Many of us right now are navigating unknown territory. On top of working at home, parents across the UK are now facing a new role – a full-time teacher.
And with all the family under one roof at all times, it’s not always easy to stay motivated. To help you out, we’ve rounded up five activities the kids can enjoy indoors – without spending a penny.
1) Go on a virtual tour
When it’s the weekend, you might think about taking the kids to a museum or zoo. This isn’t possible under the recent conditions – but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a bit of culture from your own home.
Chester Zoo staff are hosting free virtual tours of their animal enclosures. If you head over to their Facebook page, you can see when their next tours are scheduled. Not only is it fun to watch different animals, but there’s an opportunity to learn something too. Your kids can test their animal knowledge with a fun quiz after the tour.
You could travel a bit further afield (virtually) and take your kids on a tour around the Louvre museum. Or travel even further and your kids can enjoy augmented reality experiences in space with The Space Center Houston’s app.
2) PE lessons from home
Kids need to stay active. Now schools across the country are closed, and trips outside are limited, it can be a challenge to keep your kids moving.
Luckily, help has arrived in the form of Joe Wicks. Every weekday morning at 9am, you can stream live PE lessons from his Youtube channel. Lessons last for roughly half an hour and, according to Joe, will last “as long as the schools are closed.” If you’ve missed any lessons so far, you can re-watch any of his videos on his channel.
3) Free audiobooks
David Walliams is releasing a new audiobook a day for a month – for absolutely free. The audiobooks will be part of his best-selling World’s Worst Children series, a collection hugely popular amongst kids.
You can listen to his audiobooks by heading over to his website every day from 11am. Don’t worry if you’re not free at this time though – the audiobook will still be available for you to listen to. You can also find free downloadable activities on the website to keep the kids entertained, like quizzes and drawing packs.
4) Indoor scouts
Bear Grylls is another celebrity to join in and help keep the nation’s kids entertained. Claiming that “a week stuck at home with the family can be as tough as a week in the mountains”, he released 100 indoor Scout-themed activities.
Activities include ‘Blackout poetry’, where kids can create poetry using old newspapers or magazines, or ‘Storm in a teacup’, which teaches kids how tornadoes work. The full list of ideas can be found here.
5) Video play-date
At times like this, it’s more important than ever to stay in touch. Whether you use an app like Facetime or Houseparty, if your kids are a little older, encourage them to stay in touch with their friends. Apps like Houseparty mean they can play games and chat with seven other friends at once.
Don’t forget…
You don’t have to be a perfect teacher. Anything you can do to help your kids learn something or stay active is enough.
We hope we’ve helped you gain inspiration for activities around the home. If it’s financial help you need, we recommend this Money Saving Expert guide. They’ve rounded up everything you need to know, from rent payments to sick pay.
If you’d like to discuss any concerns with us, just give us a call on 0161 850 4141.
