We will spend most of the time at home for (at least) the next few weeks. But don’t worry – if you run out of ideas for engaging fun, I hurry with help.
Modern children have countless toys. We find out that there are far too many when cleaning time comes. Each new toy brings joy, but not always go hand in hand with hours of joyful play. These objects very often land in a corner. Now that WE ALL STAY HOME, children are bored with all the toys they have. Shops are closed and we run out of ideas?
What if you try to play without toys?
Home comfort offers an infinite number of games and activities that not only stimulate the imagination and stimulate creative thinking, but also encourage you to explore and experience the surrounding reality with all your senses. Time spent with children on creative games is a great investment in their development, a great opportunity to build a positive relationship and deepen mutual relationships.
Ideas for fun without toys:
Put everyday objects into play. Get inspired by what you have around – in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, garden!
1. Flour – This white fluff is great for games that improve the capacity of small fingers.
Drawing on flour – pour a layer of flour into a plate or tray. The child draws with his finger on the bottom of the dish.
Salt mass – a combination of flour with salt and water creates a salt mass (a glass of flour, a glass of salt and half a glass of water). The process of mass preparation itself can be fun for the child – mixing, kneading, the immersion of hands and even sticking in the mass being created. It can also be fun to create various creatures, figurines, and objects from the salt mass. This mass is a very plastic material for works that can be cured by baking and then decorated with paints.
Moon sand / Magic sand /Cloud dough– a combination of wheat flour and oil (4 glasses of flour and half a glass of oil) creates a mass resembling sand. Fun with the use of the Moon sand is a feast for the sense of touch and is a great reminder of summer.
Homemade Playdough – Ingredients list: 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (dry ingredients mixed). 1,5 cups of boiled water, add the food coloring
in the water, add the water in small increments to the dry ingredients with 2
tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Crush – after pouring the flour into the balloon, the so-called crush, i.e. a ball that changes its shape when touched. It is worth livening it up a bit, e.g. by drawing eyes, lips and adding crazy hair, e.g. from yarn.
Dumplings – flour is an ingredient of many dinner dishes and sweets. Take advantage of the child’s natural curiosity and let yourself help in making dumplings, mixing dough, punching or decorating gingerbread.
2. Grains (Rice, peas, beans, coffee, chickpeas, pepper) – there are many grains and seeds around us that we can use in playing with a child by stimulating the sense of touch, sight and even hearing.
Sorting action – pour at least two types of beans into a bowl and ask your child to sort them. This challenge works well for younger kids. Older children may be interested in moving e.g. bean beans on a spoon from one bowl to another spaced 2-3 meters away. Touching and pouring grains is also a great pleasure.
Colorful sprinkles – all you need is colorful crepe, rice and warm water to turn these small grains into fabulous sprinkles. How to do it? We put the crepe in a dish with warm water. When the water is colored, we pull out the crepe and throw the rice for about 5 minutes. After draining the beans, dry them well and play at will.
Rattles – by pouring beans into any plastic or metal packaging after cosmetics or food, you will create an excellent homemade instrument. You can experiment with your child and create rattles with different sounds by pouring a different amount or type of beans.
“Sticky” – sticking various grains to paper, you can create surprising masterpieces. Beans can be a whole as well as an element of artistic works (e.g. coffee beans complement the figure of a girl drawn earlier and become buttons on the dress).
3. Mugs and cans (plastic, paper, metal)
Building – from mugs you can create unique buildings, larger than the children themselves. For example, yogurt cups are best for such fun. They cost nothing and can become a favorite collection of “blocks”, the amount of which is constantly increasing and gives new design possibilities. Some children derive the greatest joy from building, some from demolition. These plastic cups work in both cases because they are light, quite strong and also very safe.
Telephone – connecting two cups with a string after pulling it creates a telephone. Have fun in different ways. Repeat the words. Speak in a low, thin and thick voice. Pretend you are talking on the phone.
From cup to cup – children love playing with water. One of the simplest is to transfer water from cup to cup. All you have to do is prepare a tray or a baking tray that will mark the place of play. Thanks to this, you will protect your clothes and the space around the child from getting wet. It seems that for many parents it is the mess or potential damage that becomes a big break in play. Instead of giving up some activities, think about how you can limit the damage.
Peek-a-boo! – is one of the oldest games of perception, which every time is a lot of fun. The treasure, which can be a button or a favorite block, hidden under one of three cups, tries to escape the watchful eyes of the child. The fun is not to lose sight of him.
4. Newspapers – How to use old magazines or accumulating advertising brochures?
Paper basketball – crush the paper and make balls from it. Together with your child, throw them to the goal you set for yourself. The title basket can replace a pot, bowl, carton, as well as a rim made of your or children’s arms.
Ships – remember how you can easily make a ship or a hat out of paper. Teach your child step by step and include a paper bauble to play with. Drop ships together, e.g. in a tub or bowl. If you get caught up in this type of work, go up a level and reach for origami.
Inhale-exhale – tear up the paper into small pieces, and then using a straw, inhale small pieces, e.g. from a saucer to a saucer. The reverse version of this task is to put the paper on your hand and to set it in motion by using your exhalation. These activities improve speech development and are an important element of speech therapy.
5. Yarns – with the help of colored threads, you can conjure up various games.
Spider web – use yarn to create a network that is a home obstacle course for a child, and maybe even all family members. Use tables and chairs and all elements in the apartment that will help prepare the network for this challenge for flexibility.
Vases – Brush the bottle with glue and then wrap it carefully with yarn to create colorful patterns. In this way, you will create a hand-made vase.
Sticking with yarn – picturesque, multi-colored yarn works can also be made on a piece of paper. Interesting effects are obtained by applying the yarn in the form of a spiral, waves, stripes.
Pompon – is one of the easiest ways to make a fluffy ball. Roll the yarn on a rectangular piece of paper, on a mug or other object from which you can then slide it off. Halfway through the width of the loop thus formed, tie a knot tightly across it, and then cut the fibers at the ends. The unique ball created in this way can be used for further play or simply become a toy.
I hope these ideas will inspire you to stay at home close to your children and ingenuously play with them. Right now, these activities plus some other daily routines like daily nature walks, read-aloud time, and it’s making a big difference as I keep up these healthy habits.
Finally, thanks for being such a great community. I hope each of you will safe and healthy, and I know that together (but socially distant) we can make it through this.
