Simple, Tantrum-Free Ways To Entertain Your Children at Home
October 25th, 2017
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So the nights are drawing in (as my gran used to say) and parents across the country are barely drawing so much as a breath, in between moans of, 'I'm bored', now that it's too dark, wet and or cold for the kids to play outside in the evenings.
So here are my top five, inexpensive and indoor ways to entertain the children this winter.
So here are my top five, inexpensive and indoor ways to entertain the children this winter.
Junk modelling
Ah, the joys of a loo roll, some masking tape and a bemusing chortle of 'here's one I made earlier' (kids no longer get that reference do they?). In all seriousness though, junk modelling has to be one of the best entertainment options out there. Grad a load of empty cartons, bottles and tubes, add a supply of tape, split pins and even the odd stapler (age dependant) and let them go for it. Hours of recycled entertainment!
Paper mache
If you can remember doing this at school, chances are you slathered a balloon with the stuff to make either a hot air balloon or a grossly inflated face asking to Harry Potter's aunt in The Prisoner of Azkaban. There are however a lot more creative options that will really draw the kids interests. Just take a browse on Pinterest, or check out these cuties below. Just grab some old newspaper and away you go! Click Here to Buy
Salt dough
Play dough in my house is always dried out, mixed into an unappealing shade of brown, or quite simply just gone. Yes, i know it's possible to make your own (I have even done so on more than one occasion) but I don't always have the ingredients or the time.
Salt dough however I can do. Salt, flour and water. Simple. Plus there's no cooking in advance so my son can get involved with the mixing. He loves making some up, spending ages creating various things, before squishing it up and usually making his inevitable choice of a gingerbread man (to be decorated as Ironman.
Plus the great bonus is that once we've made our models, the next day we can paint them, meaning two days of entertainment!
Check out a simple recipe here: Click Here to Buy
Salt dough however I can do. Salt, flour and water. Simple. Plus there's no cooking in advance so my son can get involved with the mixing. He loves making some up, spending ages creating various things, before squishing it up and usually making his inevitable choice of a gingerbread man (to be decorated as Ironman.
Plus the great bonus is that once we've made our models, the next day we can paint them, meaning two days of entertainment!
Check out a simple recipe here: Click Here to Buy
Map it out
This one is great for a bit of fun with an educational spin. Stock up on paper and pens and get map making. Children always love this and it's easily adaptable to every level and interests.
Older kids can try and draw accurate representations of the local neighbourhood or of a familiar route to school or a grandparents house. Younger kids can be entirely fictitious, drawing maps to fairytale lands (a map of where the Three Little Pigs live), faraway places (Arendelle? Come on Frozen fans!) or treasure maps leading to lost loot. If you're feeling ambitious add some authenticity with some tea bag staining and burnt edges too!
Older kids can try and draw accurate representations of the local neighbourhood or of a familiar route to school or a grandparents house. Younger kids can be entirely fictitious, drawing maps to fairytale lands (a map of where the Three Little Pigs live), faraway places (Arendelle? Come on Frozen fans!) or treasure maps leading to lost loot. If you're feeling ambitious add some authenticity with some tea bag staining and burnt edges too!
Bored or board?
Board games. Quite simply some of my happiest memories are of playing board games with the family. It's a tradition I've kept up, now playing a 'family game' after dinner every night. If you haven't got many then car boot sales and charity shops are the place to stock up.
For younger children I can't recommend Orchard house games enough, they always have an education context and are great for encouraging basic skills like turn taking. Then graduate to classics like Snakes and Ladders, Mousetrap and eventually Monopoly. You can't beat it (and usually I find I can't beat my son: he always wins!)
For younger children I can't recommend Orchard house games enough, they always have an education context and are great for encouraging basic skills like turn taking. Then graduate to classics like Snakes and Ladders, Mousetrap and eventually Monopoly. You can't beat it (and usually I find I can't beat my son: he always wins!)
What's your favourite go to activity. Comment below and let's rid the world of boredom!
Hayley x
