After being through long holidays with bored children in the past, I decided to do some research on activities to do with them that stimulates the senses as well as keep them busy for more than 2 minutes at a time. Below find my 4 quick and easy ideas, and then making a train, which takes more time and effort but they will love it in the end.
1.Moon sand
Recipe:
Mix 8 cups flour and 1 cup baby oil for a soft, silky version of sand pit sand
My kids loved it and played with it forever, making little sand castles and animal shapes. The best part of all, it’s really quick and easy to clean up too.
2.Crafty crab
What you need:
- Red, Yellow and White non-toxic acrylic paint
- Paper or cardboard
- Googly eyes
- Glue
- Sandpit sand
What to do:
Mix mostly red paint with a little yellow and very little white to make a coral colour. Paint your child’s right hand with a paint brush and press down (sideways) on the right hand side of the paper. Paint the left hand and press down in the opposite direction on the left hand side of the paper, so that the thumbs are both on top. Help her to wash her hands and then add a little paint to the tops of the thumbs and attach the googly eyes. Add some glue to the bottom and get her to pour sand on it. You can also add a few small sea shells for special effect.
3.Bubble foam
Recipe:
- 1 part bubble bath to 2 parts water (Try and use tear-free baby bubble bath in case they get it in their eyes).
What to do:
Whip with electric mixer for 7-10 minutes. You can also add some food colouring to make it more interesting. Hide plastic animals in the foam and ask them to find the animals. They love this and can play with it for hours on end. If the mixture goes down flat, just whip again with the electric mixer. Once they are done, you can save it by pouring it into an empty 2 litre plastic coke bottle with a funnel for another day.
4.Easy Christmas tree craft
What you need:
- Green cardboard
- Coloured oaties (I used Apple and Berry flavoured Oaties)
- Icing
What to do:
Draw a Christmas tree on the green cardboard and cut it out. Let your little ones decorate the tree by pasting the coloured oaties onto the tree, using the icing. This activity is quick and easy and great for tactile as their little fingers will get all sticky.
5.Make your own train
What you need:
- Different sized gift boxes or apple boxes
- 1 litre coke bottle
- Rope
- Black acrylic paint
- Black cardboard
- Craft glue
- Cable ties or Makedo tools (I used Makedo tools for making cardboard creations – https://www.loot.co.za/product/makedo-kit-for-10-230-pieces/fyln-2684-g390?referrer=googlemerchant&referrer=google&PPC=Y&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuf7fBRD7ARIsACqb8w5PC3clwBbQb5JLe9bH8O0egVl9XQg0fjty8YOco95Ejxuvp_z8kQ4aAo-6EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
What to do:
Fit a smaller box upright into a bigger box to make locomotive. Attach the upright box to the base box using either Makedo tools or cable ties. Attach the roof of locomotive to upright box in the same way. Paint the coke bottle with black paint and let it dry for the chimney. Attach the chimney to the base box using craft glue. Make holes in the back and front of the locomotive and the front and back of the middle carriage and the front of the last carriage. Cut the rope to the correct lengths, and insert into the holes, tying a knot on the inside of each side, to stop it from sliding out. Keep a much longer piece of rope for the front of the locomotive, so your little one can pull it across the floor. Cut circles from the black cardboard for the wheels and attach using the craft glue. Draw a picture of a traindriver and attached to the side of the locomotive.
Contributed by Karin Pautz
Website: www.clamberclub.com