10 Playtime Activities Using Stuff Around Your House
Whether you’ve got piles of toys or prefer a minimal selection, sometimes, nothing seems to provide much motivation for kids when boredom kicks in. When I need some inspiration, I default to my no-toys list. Most of these activities can be done indoors or outdoors depending on the weather – and your energy levels of course.
Build a den. The classic stay at home activity. Indoors, drape bed sheets, towels or blankets over a table or chairs and pad the floor with cushions – the perfect haven for watching movies, reading books or colouring. Outdoors, tie sheets and blankets to chairs, playframes, swings, washing lines or fences. Make it cosy enough and it’s a great place for grown ups to grab 5 minutes rest too.
Make musical instruments. Saucepans and wooden spoons make the best drums. Instruments can be made from pots and pans, rice or pasta sealed in Tupperware boxes, tin foil wrapped around plastic pots and any safe utensils you can find.
Water play. A quick rummage in the cupboards will usually reward us with plastic bowls, food pots, plastic spoons, ladles, whisks and all sorts of fun stuff to mix, move and measure the water. Fill lots of different sized pots and let them play. If you’re feeling adventurous then food colouring in the water can be fun too, but water alone always worked for us.
Washing up time. This activity is a double win. Fill a tray or bowl with some warm water and washing up liquid. Hand them a brush and some stuff to clean and they’ll be entertained for ages. Wash anything from outdoor toys to stones and fresh vegetables.
Run a bath. When bath time can be free of the night time schedule it can be so much fun for kids. Extend play time with empty soap or shampoo bottles, bubbles, bath bombs or food colouring. An afternoon bath is my go-to to combat that mid-afternoon slump and make the bedtime routine a little easier.
Build an obstacle course. An obstacle course can be adapted to kids of all ages and is a great way to teach them about positional language. Crawl under tables or chairs, climb on top of baskets, jump over cushions placed as stepping stones. Do 10 star jumps at the finish line and stand on your step to celebrate your victory. Toys can easily be integrated into this, if you have bean bags, tunnels, skipping ropes or climbing frames – but it’s just as easy to do with things around the house or garden.
Build a boat. If you’ve built one too many dens, why not head to sea and build a boat? This has kept the kids occupied at home and at restaurants – simply turn two chairs to face each other, or grab a large cardboard box and voila! Grab some blankets and a book and let them sail away. They could pretend to be pirates or sing row row your boat.
Food cupboard sensory trays. Build your own sensory tray with oats, dried lentils, rice, dried pasta and even blended cereal. Add spoons, scoops, egg cups and bowls for older kids to develop their imaginative play.
Recycling textures. Cut loo roll tubes into rings, cut up egg boxes and gather small cardboard boxes and food trays. Different shapes, sizes, colours and textures will stimulate kids. Add another dimension with dried pasta and rice to fill, move and shake.
Indoor disco. Get the kids to pick their favourite music on Alexa or just turn on the radio and ramp up the volume. A great way to burn off some energy and release those endorphins – for all of the family!