Fun kids activities for half-term which are pandemic-friendly
For some families, school holidays means squeezing in a quick sunny holiday abroad or visiting the extended family. As 2020 has other ideas for us half-term will be focussed on taking a well-earned break from the culture shock of school after a six-month hiatus (thanks to the pandemic).
Whichever way your family prefers to normally spend the one-week break, make this half-term a safe and socially distanced school holiday to remember and inject some mojo back into the kids’ school spirit for the second half term.
Financial planning firm Lemonade Money believes that, with some creative planning, parents can spend pennies rather than pounds and still enjoy some good quality time together during half-term.
So, below are some fun kids activities for half term which are pandemic-friendly.
Go camping in your backyard or in the park – if you can manage the cold weather!
A great way to spend half term with the family is to go camping together. However, as we’re unable to travel abroad or visit somewhere crowded, bring camping to your backyard or visit your local park to find out whether they offer open space camping in their vast fields. You could glamp up your camping experience and hire an RV or campervan, so you camp in style.
Get some camping equipment from Amazon here to get started!
A great idea for this experience would be to choose a modern camping specialist provider which provides an array of options, such as self-catering mobile home holidays with style, quality and comfort. This is glamping at its best as you don’t need to get your hands dirty and pitch up a tent. These days, you can find places which provide every essential you need, like a home away from home. You will have electricity and running water, plus it’s safe as you’re the only ones inhabiting the camping spot. Find out whether the service provider has thoroughly cleaned the mobile home and what the safety rules are for when you have to leave.
Before you know it, you’ll be back to your new normal and one day you’ll be able to camp in peace in places like Costa Brava Holidays next year – here’s hoping!
Venture outdoors and explore your area
A busy half-term doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. If you’re a Google whizz, you can discover great places to go which doesn’t involve mixing in crowded places. You could be adventurous and explore your local parks, which, for the most part, should be free. You could afford to do something different every day during the seven-day break, as long as you keep to the social distancing rules.
And for transport, grab some great commuter scooters for the kids from skates.co.uk and ride around your local area with them. You can even try to keep up with them by riding on your own scooter or running alongside them for free exercise – if you can keep up! I generally can’t.
Check out www.free-events.co.uk and www.wherewecango.com for more half term kids activities. Just make sure the half term events comply with the current social distancing and safety rules before you set off and check if you need to book tickets in advance.
Take a picnic to your local country park
The UK is blessed with lots of beautiful country parks which remain open during the pandemic. So, if you’re looking for a family day out, why not take a picnic and enjoy some al fresco dining as a family. Some country parks offer open parks, nature trails and educational fun like the farm and playground centres. Check out Exploring Dorset’s local lovely country parks which are open during half-term.
Visit the extended family and friends virtually
Half-term is normally a time to catch up with the grandparents or the rest of the extended family. As some boroughs are in Tier 2 and some even in Tier 3, you aren’t able to mix in other households or hold get-togethers of up to six anymore. So this year is all about exhausting technology devices and virtually keep in touch with extended family and friends.
You can video call up to eight people and Zoom is great for hosting multiple rooms and functions. Create a family quiz and play games while including all participants in the creation and gaming process. It won’t replace them actually being in the room with you, but the little ones will love the break in routine to chat with their family in the comfort of their own home.
Play some games virtually with the family too! Some great games can be found from Amazon here.
“We are doing a zoom quiz with the kids’ friends. We all have to make up ten questions with a certain theme and then take it in turns. It’s a great way to get everyone involved and they get to stay in touch with their friends over the holidays.”
Beth at Twinderelmo
Get creative – start a project
You could start a building project or grab a large blank canvas and create a family painting. Projects are a great way to start the holiday, paired with clear goals for the kids and a lot of team-building fun.
You can find a great large canvas to start with from Amazon here.
Build a really large jigsaw puzzle
If you fancy another team-building exercise, jigsaw puzzles are at the top of the list. If adults join the party, try a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle together, which may last the week. It may be worth investing in a Portapuzzle, so you can put the jigsaw away when you’ve had enough. When you’ve completed the puzzle you can hang it up on your wall with some Jigsaw glue. I found this great tutorial on how to frame your jigsaw onto the wall here.
Alternatively, you can buy a 75 – 100-piece jigsaw puzzle just for the kids, which will keep them amused for a while and give you a little bit of a break. 100-piece jigsaws can also look great on the wall.
Some great jigsaw puzzle ideas and accessories from Amazon here.
Play make-believe games
Encourage the kids to put on a show or indulge in some role play. Whether you are sailing the seven seas, pretending to be ninjas/princesses or making a whole imaginary world out of tea-stained paper and cereal boxes, there’s nothing more magical than getting creative with the whole family. Grab whatever you have in the house to make that den where you can hide from reality and step into the world of the child’s mind.
Some great dressing up ideas from Amazon here
Enter the puddle jumping championships
Autumn may be cold, wet and full of muddy puddles, but as Peppa Pig likes to chant throughout her shows, “If you want to jump in muddy puddles, you must wear your boots!” Don’t be afraid of the cold, that’s what coats, hats and scarves are for! So, grab your wellies and head to your nearest park (it’s free!) or wetlands centre for a fun half term for kids. Just remember to warm up with a nice mug of hot cocoa when you get back (yum!)
Find some great wellies for boys from Amazon here
Find some great wellies for girls from Amazon here
Rekindle your childhood games
Rekindle those old games that you loved playing when you were a wee child and teach your own children how to play, so you can enjoy them together. If the weather is miserable outside, break out those cards and play simple games like ‘Snap!’ or ‘Go Fish’. Or, create some numbered boxes on the floor with chalk (or something washable) and play hopscotch until your legs get tired. Snakes and ladders, Guess Who? and Connect 4 are also some great games to get the whole family involved. If you are feeling competitive, perhaps an educational game of Monopoly might get the spirits up. You can even assign the youngest as the banker, so they learn about how to manage money. Learning maths through play is so much more interesting than simple addition and subtraction equations, right?
Find some great childhood games from Amazon here
Set up some simple science experiments
Children love to soak up new and exciting experiences like a sponge. So, satisfy your children’s curiosity by creating some great homemade science experiments by using the bits and bobs you have lying around in your house. YouTube has tonnes of half term ideas for kids on how you create some simple experiments for fun half term activities at home without spending a penny. Make notes on your findings and talk about them with your child afterwards, so they understand the results of your experiments. Why did the egg sink or float? How did the water turn into a tornado using just glitter and washing up liquid? These simple experiments will help your child grasp science so much better at school, so give them a good start at home.
You can find some great science experiments from Amazon here
“Drive-thru cinemas. 🙂 There seem to be loads popping up all over the UK at the moment. They seem to be showing Halloween themed films which would be ideal for this week.
Lauren from Sophie’s Nursery
Play the tray game
The tray game is a great way to build up a child’s memory and it can be fun too if you place a lot of interesting items on the tray. Adjust the number of items, depending on the age and then cover with a towel. Then ask them to list off how many they could remember. Or, you could take an item away and ask them to write down or tell you which item you removed. There are lots of ways you can make this memory game interesting and you can offer one of the objects on the tray as a prize for the winner. Chocolate items may make the game a lot more interesting.
A great idea for a tray table which already comes with accessories from Amazon here.
Play tuff tray games
Use the same tray and create some tuff tray games for the kids to enjoy. If you’re unsure of what to put in a tuff tray, check out The Work Life Blend’s Tuff Tray Ideas to keep the kids busy. There are 50 half term activities to choose from and all look super fun for adults too!
Find a Halloween Trail
Over half-term there will be tons of Halloween breaks with Halloween-specific trails available and most are low cost. Check out Red Kite Days’ 15 Spooktacular Halloween Trails in the UK for October half-term.
Norfolk Pumpkin Patches
If you’re based in or around Norfolk, then you could check out Norfolk Pumpkin Patches over half-term with the kids where you can go pick your own pumpkins and/or spend the entire day out. As it’s all outdoor fun, most places would be open during half-term and there is so much for the kids to do that you’ll need more than a day out to enjoy. Most places will have COVID precautions in place, so you should find something fun for your kids to enjoy. But make sure you call them up first to find out whether you need to book ahead first.
There is a great Pop Up Farms’ Pumpkin Patch in Hertfordshire if that’s closer to you for pumpkin picking.
Pumpkin carving
Once you’ve picked your pumpkin from above or from other areas near to you (check out Skinny Spending’s article here on other places you can find pumpkins, and set to work carving. Even if you can’t go trick or treating, you can still enjoy having your own pumpkin at home and use the rest to make delicious Pumpkin Pie!
Have a Halloween party at home
From setting up your own party games to creating some spooky snacks for snacking in between apple bobbing and pinning the hand on the zombie, bring Halloween to you and make it a day/evening to remember. Check out some more tips from Mummy Est.2014 on how to bring Halloween to you at home.
You can find some Halloween decorations from Amazon here
“We plan on making our own chalk games like snakes and ladders and chess outside. We also do pin the tail on the donkey and throw bean bags into hoops.”
Laura from Things to do in Hampshire with Kids
Do some pumpkin printing
Get into the Halloween arts and crafts spirit and grab yourself an apple or a potato. Cut them up to resemble a pumpkin and then paint them in orange. Then just print on paper! Super fun.
You can find some kid-friendly paints from Amazon here
Halloween paper crafting
Sticking to the topic of Halloween, paper crafts are great because they’re cheap and they build on motor skills. Plus, it’s a great way to get the family involved too. Kiddy Charts have some fantastic paper craft activities that kids of all ages can enjoy over the half-term!
Have a Halloween-themed movie night!
Round up some large bowls of popcorn and cuddle up with the family for some age-appropriate Halloween movies after you’ve exhausted yourselves from all the Halloween fun. Mom of Two Little Girls has a great list of Halloween movies which are perfect for kids here.
“We are forecast lots of rain next week so will be working our way through this list of kid-friendly Halloween movies.”
Nyomi from Nomipalony
Paint rocks
Rocks are a great tool with which to get creative because you can paint them and either decorate your backyard/driveway or you can hide them for others to find. It’s a lovely free present for a child to come across a painted rock and keep it for themselves. So paint some secret fun messages on the rocks and place them around your local area for the locals to find.
Invest in an activity box – or make your own!
The boys and I used to enjoy receiving our fortnightly Weekend Box and monthly Toucan Box in the post. But, sometimes, we were not always up for an afternoon of arts and crafts, especially when the kids were winding down after school. So, I stored the boxes away and when we had some spare time to get creative, I brought them out again for some indoor activity fun. Once we made a snowman over the Christmas holidays, courtesy of Toucan Box, which was so fun to make.
I just love how everything you need is so helpfully provided for you in exactly the right amount required for the activity. Plus, you get to build your own activity box of items that are leftover from each box. So, if you don’t want to buy or subscribe to an activity box, just use your own, along with all the wrapping and packaging you received over the festive period and keep it for holidays like half-term. It doesn’t matter if you don’t make anything super constructive, just the act of mucking in and achieving something together is well worth the bonding session and the brain cells used in the process!
The Halloween Toucan Box includes items like a special edition Halloween magazine and sticker sheet, as well as awesome Halloween craft projects, so the fright night fun goes on and on for your little one.
Head over to ToucanBox’s website here and get started at just £10.95 per month per box. You can also save money and subscribe to the 3-month, 6-month or 12-month plan and pay a cheaper price. Act fast to get your Halloween edition ToucanBox now. Suitable for Key Stage 1 and 2 and rated excellent on Trustpilot with 3,400+ reviews.
Plant a garden
Spring will be around before you know it, which means now is as good a time as any to start growing your own crops. Kids love to watch veggies grow, so make your own window garden box and introduce them to the world of plants. If you are looking for instant results, planting seeds like sunflower, cress and salad are great during the half term because they offer quick results. Gardening aids physical development and helps children to understand the world of nature. Check out how does your garden grow for more ideas on how to do a spot of gardening with the kids.
Get started with planting your own garden here from Amazon now!
Make your own playdough for more arty fun!
Spend a day crafting using microwave playdough, which is safe to put in the mouth, so our 13-month-old can get involved! Check out the recipe for microwave playdough here.
Go for long walks with the children
Walks are great because you get in much-needed exercise but you also get to enjoy nature and bonding with the family. I’ve always loved walking, either on my own or while walking with a pram and it’s kept me fighting fit during labour and birth because I walked almost every day. Now with two energetic boys and a newly walking baby girl, walks are perfect to spend some outdoor time together – plus it doesn’t cost a penny! Time and Pence have some great tips on how to walk with children here.
It’s also important to wear the right shoes and clothes when hiking to avoid injuries. Check out this post on what to wear when hiking.
“We will be doing lots of walking over this half and a visit to some of the English Heritage sites.”
Yvette at Uplifting and Inspiring Content
Plan a night walk
After you have dinner with the family, why not take a break from the norm and head outside for a brisk night walk. Not only does walking in the fresh air after dinner helps you to digest your food, but it will help kids go to sleep easier. Walking after dinner also helps children stay asleep at night because their tummies are not too full or empty.
If you want to plan your walk, Google is your friend for researching organised bat or nocturnal animal spotting walks in your area. So, before the evenings get too light, grab some torches and hot drinks in travel-sized thermos’ and make your way down the road together. Make sure the route isn’t too perilous or you flash your torch at oncoming drivers and temporarily blind them on the road. Also, it would be very useful to wear high-visibility outerwear, so vehicles can spot you in the dark.
Make sidewalk art
If you have concrete in your garden or you are by a local park, why not grab your chalk and go wild on the ground! Don’t let the grotty weather get in your way, you can always roll out some lining paper or an old blanket and paint on top. Why not go one further and grab a massive canvas, some set of decoration equipment, like paint, materials, coloured pencils etc and paint to your heart’s content.
Find some nearby plants, leaves or twigs to add to the creativity too? You can have hours of fun creating some pretty amazing artwork that you could hang up in your home when you’re done. Imagine the results!
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Use voucher sites to treat the family to a day out
Lemonade Money also suggests that If you are planning to treat the family to a day out, use sites such as Groupon, Wowcher and Voucher Cloud to secure great savings and sign up for weekly alerts to get the latest deals. These deals can save you a small fortune and if you take your own food and drink, you’ll spend even less. It helps to browse the net for deals and ideas whenever possible.
Create a boredom jar
If you’re still stuck for things to do in the half term, you can create a boredom jar if you’ve exhausted all options and your kids are still bored. Fill it up with some half term fun for kids when you feel like there’s nothing to do around the house. And, make it so all the suggestions are free, so you don’t add to any extra expense. Your Best Friend’s Guide to Cash offers some tips on how to create a boredom jar and other half-term lockdown survival ideas that may be of interest.
“Begin to make some homemade Christmas gifts, bath bombs, bookmarks, soaps keeping little hands busy and entertained”
Becky from A Beautiful Space
Get ready for Christmas!
It may be too early for Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t to prepare now. It may be a virtual Christmas this year, but at least you can enjoy some festive fun, by preparing the Christmas decorations or even decorate the tree. Too early?
Get your Christmas Tree from Amazon now!
Other Christmas decorations from Amazon here!
It looks like it’s set to rain for most of the week, so get your creative hats on and use this chance to spend some adventurous time together. Grab some of the ideas above or if you have any tips of your own, share with us in the comments below, so we can try them out too!
*Collaborative feature post*
*Skates.co.uk kindly gifted us two JD Bug Scooters, but all thoughts are 100% our own*
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases*
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