Give it a whirl…
To give you some inspiration we’ve come up with lots of ideas to help you encourage your child to play. There are five sections – Play, Explore, Imagine, Experiment and Create – crammed full with really fun but simple activity tips. It’s easy to get things underway, just have a flick through the tips pages with your child and pick an idea together!
every child has the right to play
Play time is a great time for children to stretch their legs and let off steam. Not only is it good exercise, but play also helps to strengthen the relationship between a parent and child. Play also nurtures creativity and provides ample opportunities for self-expression.
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Create A Circus
Why not create your very own circus? Become a clown, a lion tamer, an acrobat or even the ringmaster! Perform tricks, paint your face, dress up and stage a show!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Take some pictures to show your friends all the fun you’ve had.
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Musical Instruments
How about searching for some everyday objects and making musical instruments with them? Ask Mum for some old jam jars and fill them with different amounts of water – then when you tap each jar you will hear a different musical note. You could make drums or shakers, or form a band with friends and play along with your favourite songs!
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Build a fort
If it’s raining outside why don’t you build an indoor fort? Ask Mum for an old sheet and use the table or sofa as a frame to prop it up. When you are ready to crawl into your fortress, rustle up some supplies like a torch and a snack, and then prepare for battle!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Take a picture of your fort and share it online.
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Build an obstacle course
How about this? Be a daredevil and build an obstacle course in your garden! You could create a jump using two upturned buckets and balancing a stick across them. Maybe you’ll have to crawl under something? Climb a tree? Or throw a ball so that it hits a target you’ve chosen?! Try to create a sequence of exciting challenges to do with your friends.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Draw the obstacle course to show your friends.
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Invent a new dance routine
Why not put on your dancing shoes and invent a new dance routine? Choose your favourite tunes and create some dance moves to go along with them. You can teach it to friends, perform it for your family and dance your socks off!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Try to draw your favourite moves on your virtual scrapbook.
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Mini golf course
See if you can set up a mini golf course by laying some plastic cups on the floor for holes. Use a spoon as a golf club and take it in turns to get the ball into the cups.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Use a page to record the scores of your game.
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Make a magic potion
Hubble bubble toil and trouble… why not make a magic potion? Ask Mum for an old saucepan or bucket and put some water in it. Then pretend to be a wicked witch or wizard and collect some magical ingredients from the garden – perhaps a handful of grass could be a bundle of squirmy, green worms?!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Write a list of ingredients for a magic potion that makes you turn purple
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Life Sized Portraits
Get arty by lying down on a large piece of paper and asking someone to trace around you. Then jazz it up by filling in the outline of your body with colours, words or pictures.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Find out your height by measuring your outline from head to foot. See if you’ve grown next time you check.
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Fancy-dress party
How about throwing a fancy-dress party? You could decide a fancy-dress theme like jungle beasts, or let your friends choose their own theme and enjoy the surprise when you see each of their outfits.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Remember the best costumes by sharing some photos.
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Indoor picnic
Don’t let bad weather stop you having a picnic – all you have to do is imagine that you are in a forest, lay a rug on the floor inside and ask Mum for some tasty treats. Watch out for greedy teddy bears!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Write a list of people – real or imaginary – you’d like to invite to a picnic.
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Pretend shop
Pretending to be a shopkeeper is great fun. Make a list of the items you’re going to sell, collect them and display them for your customers on a table.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Write a list of the things you sell in your shop.
every child has the right to explore
When children are allowed to explore they expand their horizons through discovery. The fresh air, physical activity and adventure are also good for a child’s all-round development and independence.
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Nature detective
Why don’t you become a nature detective and hunt for some interesting leaves, insects, flowers or animal prints next time you’re in the park?
Virtual scrapbook tip
Keep a record of your discoveries by trying to sketch the things you saw.
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Shipwrecked
How about having a game of make-believe ‘Shipwreck!’? Pretend the garden’s a desert island, seek out a good spot and make a shelter to protect you from the wild winds and raging seas.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Take some photos of your den and share them online.
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Listen carefully
When you’re outside on a walk, stop, close your eyes and listen carefully. What do you hear? A beeping car? The howling wind? A lawnmower? Come up with a new animal – like a Beeping Bear – that could have caused one of the sounds you heard!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Try to draw your imaginary creature.
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Home Sweet Home
Are you curious about where animals live? See if you can find a rabbit hole or spot a bird’s nest in the treetops.
Virtual scrapbook tip
If you’re lucky enough to find something, take a photo and share it online.
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Memory maps
When you’re in the park why not go off exploring with a friend? When you’re home and dry, see if you can draw a map of the park from memory.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Draw your map online.
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Bug about
Try lying down on the grass and looking really closely at the ground for insects. See how many different insects you can count and if you know any of their names.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Why not draw some different bugs?
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Under A Rock
Have you ever wondered what might be hidden under a rock? Why not find a rock you’ll be able to pick up and take a peek at the creepy-crawlies underneath?!
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Treasure hunt
How about pretending to be a pirate and going on a treasure hunt? Ask Mum if she will hide something in the house or garden and give you some swashbuckling clues so you can discover the booty!
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Natural ruler
If you want to look at the world in a different way, you could make what’s called a ‘natural ruler’. What you need to do is find some natural objects and measure them on a piece of card. For example, if you find a leaf, measure it and label the mark you made on your cardboard strip, ‘leaf’. When you’ve found a few objects and marked them on the card, you’ll have made your 'natural ruler'!
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Animal tracks
When it’s been raining, why not put your wellies on and go for a squelchy walk? See if you can find any footprints from animals, birds, or people in the mud? If you can’t see any, have a look for other signs that animals may have passed by, for example are there any feathers around?
every child has the right to create
Creative activities are an excellent way to encourage children to express themselves and use their imagination. Creative exercises are also beneficial for a child’s intellectual development.
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Creative collages
How about making a collage picture using a mixture of materials, from paint to coloured paper, to leaves, stickers, shells, glitter and sequins – you decide!
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Time-capsule
Have you ever thought about what people in the future will be like? Why not leave them a time-capsule? Find a watertight container (like a jam jar) and collect some things you think will tell people something about you and your family. Then hide or bury your capsule somewhere it won’t be disturbed for a very long time…
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Paper bag mask
Have you ever made a mask? It’s easy – all you need is a paper bag, a pair of scissors and some paint, felt-tip pens or pencils to decorate it. Ask your Mum to cut two holes in the bag for your eyes and then decorate to make your mask as crazy as you can!
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Create-A-Tee
Why not make an old T-shirt more colourful with fabric paints or by sewing some bits and bobs like buttons and sequins onto it? If you’re doing any stitching, ask Mum to do this as it can get a bit fiddly.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Take a photo of yourself wearing the T-shirt and share it on your scrapbook.
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Funny pics
Here’s a great way to have fun making pictures! Get some gloopy glue and draw a picture with it on some dark paper. Whilst the glue is still wet, dust glitter or sand all over the glue. Then tap the paper so that the excess falls away and you will see your picture!
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Rock Beasts
Check out this for an idea! Find some small stones of different shapes. Take one and look at it – does it remind you of a creature? A curled-up cat or a grazing rhinoceros, perhaps? When you’ve decided, paint the rock so it looks like the animal you thought of.
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Potato Prints
Here’s a fun way to stamp out boredom! Ask Mum to cut some potatoes in half and then to cut a fun shape in each of the halves. Then take brightly coloured paints and use each half potato as a stamp by squishing it in some paint and pressing it onto paper.
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String Necklaces
When you’re feeling stylish why not try to make a necklace? Find some things that have holes in – like buttons – and thread them on a length of string. If your tummy’s rumbling you could make an edible necklace using cereal hoops, or sweets and biscuits that have hollow centres – yum yum!
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Black Out
How about using a pencil to make a picture? The twist is that instead of drawing with your pencil, you use it to pierce the paper and make a picture with lots of little holes! Just hold the paper up to the light to see the image shine through!
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Baking
Next time you’re peckish, why don’t you do some baking with Mum? Measuring, sifting, stirring, smelling and decorating a cake is deliciously fun, so make sure you get stuck in – the hardest part will be waiting for it to cook!
every child has the right to imagine
A child’s imagination is incredibly fertile and imaginative play stimulates their minds and inspires curiosity. Group activities which are imaginative also aid with a child’s social and communicative skills.
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Pretty picture
How about drawing a picture? It can be anything you want: a monster, your favourite pudding, or even one of your teachers – why not draw them so that they are wearing silly clothes?
Virtual scrapbook tip
Draw your picture online.
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Play writing
Why not try your hand at writing a play? The first sentence is below – you decide what happens next!
"Once upon a time, there was a giant banana who grew so big, he began to…"
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Fantasy tea
Here’s an idea – imagine that The Queen is coming for afternoon tea! Do some baking with Mum, and choose some tasty cakes and treats depending on what you think The Queen would fancy. Be sure to make a right royal feast!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Share your favourite recipe with your friends.
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Silly snaps
Why don’t you create some ‘Silly Snaps’? Look at some photos and make up a funny or imaginative name for each one.
Virtual scrapbook tip
Share your Silly Snaps – not forgetting to write the names that go with them.
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Tale of discovery
Why don’t you pretend you’ve discovered a new country? What is the name of the capital city? Are there any places that are dangerous? Or magical? What do the people look like? Is there an evil king or beautiful queen?
Virtual scrapbook tip
Draw a map of your imaginary land and label some of the places.
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Postcards
If you feel like having an adventure, why not write a postcard pretending you’ve been on holiday? Tell your family about some exciting events, people and places!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Invent a new stamp and draw it on a page.
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Secret maps
Have you ever wondered if there’s anything hidden behind your walls? Why not draw a map of your home and add some imaginary trapdoors, hidden rooms and secret passageways leading to exciting places…
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Miming game
Have you ever tried to tell a story without using your voice? One way is to act out the story using just your hands and body. Tell someone about your day by performing it. Get them to write down what they think you’re saying and then read it afterwards to see if they got it right!
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If I Were
Why not imagine that you’re an animal? What would you eat? Would you live in a cave or a tree? Would you be scared of anyone? Or would anyone be scared of you? It’s a gggreat game!
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Tree's Life
Have you ever wondered about the life story of a tree? How old it is? Which animals have lived in it? How many children have climbed it? Why not write a story about it?
Virtual scrapbook tip
Use one page to share your tree story with friends
every child has the right to experiment
Experimentation helps children to discover for themselves how things work. Not only is it an informal way of learning, it also develops their problem-solving skills. It’s fun and good for physical and emotional growth too!
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Wacky inventions
Why not use this page to draw some weird and wacky inventions. Anything you create goes, from a bedroom-tidying machine to one that does your homework!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Use a page to draw your quirky inventions.
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Make a spaceship
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – lift off! Why not make a spaceship? Start by getting some big cardboard boxes and other materials (like tin foil) which you can use to decorate your spacecraft. Make it look ready to go and then you can soar through the stars!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Take a photo of your spaceship and put it on a page.
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Invent your own robot
If you could invent your own robot, what would it look like? What clever things could it do?
Virtual scrapbook tip
Use some space to draw the robot and label its special features.
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Blindfolded discoveries
Why not try this? Go into the garden with a friend and take it in turns to be blindfolded. Then carefully lead each other on a walk, making sure that your friend doesn’t fall over! When you’re wearing the blindfold, what is it like? What can you smell? What do you hear?
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Sound effects
Have you ever experimented with sound effects? Imagine you are performing your favourite story for the radio. What sounds do you need to bring it to life? Try wobbling a big sheet of card to make a sound like thunder or fill a tray with gravel and slowly tilt it from side to side – the moving gravel makes a sound like the sea! Have a go creating sound effects of your own!
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Watch them grow
Growing things can be great fun! Get some damp paper towel and put it in a jar. Scatter some dried beans onto the paper towel and drop one teaspoon of water onto the beans. Check on the beans everyday and make sure they don’t dry out. Then wait and see if any of your beans start to sprout!
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Play and perform
How about putting on a play of your favourite story? Get some friends together and decide which characters you’re going to be. Then find the things you’ll need for scenery and costumes. One of you could make a programme for the audience to read before the performance.
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Fruity fun
You can squeeze some more fun into your day by giving this a go! Ask Mum to buy some different fruit juices and combine them to create some special new flavours. Give your drinks names and add some fresh fruit to make them truly scrumptious!
Virtual scrapbook tip
Share your favourite flavours with friends.
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Floating boats
Have you ever tried to set sail? Why not make a miniature boat out of household rubbish – like old yoghurt pots, tubs and tin foil. When your boat is complete, get Mum to help you put it in the bath or your garden pond and see if it sinks or floats!
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Strange Shapes
Here’s an idea, look around the house for some strangely-shaped objects. Put the objects on a sheet of paper and draw around them. If you have any objects with interesting textures put the paper over them and then scribble on top with a crayon... see what happens!
