Who is the most interesting game partner and the tireless inventor of new activities? Well, mom, of course! She can help with the crafts, and she’ll read a fairy tale in different voices, and arrange a tea party with dolls and teddy bears on top of that.
However, the “great showman” also needs a break sometimes.
We’re not even talking about speeches and reports that will be done if the kids fall asleep, or their grandmother takes them. We’re talking about those precious minutes you need to wash your hair, make dinner, check your email or just have a nice quiet cup of tea.
We offer you some fascinating activities for children in which your participation is hardly needed (just a little preparation). Kids will have a lot of fun and you will get a quiet time for your lovely self.
- Fashion show
Preparation: put together a box of clothes you don’t wear (don’t like, don’t care about, left for charity, etc.), shoes and accessories (your partner’s clothes is also fine).
Activity: give out all these “riches” to the kids and announce a fashion show. While the children dress up, you drink coffee, sometimes exclaiming, “Oh my goodness! Who is this? ”, every time another “lollapalooza” does the catwalk towards you.
- Make-up artist
Preparation: children’s face paint set, or make-up you don’t mind wasting.
Activity: you sit the child in front of a mirror, give them the set and ask to surprise you with fabulous makeup.
Clarify right away that they’re only allowed to draw on the face and neck (well, or legs). Do your own thing, but at the same time keep in mind that a certain “something” may emerge from the bathroom.
- Magnet story
Preparation: you need a fridge door and all the stupid souvenir magnets. If you have letter or figurine magnets, even better.
Activity: you put a chair in front of the refrigerator (don’t forget to get all the food for cooking out of it); you give them all the “magnetic material” and ask them to lay out a pattern or a picture from them, or make up a story. You then calmly cook dinner to the mumble of the “master.”
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- Turkish hotel
Preparation: a pile of any towels, even kitchen ones.
Activity: remind the kids how hotel workers folded towels in interesting ways, and ask them to create figures of the kind on all possible beds and sofas. You make a mask or wash your head. When the “maids” are finished, you’d need to guess who they made: an elephant or a swan. Don’t forget to leave a tip.
- My wealth
Preparation: old, but nice magazines, scissors, glue, a notebook.
Activity: the child task is: “Find all the things in a magazine that you really like and / or would like to have, cut these pictures out and put them in a notebook”. You can ask them to make some interesting captions. And that’s it. Get some rest. Then look at the “notebook of wishes” together, listen to the comments – you’d once again be surprised at the taste of your children.
- “Angry Birds” (home version)
Preparation: all the plush toys (plastic ones are fine too if you’re not afraid of the noise). If there aren’t enough toys, take balls of yarn, “lumps” of socks.
Activity: it’s best to play in the hallway: some toys are for building castles and towers; others are used as projectiles. If the kids can write and count, add a scoring system. You do your household chores whilst listening to victory and defeat yelps from the hallway.
- Bespoke bedding
Preparation: an old single-color pillowcase (a sheet for patient kids), a set of permanent markers.
Activity: offer the kid to create a bedding “of his dreams”. Drawings can be on any subject. An ornament, a landscape, a portrait, abstract art, letters and numbers – as long as the little one wants to sleep on it. You can utilize old T-shirts, pajamas, socks the same way.
- A penny saved is a penny earned
Preparation: all the coins from purses and piggy banks.
Activity: we ask to help with sorting and counting coins. If they do that quickly, suggest building a super high tower or make a coin pattern on the table (floor). You can read the newsfeed as you listen to the sweet sound of coins and proudly text your friends that your kid is doing math all by themselves.
- Portrait artist
Preparation: a large sheet of paper (a piece of wallpaper would be perfect), a thick black watercolor pen or a marker. A volunteer (the child, you, any family member).
Activity: the volunteer lays down on the piece of paper and you draw an outline of them (just like in a scary movie). And now the child has to create the volunteer’s portrait by “filling out” this outline: draw a face, the hair, the clothes, the jewelry. It looks like you’ve got time to call a friend.
- A kind person.
Preparation: none
Activity: you need to prepare a short story about how important it is to be kind and help those who need it. And then ask the child to think and put together some things that are still good but that they don’t use anymore and are ready to give it to those that need it more. You’d both benefit from this as a result: you’d get free time and the child would get a chance to sort stuff by the “need it-don’t need it” principle and a lesson in kindness.
