Look, we all know that this half term is going to be a bit… different (shit) to the normal half terms we can enjoy at this time of the year. There will be no rainy days saved by soft play, no day trips to the zoo or play farm, so as it’s going to be so different (shit), I’ve put together a couple of little suggestions for how to entertain the kids during half term in Lockdown 3.0.
Go Geocaching
Admittedly we’re fairly new to this ourselves, and it was kind of a “shit, what do I do with them because I will explode if I have to battle them to go outside and I will sob if I have stay in” thing one weekend! Geocaching is basically a giant treasure hunt for adults and kids alike, all around the world and never ending! I downloaded the Geocaching app, which is totally free for your basic level geocaching, and you can upgrade for £24.99 per year if you really find yourself loving it! We set off following the GPS and hunted out 2 caches, one we must have walked past 1 million times and just never realised! It was great fun and it got the kids out for a 3-4mile walk without moaning.
MUM TIP: Take a little backpack with drinks and snacks with you, even if it’s only going to be a short trip.
Movie Marathon
Create yourself a little den or cosy room, whether that means bringing the bedding downstairs onto the living room floor and sofas or using sheets and fairy lights over the top of furniture for a max effect, create something a little different and then choose movies worthy of a marathon. We recently watched the Harry Potter series, it ended up just being one a night and then over the weekend we watched the last 3! The kids LOVED it. Snacks, their favourite drinks and a movie in the cosiest room with blankets and lots of snuggles. WIN.
Spa day
Admittedly this will depend on your child and their interest in such things, but Edith adores this )and so does Toby to be fair!) Sheet masks, nail polish, hair chalks, homemade face masks, foot spas… so many aspects to a spa can be “recreated” at home in a child friendly way. I have some home made face mask and skin scrub recipes on my instagram here.
Homemade party & kitchen disco
Don the best outfits, crank up the tunes and have a party in the kitchen… or living room etc, whatever works for you! I usually do party food we play board games and have a dance. It works wonders for lifting the spirits!
Family Bake off
Why not try a family bake off? It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy, you don’t have to “vote off” each other if you think it will cause drama, but perhaps a simple, easy to follow recipe for your kids to make and then sample each others/yours so you have a tea party in the making! Things like cornflake cakes, biscuits or child pre-prepped cake mixtures are great for solo baking! Get out the fancy (ahem, paper)
