So, you’ve invited the family over. And they’re bringing the kids. Great!
You might think entertaining the kids would be difficult. But you’d be wrong. Here are some tips that help you keep the kids busy while they visit.
Stacking Cups
This might sounds as if you’re scraping the barrel a little bit, but don’t forget kids that the world is new to kids. And working out how things like gravity work is actually fun for them.
Stacking cups is a great, mess-free way to keep them entertained. They can make all sorts of structures out of cups and develop their spatial skills.
Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is an excellent way for older kids to practice their organizational skills. Here they can craft a collection of their own memories. And they can preserve some of the things that they find valuable.
You’ll need some glue, and you can visit Glue Guns Direct for quality glue guns. You might also need a printer if they want to print out photos to stick in their scrapbooks.
Don’t forget to make pouches in the scrapbook. These can be places where they store all the trinkets that they value.
Plan A City
Back in the 1990s, a computer game called SimCity 2000 launched. In this game, you had to plan out a city. You had to master things like zoning residential property. Planning where commercial buildings would go. Placing fire stations in the right place. Making sure there were enough police stations to keep crime down. Ensuring that each block had water and power. The list was endless.
City planning is a great activity for kids too. Give them a big sheet of paper and get them to plan out where they would put all the things they see in the city. How would they deal with traffic, for example? And where would they put all the schools?
Spying On Nature
Kids love animals. But unless you spend a lot of time looking, nature can be shy. Give the kids some binoculars and a camera phone to snap pictures. Then they can make a scrapbook of all the wildlife they’ve seen.
Paper Airplane Competition
If there’s one thing that kids would love to master, it’s the art of making a great paper airplane. Who can throw their plane the farthest can be a fun and exciting competition.
But there’s more to paper airplanes than meets the eye. Working out how to fold the planes correctly is a sophisticated and abstract activity. It’s a challenging pursuit and will keep them occupied for hours if they have the right materials.
Meal Planning
Learning to create attractive and healthy meals is an important life skill. Give the children a blank sheet of paper and then get them to think of a list of ingredients they’d like from the supermarket to make meals. They’ll have to find out what goes into individual recipes. Then if you’re feeling brave, you could make one of their recipe ideas with them.
Get Baking
Baking is one of the most fun activities on any child’s calendar. There is, of course, the delicious reward at the end. But baking offers endless scope for creativity. Kids can design virtually any bake they want, and the possibilities are endless.
As long as you don’t mind your kitchen being wrecked temporarily, baking can be a great way to entertain the kids. How about making a big raspberry coffee cake from spelt flour? Or maybe you could bake a big tray of brownies.
Kids love the magic of baking. How the simple addition of heat can turn a wet batter into something delicious. (Or more delicious).
Go Superhero
Kids love superheroes. And let’s face it, a lot of adults do too. We’re desperate for people who can save us from the machinations of evil.
But perhaps making a superhero cape can save our kids from the machinations of boredom too.
Again, they can design it for any superhero they like. They might even want to create their own superhero with its own super powers. In fact, thinking about what abilities their superhero would have is half the fun.
Have Fun With Playdough
You don’t have to go out and buy playdough. There are plenty of home recipes you can use that are both safe and effective.
It’s amazing what kids can make with play dough. Be sure to provide them with all the usual cutters and rolling pins that they might need.
You could even set them a challenge of designing something, and you have to guess what it is.
Sock Puppets
Making sock puppets is an old time classic activity for kids. And it’s still a lot of fun today. Sock puppets can be endlessly customized with buttons, multicolored hair and googly eyes.
What’s more, they’re another avenue for creativity. Perhaps two sock puppets have a less than perfect relationship. (Think Punch and Judy). And perhaps there is some conflict that they’re trying to resolve. Maybe your child could come up with their own soap opera. Maybe they could generate their own story about the relationships that their sock puppets have with each other. And then maybe they could act out those personalities according to a script.
Get Creative With Popsicles
Making popsicles is the quintessential summer activity for kids. And here again is their opportunity to let their creativity shine. Kids can play with practically all flavors in the kitchen cupboard.
You can have apple and yogurt lollies. Avocado and pear for a rich effect. Carrot and Blueberry – the list is endless.
Popsicles are a great activity if the kids are staying for a few hours. They can be made when they arrive and then eaten just before they leave.
Make Friendship Bracelets
There’s something appealing about the idea of friendship bracelets. They are a physical reminder that you have a connection with somebody else. Kids seem to love that idea.
Plus, making bracelets requires a bit of skill and learning. Finding out how to weave threads together in the right way takes practice to master. But once learned, it’s a skill that will stay with them for life.