Refreshed 4 years ago

Ideas to keep kids entertained when self isolating / home from school

Update 1
Updated today with some new info / ideas - stay safe everyone!
Schools have closed again, so I have resurrected / updated this thread - hopefully it will be useful

As much as we want to keep our children safe, the thoughts of self isolating with young kids for the foreseeable future can be a bit daunting! I thought I'd put together a few ideas on how to keep kids entertained if they are home from school to help avoid those dreaded words ...... I’m BORED!

I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions so we can all help each other out –please share them!

Get creative - with some Arts & Crafts


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Make a Fort - Help create lasting memories - kids will love spending hours creating the perfect hideaway

Get baking – keeps the kids busy AND you get to eat the tasty treats afterwards. Why not pick out a recipe, pretend you are hosting your own cooking show and video it.


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Get Outside - if everyone is well then why not get kids out in the back garden to play.

  • Follow government advice’ as it’ll likely change daily / every few days

Gardening - Get the kids involved with helping you get the garden ready for Spring


Plant some seedlings - whether it's for flowers, or herbs, kids will love to see them grow. Egg cartons are great for starting off new seeds

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Youtube Kids - this is awesome and you can tailor it to your child. Lots of options for parental controls too like to limiting screen time, blocking videos etc


Educational Youtube Channels

Free Podcasts for Kids - great selection available!


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Plan your day / week- with so much to remember, and lots to juggle these Free Printable Daily and Weekly Planners could come in really useful to keep you on track! Thanks

The Kids might even find it fun to fill in their own planner!

Learn to Code for Free - lot's of fun, and a good way for your kids to use their brains. Some free options below:


Online Educational Games & Resources- educational and fun at the same time.



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Scouts have over 100 Free indoor educational activities - While we normally love the great outdoors, we’ve pulled together some inspired indoor activity ideas (if we do say so ourselves) to keep kids entertained while schools are closed due to the pandemic


FREE Online Virtual Tours- Isolation doesn't mean you can't enjoy museums, zoos and other attractions from around the world. (Thanks )


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Learn to Sew on a Button - i've just realised I have been doing it wrong all along!


Make a Sock Puppet - make good use of those new sewing skills ^ and create your own sock puppet with button eyes. Time to make use of all those odd socks lying around!


Puppet Show - Create your own Theatre using a cardboard box


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Have a Netflix Party - a bit random I know, but the kids might like it .... Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.


Movie Night (or day!) - Of course you'll need snacks!


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Free Books, Magazines & Puzzles - lots of freebies available


Unleash you inner Wizard! - J.K. Rowling and her Wizarding World partners have launched Harry Potter At Home


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Make a Family Scrapbook - Choose your fave family pictures, sort them into groups and start to make a scrapbook. Get creative and personalise it - a nice way to preserve and create family memories

Whack out the board games - Let the games begin! A great way to have some family time.


See how many activities your kids can complete!

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Read a Book - Reading is great for everyone! If you have younger kids they will LOVE to be read to, and join in when they can.


Spotify Kids app - Spotify Kids is a standalone smartphone app. It's like the regular Spotify app, but with a smaller library and parental controls


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Get the kids involved in some tidying up - shock, horror! I'm not talking about loading them down with housework. However now is a great time to teach some home skills, a couple of small tasks, that they can tick off each day!

Read a Comic - Get the latest news from 2000 AD delivered straight to your inbox – every week!


Have an Indoor Scavenger Hunt - who doesn't love a treasure hunt?! Type up a list of things that need to be found, give everyone a list, and a time limit. Don't forget a small prize for the winner!

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Yoga on YouTube - Sophia Khan leads a fun and family-friendly introduction to yoga. You’ll get to warm up, practice breathing and poses, and relax into a power down.


Children's FREE Virtual Live PE Classes with Joe Wicks


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Take them back to YOUR childhood - Tons of classic TV Shows like He-Man now free to watch! (Thanks )


Help them to connect with Friends & Family - it's so important to keep in touch, and really nice to have video calls. This can be quite a novelty for young kids


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Invest in some new outdoor toys - long term investment, and they can enjoy these right through summer too.


Have a mini Pamper hour - break out the body lotions and face masks ..... don't forget the cucumber for your eyes! Even a basin with warm soapy water for a foot soak, and paint those nails.....


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Rock Painting (thanks @myusernamehasgone234)

My friend used to do this with my kids when they were younger . We still have some of the nicer designs in our house.


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You may also be interested in:

Some links for parents who are homeschooling their kids - Thanks

A really useful thread packed with links to help those who are homeschooling!
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  1. Myusernamehasgone234's avatar
    Rock painting is fun if you like crafts google is full of ideas


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    40098124-DDbSG.jpg
  2. MiniMissyMoo's avatar
    Twinkl offer learning resources for teachers and parents/carers. They provide some free downloads to those who create an account. They have created some school closure resource packs free of charge.
    EYFS Resource Pack can be found HERE.
    KS1 HERE.
    KS2 HERE.
    Years 1-6 HERE.
    Curriculum For Excellence HERE.
    I’ve seen an email which has been shared to a Scottish school group that they are kindly offering their one month ultimate membership to all teachers and parents free of charge if you click this link and use the offer code UKTWINKLHELPS


    40098076.jpg (edited)
  3. BattleCat's avatar
    I'm childfree, but if I had kids, I'd force them to sit down with me and watch all the classic 80's cartoons I grew up on. We would work through Ulysses, Cities Of Gold, The Racoons, Transformers, Mask, Dogtation, Pole Position, Thundercats, Visionaries etc .. oh and He-Man obviously until they are properly educated.

    All on Youtube
  4. millarcat's avatar
    Author
    Biddy213/03/2020 14:25

    Hang on. Aren’t they supposed to be doing the school work prepared for t …Hang on. Aren’t they supposed to be doing the school work prepared for them by their teachers? Last I read, schools across the country have been told to prepare home learning packs for them if they are isolated. Some will be using online based teaching too.


    Yeah absolutely - however if they're going to be at home, all day every day, they are going to have a lot of time on their hands!

    Also learning from home is not likely to take up a full school day - those who homeschool often say they get through a lot more in a lot less time (1 or 2 children instead of 30 odd)
  5. Pete's avatar
    Board games and jigsaws are always a winner when on a dismal rainy caravan holiday in Wales, I wonder if its transferable?
  6. Biddy2's avatar
    Hang on. Aren’t they supposed to be doing the school work prepared for them by their teachers? Last I read, schools across the country have been told to prepare home learning packs for them if they are isolated. Some will be using online based teaching too.
  7. Myusernamehasgone234's avatar
    Great thread
  8. abigsmurf's avatar
    Perfect chance to watch Green Eggs and Ham on Netflix with your kids. Easily the best Dr Seuss adaptation and it's good for both small kids and adults.
  9. SCO_OnSite's avatar
    We're bringing day 1 of being off school to a close. Both kids are going to do a drawing of what we did today. And one every day while they're off. We should have a nice book & keepsake when we're all done.
  10. Myusernamehasgone234's avatar
    Biddy213/03/2020 14:37

    Times have changed then since I was at school. We’d probably have 5 mins o …Times have changed then since I was at school. We’d probably have 5 mins of fuss at the beginning of a lesson followed by 50 mins of work. Not including breaks of course, that’s about 5 hours worth of work they would have had back in my day...God I feel old now.


    Say they do 5-6 hours home schooling each day their activities will be cancelled too like sport club and youth clubs so still a lot of time to keep them entertained each day. (edited)
  11. WondeirngWillow's avatar
    I love this community for things like this, great work!
  12. deleted2221095's avatar
    buckfast67uk13/03/2020 16:49

    Comment deleted


    This thread is titled “ideas to keep kids entertained if you are self isolating/home from school”.

    Your angry and totally off topic comment tells me you must’ve commented on the wrong thread
  13. millarcat's avatar
    Author
    MiniMissyMoo13/03/2020 13:24

    Twinkl offer learning resources for teachers and parents/carers. They provi …Twinkl offer learning resources for teachers and parents/carers. They provide some free downloads to those who create an account. They have created some school closure resource packs free of charge. EYFS Resource Pack can be found HERE.KS1 HERE.KS2 HERE.I’ve seen an email which has been shared to a Scottish school group that they are kindly offering their one month ultimate membership to all teachers and parents free of charge if you click this link and use the offer code UKTWINKLHELPS I am not sure if this is just applicable to Scotland.[Image]


    Thanks These are great - LOADS of printables on those links - I even noticed a power point story about St. Patrick!
  14. bojangles's avatar
    teach them how to cook & clean. Someone needs to do the work when the parents are ill.
  15. deleted1497841's avatar
    my advice is to try keeping kids in their normal routines (bedtime and mealtimes) as much as possible. kids who are out of routine become way more difficult to handle😣 perhaps try making your own timetable of learning/playing/video times... to keep things a little organised and so they aren't glued to screens all the time
  16. Notasheep's avatar
    I've just spent all day with the online homeschooling for my kids, I've literally not had a minute, how are people finding time to do 'fun' stuff. Genuine question.
  17. Myusernamehasgone234's avatar
    Pete13/03/2020 13:22

    Board games and jigsaws are always a winner when on a dismal rainy caravan …Board games and jigsaws are always a winner when on a dismal rainy caravan holiday in Wales, I wonder if its transferable?


    Uno and Exploding kittens are popular in our house at the moment (edited)
  18. millarcat's avatar
    Author
    Myusernamehasgone23413/03/2020 13:32

    Rock painting is fun if you like crafts google is full of ideas [Image] [Im …Rock painting is fun if you like crafts google is full of ideas [Image] [Image]


    Oh I LOVE this, my friend used to do this with my kids when they were younger (how did I forget?!!) We still have some of the nicer designs in our house. Great idea
  19. MiniMissyMoo's avatar
    millarcat13/03/2020 13:45

    Thanks @MiniMissyMoo These are great - LOADS of printables on those links …Thanks @MiniMissyMoo These are great - LOADS of printables on those links - I even noticed a power point story about St. Patrick!


    You’re welcome. I’m not very clued up on the education system in the rest of the UK as I am in Scotland but I had to share They are currently working on Scottish school resource packs inline with the Curriculum for excellence so I will update once they add them.
  20. Oneday77's avatar
    Ask your kids school what online learning tools they use. My sons school has Nessie, Google Classroom, Sumdog, epic reading, etc.
    Don’t just treat it as time off, by all means have some fun. Treat a schools day as an element of learning too.
  21. mysmugcat's avatar
    If you have a library card, free books and probably more to download.
  22. nice2bnice's avatar
    What a fantastic thread thanks for all the great ideas my 10 year old son might actually enjoy spending time with me rather than his Xbox!!
  23. Hacked's avatar
    Self isolating doesn't necessate staying indoors. How about doing something in the garden? Plants and seeds can be ordered online and growing your own veg teaches children where their food comes from..... plus it will use up energy which children usually have a surplus of!
  24. Kazloav's avatar
    Start a small business from home, you can put all those idle hands to good use. They can get up at a decent time...instead of rotting in bed, be productive...contribute to the homes upkeep, learn some skills, grow as individuals. Then when all this Corona virus is over, lay them off and send them back to school. Just a thought.
  25. Pinkhart's avatar
    We have set up Disney + and they are watching a movie for example lion king, then I’m setting them a bunch of tasks such as -
    What continent do the character live in?
    Find Africa on the atlas.
    What countries are in that continent?
    Draw pictures of your favourite animals from Africa.
    Let’s watch a documentary on real lion prides.
    What’s the climate like? Seasons?
    What are there greatest exports?
    What hardships do the people of Africa sometimes face?
    How can we help?
    Let’s look at a food chain of a lion
    Etc etc you get the idea. It’s working pretty well at the moment. Plus I get an hour and a half of peace while they watch the movie (edited)
  26. Matangouk's avatar
    If you have snow, lots of creative fun to be had, today we made a snow chicken 43428970-7rOZT.jpg
  27. Butthurt's avatar
    Twinkl is free too for a mth
  28. boyband's avatar
    Baking is fun, baking is always fun at any age. Kids like messy, older kids, the maths for how much it needs to be with 80+75, even older? Ratios between them, scale up the recipe by 1.75. Older still? Fine motor control and decorating it, or something more adventorous than a victoria sponge!
  29. alfiesmum123's avatar
    Myusernamehasgone23413/03/2020 14:45

    Say they do 5-6 hours home schooling each day their activities will be canc …Say they do 5-6 hours home schooling each day their activities will be cancelled too like sport club and youth clubs so still a lot of time to keep them entertained each day.


    Be us parents end up doing most of the schooling too..not the children doing the home work.so much..as usually taught by a teacher with teaching knowledge..hopefully they dont hope to fill the whole day..forgetting children have breaks..other activities etc..and sport ..swimming etc..in the school week..hopefully they work that bit out..as we as parents..or me as im a single mum will end up spending longer than a teacher would at showing them..not that i complain as my child..but i;m not qualified to do the same work..being a older mum...school teaching is different from when we taught years ago..early 70';s...i know being an adult i should know things...there are some things a lot harder these days as they change how things are..eg..fractions are called something else..so i would have to research before i start. (edited)
  30. Kargar65's avatar
    40106217-ZGTUM.jpg
  31. Dawkinsdog's avatar
    I've not god kids but I'll be sharing this post with friends who have, even as far afield as Argentina, where they're also now closing schools. Great idea for a list, and much appreciated.
  32. savsac29's avatar
    Get them into gardening and wildlife
  33. Myusernamehasgone234's avatar
    savsac2921/03/2020 13:48

    Get them into gardening and wildlife


    I image there might be quite a few people now starting to try and grown their own fruit and veg great idea to get the kids involved too.

    I loved picking peas which my Grandad as a kid.
  34. deleted2460404's avatar
    cook something together.. trust me you are investing in the future by teaching them how to cook lol
  35. JSL's avatar
    boyband13/03/2020 16:29

    Baking is fun, baking is always fun at any age. Kids like messy, older …Baking is fun, baking is always fun at any age. Kids like messy, older kids, the maths for how much it needs to be with 80+75, even older? Ratios between them, scale up the recipe by 1.75. Older still? Fine motor control and decorating it, or something more adventorous than a victoria sponge!


    Could you kindly tell me where to buy flour from?
  36. millarcat's avatar
    Author
    Pinkhart03/04/2020 14:31

    We have set up Disney + and they are watching a movie for example lion …We have set up Disney + and they are watching a movie for example lion king, then I’m setting them a bunch of tasks such as - What continent do the character live in?Find Africa on the atlas.What countries are in that continent? Draw pictures of your favourite animals from Africa.Let’s watch a documentary on real lion prides.What’s the climate like? Seasons? What are there greatest exports?What hardships do the people of Africa sometimes face?How can we help? Let’s look at an food chain of a lion Etc etc you get the idea. It’s working pretty well at the moment. Plus I get an hour and a half of peace while they watch the movie


    Love this!!
  37. Laura7115's avatar
    Chester Zoo virtual tours
  38. Biddy2's avatar
    millarcat13/03/2020 14:32

    Yeah absolutely - however if they're going to be at home, all day every …Yeah absolutely - however if they're going to be at home, all day every day, they are going to have a lot of time on their hands! Also learning from home is not likely to take up a full school day - those who homeschool often say they get through a lot more in a lot less time (1 or 2 children instead of 30 odd)


    Times have changed then since I was at school. We’d probably have 5 mins of fuss at the beginning of a lesson followed by 50 mins of work. Not including breaks of course, that’s about 5 hours worth of work they would have had back in my day...

    God I feel old now.
  39. Butthurt's avatar
    Buy a now tv movie pass
  40. Walgeon's avatar
    World Of Warcraft has sucked away much of my time. You'd forget you're isolated at all. For many Wow addicts they've been self isolating without anyone knowing.

    Game time cards have been sold here cheap recently so maybe check.
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