do with kids at home during lockdown includes links that are doing the rounds, as well as ideas I’ve come up with on my own, with my kids and through research. You can adapt these for your family as you please and I’ve included a checklist for you to download and print off at home.

 

AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS

This list is filled with ideas to inspire. It’s not about piling on more pressure, making you feel inadequate or like you have to do ALL THE THINGS. My top tip is to focus on doing One Thing every day that matters to you — whether that’s a personal goal or challenge, your child’s homework task, or some fun family activity. There’s enough going on out there to worry about so if you need a whole day/week off, take it.

You might consider trying out some free and fun online gaming opportunities with your kids, such as hearts and other skills-building games. Card games are not only fun when you’re stuck indoors but can be great for developing your child’s hand-eye coordination too.

Our schedule is pretty flexible: some reading every day, at least one piece of home learning in the morning or afternoon, a chore completed after every mealtime and that’s about it. We aim to get outside for some Vitamin D and fresh air but if we spend all day in our PJs, it’s no biggie. Right now, we’re easing into the two weeks of Easter break.

The best advice I’ve read comes from teachers themselves who say: don’t get hung up trying to recreate school at home. Try to use this lockdown as an opportunity to enjoy more creative time together, read books, play board games, watch some brilliant family shows and movies, listen to all the music. Have some real conversations with your little people. Rediscover who they are and rediscover yourself too.

Remember, this too shall pass. I believe we’re entering an era that will bring forth more humanity, more creativity and more babies! So in the words of Maximus from Gladiator, I wish you strength and honour, mamas and papas.

Strength and honour.

200+ THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS AT HOME DURING LOCKDOWN

Home learning

HOME LEARNING

SCHOOL OF YOUTUBE

VIRTUAL TOURS

Visit these sites on Google Arts and Culture:

  • Southbank Centre
  • Tate Museum
  • Frida Kahlo
  • Van Gogh Museum
  • British Museum
  • Smithsonian
  • Metropolitan Museum

You can also tour:

EDUCATIONAL APPS 

(available on iOS and Android)

  • Google Earth
  • Photomath
  • Star Chart (astronomy)
  • Khan Academy
  • YouTube Kids
  • News-O-Matic
  • Toca Lab
  • Kids Academy
  • Edmodo
  • Kahoot!
  • Quizlet
  • Edublogs
  • Book Creator
 

PODCASTS – STORIES

  • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
  • Reading Harry Potter with my Four Year Old
  • Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl
  • Five Minutes with Dad
  • Barefoot Books Podcast
  • Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show

PODCASTS – LEARNING

  • TED Talks Kids and Family
  • World of Wonder
  • Brains On
  • But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
  • Ear Snacks
  • Quiztopia
  • Dream Big Podcast
  • Shakespeare Retold
  • Myths and History of Ancient Greece and Rome
  • What If World
  • The Podcast Kid
  • Junior Money Makers

OLD SCHOOL TOYS

  • LEGO
  • Yoyo
  • Rubiks Cube
  • Juggling balls
  • Magic set
  • Skipping rope
  • Hula hoop
  • Spinning top
  • Diabolo
  • Marble run

CLASSIC GAMES

  • Pillow fight
  • Water fight
  • Paper Games e.g. Noughts and Crosses
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Sports Day games e.g. egg & spoon
  • Fairground games e.g. coconut shy
  • Travel games e.g. I Spy
  • Party Games e.g. musical statues
  • Parlour Games: e.g. Charades
  • Playground Games: e.g. hide & seek

SPORTY GAMES

  • Ping pong
  • Racquet games (Badminton/Tennis)
  • Basketball/netball
  • Football
  • Magnetic darts
  • Bowling or skittles
  • Gymnastics and Fitness Workouts
  • Volleyball
  • Frisbee/catch
  • Rollerskating

DIY + SOLO GAMES

COMPETITIONS AND CHALLENGES

  • Lip-sync Battle
  • Spelling Bee
  • Debating contest
  • Arm wrestling or thumb war 
  • Keepy Uppy challenges
  • Memorise famous poem/speech/lyrics
  • Rap/beatboxing battle
  • Family Bake-Off
  • Family Come Dine with Me
  • Family dance-off

OUTDOOR FUN

  • Go for a walk
  • Family bike ride or skate
  • Pond dipping
  • Sketch your neighbourhood
  • Draw on pavements
  • Fly a kite
  • Camp in your garden
  • Blow bubbles out the window
  • Play music from rooftop or balcony

LIFE SKILLS

COOK AND EAT

  • Cook from a DIY recipe box
  • No Bake Desserts
  • Carpet picnic
  • Midnight feast
  • Family recipe book
  • 52 Meatless Mondays meal plan 
  • Bake three ingredient cookies
  • Pasta from scratch
  • Movie-inspired menu
  • Eat around the globe

HOUSEHOLD CHORES

  • Clean bedroom
  • Dust furniture
  • Organise shoes & coats
  • Hoover living room
  • Sweep kitchen floor
  • Wash and dry dishes
  • Rubbish & recycling
  • Wipe surfaces and door handles
  • Declutter table tops & stairs
  • Do a load of laundry

HOME AND GARDEN

  • Make a bird feeder
  • Make a DIY terrarium
  • Plant a fruit tree
  • Grow your own vegetables
  • Redecorate a bedroom
  • Redesign school/office nook
  • Clear out the attic
  • Organise your bookshelves
  • Create a gallery wall
  • Create a time capsule 

PODCASTS – SERIES

  • Story Pirates
  • ImagiNate
  • Just Us Weirdos
  • The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
  • Becoming Mother Nature
  • The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
  • The Secret Diaries of Tara Tremendous
  • The Mayan Crystal
  • Aaron’s World
  • Once Upon a Time in Zombieland
  • The Tales of Deputy Guppy
  • Tales from the Moosiverse
  • Jamie Johnson Football Podcast
  • Groundbreaking Girls
  • The Two Princes (LGBTQ-friendly!)
  • Professor Theo’s Mystery Lab

CREATIVE PLAY

  • Interview a family member
  • Open a home spa/temp. tattoo parlour
  • Create a Family Bucket List or Boredom Jar
  • Classic album listening party
  • Create a Lockdown family playlist
  • Learn a musical instrument
  • Shoot a music video
  • Write a story/poem/song/rap
  • Take a themed photo every day
  • Create a noticing wall

ARTS AND CRAFTS

READING

FAMILY FRIENDLY TV

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • The Middle
  • Fresh Prince of Bel Air
  • Blackish
  • Fresh Off the Boat
  • The Simpsons
  • Planet Earth
  • Jamie Johnson
  • Raising Dion
  • Friends
  • Lost in Space

FAMILY FILMS

  • The Incredibles 1 & 2
  • Toy Story trilogy
  • Paddington 1 & 2
  • Finding Nemo & Finding Dory
  • Studio Ghibli season
  • Steven Spielberg season
  • Harry Potter series
  • Star Wars 1-9
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe in order

USEFUL LINKS

200+ Things to do with Kids at Home

 

**contains affiliate links

200+ Creative Things to do with Kids at Home (Lockdown Bucket List + free printable)
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About Uju

Uju Asika is a writer, blogger and creative consultant. She is the author of Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation (DK/Penguin Random House), Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World (Yellow Kite/Hachette UK) and the delightful picture book A World for Me and You, illustrated by Jennie Poh (Hachette Children's Group). Uju's books are available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Waterstones and other good bookshops. Follow Uju @babesabouttown on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.

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