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With the winter school holiday upon us you may be relieved that your little one doesn't have to brave the cold in the morning to get to school. But, you may also be worried that they're bored outta their minds indoors.
Fear not, we have some ideas to help keep them busy:
Thrifty art ideas
Kids love to draw, so buy a roll of white butcher paper. They'll work on it for days and be very proud when you tack it to their bedroom wall. Kids can use watercolours, crayons or markers; just let their creativity go.
Have siblings or friends trace around each other's body while lying flat on a large piece of butcher or poster paper. Afterward, the children can colour in the details (eyes, nose, clothes, etc.). Save the drawing and do it again in six months so you can compare the size. If you have coloured chalk, try this activity on your driveway or sidewalk.
Break out the board games
Scrabble, Monopoly, Uno and all those board games are still a novelty for kids - dig through the cupboards and see what you can find. Even the littles will enjoy a loud game of SNAP.
Old photo puzzles
Children love to play with their own homemade puzzles, especially when it's a picture of themselves or of the whole family. Let your child choose a picture from a stack of extra or imperfect photos. You can also make a black-and-white or color copy of a photo.
Dress-up
Kill two birds with one stone: clear your cupboards of old clothes, shoes and accessories, and allow the kids play dress-up. Seeing as it's the SWC, let them dress up as fans from all the different nations.
Home movie theatre
Break up the activities with hired DVD's: run the movie at a scheduled time, make some popcorn, then have the kids queue and lead them to their seats - it will make watching movies more of an occasion rather than just having them gaze at the TV for hours.
Little chefs
Find some easy recipes – anything from little pizzas to cookies or cupcakes – and have a supervised cook-a-thon. Make sure everyone is wearing aprons and old t-shirts because this activity is all about the mess!
Create a Coupon Book of Gifts
Help the kids create a book of 'coupons' - that give the gift of time to a relative or friend or a spouse. Be creative! Here are some ideas - coupons could be for such activities as a free car wash, an evening of baby sitting, a hug, sweeping the floor, cleaning a room, mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool, doing the dishes. The ideas are fun and endless.
Shiny things
Pick up a bag of assorted beads at a bead shop and let everyone make some crazy jewellery. Remember that this is not an activity that will last for hours, as it tests short attention-spans, and also that beads can be swallowed, inhaled or inserted into ears and nostrils!
Back to basics
Remember toys? For the younger ones, have them build something specific out of their Lego blocks, and get the girls to hold a proper fashion show with their Barbies or Bratz. If you have enough space, make a designated area the play-zone so that they don't have to undo structures half-way through. If not, get some boxes so that they can pack up each evening without having to break down their projects too much. When they get interested, you'll find them back at it before you even get up in the morning.
Give them jobs
Teach the kids a new skill - like folding washing or how to use the vacuum-cleaner properly - then attach a value to the job and let them earn points/money that they can cash in at a certain time. Whatever happens, make the terms clear, and stick to your word!
(Joanne Hart, Health24, June 2010)
