21 Fun Activities for Self-Isolation with Kids

So, you are stuck at home or in your caravan with the kids. You’re either super excited about the idea of spending your days doing craft in your PJ’s, or quietly terrified on how you will survive keeping your little animals cherubs happy – all while juggling time to do your own ‘work’… mmm, yep we feel you!
Having lived in a caravan for 2 years in some remote locations, as well as enduring long stints of rainy days in a small space together, it often felt like we were in self isolation anyway..haha.

As we are all in this together (#togetherapart) we thought we’d share some Fun ( & Educational) Activities for Self-Isolation with Kids to help us all get through this isolation period.

To start – we recommend a few things:

• Fresh Air: Jump out of bed, (or stagger, whatever get’s you up) and open all the windows and doors to let some fresh air in and get everyone dressed out of their PJ’s.
• Limit Technology:  Try to start your day with no TV or technology, it’s easy to fall into that technology ‘black hole’ and not climb back out of it.
• Use your outdoor space: If you have room outside in the garden, or a balcony (or awning space) – create an area outside with a table for the kids, this will allow them and you to get as much fresh and air vitamin D as you can.
• Clean up as you go: Everyone feels better with more space and no clutter, so once the fun/games/craft has been played take a minute as a ‘team’ to clean up.
• A little Structure: Write up a daily plan and hang it up for the kids to see, that way you don’t get the kids whinging for food every 10 minutes. If they can see when it’s ‘Morning Tea’ and ‘Lunch’ time they SHOULD stick to those times. Don’t put too much pressure on your day though, now is not the time to start home bootcamp.

Then, work through the list below, in no particular order….. and then tomorrow – Rinse and Repeat! You’re welcome!

1. Make a batch of play dough
   We share our favourite recipe here. It is always a hit with the kids and just make sure you get them to wash their hands before playing.
   
2. Baking
   Baking is always fun. We love cooking cakes, muffins biscuits, puff pasty twists, power balls and even pancakes with the kids. Let them decorate their creations to waste more time use their imaginations.
3. Obstacle courses + Cubbies
   Inside or outside it’s easy to create a little obstacle track for the kids – make a ‘balancing’ line with a skipping rope or sticky tape, chuck a few cushions on the floor (as the floor is now lava!), make a tunnel with the chairs, be creative. Then once they are sick of that – chuck a blanket over the chairs and make it a cubby/fort and BOOM, you’ve earned another 20 minutes! Then throw in a few books and a torch and they may even play in their long enough so you can have a cuppa! #score!
   
4. Yoga 
   We love to watch Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube, the kids really get into it. Or, if you want to listen to something search Sun Salutation Dance For The Sun on YouTube or Spotify – it’s a lovely song for the kids to do their practice to. While you are on YouTube check out our Blondie Nomads vids you can even show the kids some and hit the subscribe button too – wink wink & thank you xx.
5. Chalk on the driveway/footpath 
   Let the kiddies go nuts with the chalk on your driveway as it simply washes off with a hose down or the next rainy day. Draw self portraits, a car track or hop scotch. Just be ready for dusty cloths and hands.
6. Water play
   Whether you chuck the kids in the bath or outside in a tub of water, it’s a fun way to burn some time and get the kids clean at the same time! Win win. Depending on their age you can add in a few toys or balls etc. there are some great ideas on Pinterest here. Once the kids are done, keep the water and let them get creative outside with some ‘Nature Soup’ …mix up fun concoctions of petals, leaves and whatever you can find.  

   

7. Write emails to friends and relatives
   Practice writing/typing skills by helping the kids send an email to loved ones. At times like these it can be a little hard self isolating so sending a cheery note to someone’s inbox will do wonders. It’s also super exciting for the kids once they receive a reply. Another fun way to stay in touch is by face-timing/video calls. I often give the kids my phone to have a video call with their grandparents when I need to get something done, they walk around showing them who knows what, but they are happy and so are Nana and Grandma.
8. Nature Treasure Hunt
   Print out our FREE Nature Hunt and head outside to see what creatures you can find.
   
9. Rock painting 
   While you are outside, hunt for a few flat rocks that you can paint. We love to put faces on them for ‘pet rocks’ and give them a name. Or you could do a hand print and the date and put it in the garden.

   

10. Toy treasure hunt
    Find a few toys and hide them in the house for the kids to find. To make the game last longer + add in a learning element, hide little animals or dinosaurs. Once the kids find them ask them questions about that particular animal eg. What does it eat, Where does it live, What noise does it make? …then, you could even go and draw that animal or research more about it.
11. Make a home cinema
    Make some popcorn, set up some cushions and make the room dark and watch your favourite family movie or documentary. You could even get the kids to create movie tickets first, with the name of the movie, time etc. …and can you believe, my ticket always has some invisible words I can only see: ‘FREE FOOT RUB INCLUDED’ on it too! haha.
12. Nature animal craft
    Collect some sticks, leaves and whatever you can find and glue them together to make your own animals. We find using some cardboard as a backing helps keep them a little more stable. They also last a few days which is a winner.

    

13. Activity sheets + Colouring-in printables
    Scroll Pinterest and other educational sites for free printables for the kids. A few we like are Crayola, Nat Geo Kids, Scholastic.
14. Craft
    No doubt art and craft activities are on the cards – try to use recycled materials where you can. You could make hand puppets, box animals and all kinds of wonderful things. Of course, again, Pinterest is a great go-to for inspiration.
15. Watch art lessons on Youtube
    Don’t want to get too messy? Simply watch someone else make all the mess! Our kids just love watching someone paint a picture or make something on YouTube, just search kids art… but, be prepared for them to be inspired and want to create their own things too!
16. Reading Eggs & Maths Seed
    We have used this for a few years now and it’s a great online resource for primary aged kids. With a great introduction to Phonics and reading, it takes your child through the different levels. Maths Seed is also fabulous and now that Marli can read, she actually prefers this over Reading Eggs. You can try it FREE for 30 days here.

    

17. Alphablocks
    This is a great series that you can find on YouTube and is a fab introduction to Phonics for the kids (pre-school / Prep age).
18. Create a play or dance show
    Give the kids a theme and 20 minutes to create a play. Set up the seats and stage and let them be creative. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the show… cuppa in hand of course!
19. Lego building contest
    Good old lego can save the day, create houses, cars and anything you like. You could create a colour challenge by asking them to build something with only green blocks or build something starting with the letter of their name.
20. Make snow flakes and leaf art
    Fold your paper in half and half again and cut out shapes and patterns with scissors, once you unfold it will reveal a beautiful snow flake. Grab a leaf and place it under your paper, rub it with a crayon to reveal the patters.
    
21. Read books, glorious books
    There is nothing better than having a snuggle and reading a good book together. There are some great ebooks and audios books available now too. We also have a subscription to National geographic Junior which is a great magazine delivered to us every month. Kids love nature books – read the story, let them pick an animal, then go and draw it and list all the things you know about that animal eg. What it eats, where it lives, the sound it makes etc.

    

Annnnnd – of course, keep active. Go out in the sunshine for a bush walk, run around, play music – move that sexy body of yours. You could even join this PE teacher for his daily FREE online PE lesson.

We hope these ideas have been helpful – please feel free to add in your own ideas in the comments below and we’d love you to share this post with your friends. Community is so important at this challenging time. Let’s keep connected and stay well.

Thanks legends.

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