If you’re keen to mix up learning a little with some new ideas here are three super easy and fun suggestions! They might give the kids a little motivation and you the break you need for a Zoom meeting or that cup of tea in peace!
Smash the egg
Save your egg shells, rinse them and let them dry. Once you have a decent stash get that good old sharpie out and ask the kids to write their spelling list words on the egg shells – or if you think it requires a more delicate hand, you can do it! Swap spelling words for times table answers or, for young ones, just simple numbers, colours or the letters of their name.
Now, give a clue to which egg needs to be smashed:
- this word starts with the letter….
- it rhymes with….
- this word means …
You can adjust it however suits you, but any child loves to give these shells a good old smash. You can use a toy hammer, a spoon, or even your fist!
Omelette or pavlova anyone?
Go big and bold with DIY chalk paint
Writing is more fun when it’s not on paper. You can create super easy chalk paint by mixing 1 part corn flour with 2 parts water and a few drops of colouring. We like using a muffin tray for this, as it’s easy to carry and clean.
Grab a few brushes and head to the driveway. This DIY paint dries as chalk and is easily removed by hosing it down. Let them write their sight words, create a rebus puzzle, or anything really!
Kids can trace their own name or just paint away! (This activity works best on a dark surface.)
Freeze the animals
This one is for the littlies, but it takes so long you can definitely get through that meeting with minimal interruptions. So if you know you’ve got something on the next day that will require the kids to entertain themselves for a little while, prepare this the night before.
Grab a bunch of animal figurines and place them in ice cube trays and containers filled with water in the freezer (You can use coloured water too). Once frozen, place them all in a tray and offer salt and warm water to ‘free’ the animals – this is good for fine motor skills. I suggest you do this one outside though! If you’re wanting to add an educational element, you could ask your child to tell you something about each of the animals – after your meeting of course!
I hope these ideas help you to get through another day of lockdown life!
Lisa is a qualified teacher working at a school for students with additional needs. She is the mumma of a wonderful and wild toddler. She loves day trips, weekends away and good coffee. She enjoys setting up open-ended educational play activities. She has a ginormous drawer full of bits and pieces that ‘will come in handy one day’, which she uses to set up simple and fun toddler craft activities. You can follow her son and their adventures on Instagram at life.with.moon.and.co
