Keeping Kids Entertained During Lockdown

With jobs on hold and schools shut- everyone is looking for ways to keep entertained. Especially youngsters. The UK has been in lockdown since 2020  now, and keeping the family entertained doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. We’re all spending a lot more time inside right now, meaning coming up with new ways to spend our days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the kids outside. To help, we’ve put together some easy outdoor activities to get the kids off the sofa.

Set up camp- Of course, first, is our own favourite. Just because we’re stuck at home, doesn’t mean we can’t still go camping. Set up your very own camp in your back garden! Get out the tent and sleeping bags, and take the children away to the garden for a couple of nights.

Eat outside- Get out the camp fire, or even build your own fire pit and liven up meal time.

An NHS rainbow- you can’t miss the beautifully made rainbows in so many of our windows. These rainbows present the together-ness of us all, and also give the kids something to focus on. While making them to display and spotting them on daily walks.

Building a den- Most of us have some kind of memory as a child of building some form of den. Let your child’s imagination run wild. Using twigs, beach towels, deck chairs, whatever you have at hand, you can build your own outdoor den for the day.

Decorate your own den- A great idea to keep the fun going once your den is up… now let them colour it in. using an old towel, or bed sheet to build the den, makes for a great drawing canvas for the kids.

Pebble art- A quick and easy task for all to enjoy. First set the task of finding several pebbles/ rocks from the garden, and then spend the day painting them in the sun. Pebble art can also be hidden around parks and walks for all to enjoy.

Grow your own veg- Fun and healthy. Let the children take control of their own vegetable patch. Not only keeping them busy, but it may even save you a few trips to the shop.

Potato stamps- We all stocked up on potatoes, most of which we didn’t end up needing. Now let the kids make something fun with them. Simply cut a potato in half and carve all sorts of shapes and patterns into them, making fun and safe paint stamps to create with.

Bird box- Who doesn’t love watching the birds this time of year? Especially when there’s not much else to do at the moment. Let your children make a home for them to watch them enjoy. Use an empty milk bottle, slice an opening/ circle, and let the kids decorate it however they please. Once done, fill with water or bird seeds, and watch who visits.

Loo roll bird feeder- Grab a loo roll or kitchen roll tube, some peanut butter and bird feed. Simply smother the tube in peanut butter and roll in around in bird seed… voila. Your very own loo roll feeders to hang on trees.

A mini beast hunt- If you’ve got a bug lover, then this ideal to get them outside. Hand a list of crawlies to spend the day searching for and checking off.

A bug hotel- If your bug lover isn’t satisfied with just looking at the mini beasts, why not build them a hotel? Using any spare materials from the garden, a bug hotel is a great activity to get involved with wildlife. Dry leaves, moss, twigs, strips of wood, wooden pallets, terracotta pots, bricks, pine cones, are all fun materials most of us have lying around, that can be modified and used to build your bugs own hotel.

Make a fairy garden- For those with less lovers of creepy crawlies… why not make a fairy garden? Grab an old box/ basket/ tray/ pot and let your children fill it with soil, twigs, pine cones, pebbles, flowers. 

A scavenger hunt- Make a list of things found in your garden, and give your child a bag/ basket to find them. A great start is; A leaf, A stone, A flower, A twig …

A garden picnic/ tea party- All kids love a picnic. So why not bring one to the garden? Set up a tea party in the garden and send invites to your children (and their toys of course), to meet you outside for sandwiches and biscuits.

Chalk drawings- isn’t it every kids dream to draw all over the house? Jumbo chalk is a brilliant way for the kids to spice up the driveway and brick walls. Colour them in, make patterns or draw out giant hopscotch or noughts and crosses.