Simple Ideas to Keep Kids Occupied at Home This Summer
It is a really weird time at the moment, many summer holidays are being postponed and a lot of summer camps and other kids activities are all up in the air. Some of us are still working from home so looking for simple ideas to keep the kids occupied at home this summer.
Well, this is my superpower. I am here to provide you with lots of simple ideas for kids crafts, activities and ways to keep our children occupied at home this summer. There’s no doubt about it: trying to juggle working from home with children is challenging. These activity ideas will help you out!
I am a firm believer in keeping things as simple as possible for everyone and also have zero issues with screens and love popping the kids in front of a movie, especially when I can get them to make it an event by printing off tickets, making popcorn and then writing a review as that keeps them occupied for even longer. parenting win!
How to encourage children to keep them self occupied at home
The best way I have found to teach kids to keep themselves occupied is by using a bored jar. A jar where you pop activities and chores in and they pick one out when they have nothing to do.
You can keep it simple for younger children and I think the addition of chores is the secret as they never know what they are going to pick out, so it might be make a jigsaw or play on the Xbox, but it might also be vacuum the stairs or walk the dog!
I would recommend making one jar for each child based on their age and aptitude – the aim is to take the pressure off YOU keeping them occupied.
- Bored Jar Activities for Teens
- Bored Jar Activities for Younger Children and Preschoolers
- Bored Jar Activities for Tweens
Sometimes it is just about having an idea and prepping. When I need to work then I prep the activities on a morning ready for keeping the kids occupied. Also, you have to plan for the weather as yes this is the UK!
Brainstorming Summer Activities
A great way to fill up your board jar is to brainstorm activities with the kids. I like to pop each activity on a post it note then you can fold it and pop it in your jar.
The activities do not have to be complicated, in fact, simple activities that your children do anyway work really well. Activities like Hama beads, jigsaws, sticking and glueing, LEGO, colouring, paint by numbers etc. Also, it is a good idea to buy some activity books, such as Magic water painting books (UK Link/US Link), or dot to dot books for times when you need them to be really quiet!
Ideas to keep the kids occupied this summer
- 25 Teddy Bear Themed Crafts and Activities
- 20 Fun & Creative Boat Crafts for Kids
- 2 Ingredient Silly Putty
- 35 Craft Stick Crafts and Activities
- 10 Cool Kids Activities for Hot Days
- 20+ Angry Birds Crafts and Activities for Kids
- 10 Rugby crafts and activities for kids
- 20 Stick Crafts and Activities
- 10 Great games and activities for kids to encourage play in the garden
- Paddington Bear crafts, activities & free printables
- Seven Great Kids Outdoor Painting Activities
- Stone crafts and activities
- Post-it Note art, crafts and activities
- Bird activities and crafts
- 10 Last minute rainy day activities
- Lockdown 2020 Time Capsule Printable
- Keeping Kids Active in the Garden
- Lion King Activity Sheets
- Fabulous Smallfoot Crafts and Party Ideas
- Football crafts or Soccer Crafts
- Shape Rocket – a fab preschool activity
- 20 Cute and Easy to Make Disney Inspired Crafts
- 20 Adorable Button Crafts for Kids
- Plastic Bottle Wind Spiral Mobile
- DIY Craft Foam Stamps
- DIY Dreamcatcher Tutorial
- Kandinsky Inspired Tree made with Felt Scraps
- 5 ways to make movie night memorable
- Make your own Stickman
- Summer Water Fun
- Measuring and Estimating with Ribbons
- Kandinsky for kids – concentric circles in squares
- Floating chalk prints
- Free printable paper dolls
- DIY maths game for kids – Out of this world maths
- How to make paper beads Necklace from scrap paper
- Scooby-Doo Kids Colouring Pages
- Scooby Doo Crafts
- Paper Plate Weaving Tutorial
- Balloon Hovercraft
- Minion Stones – a fab Minion Craft
- DIY Puffy Paint
- stress balls from balloons
- Maths and Art Collide = Parabolic curves
- Popsicle Stick Harmonica or a lolly stick harmonica
- Free Minions Colouring Book Printable and Minion craft roundup
- Make a lolly or popsicle stick catapult
- 15 Stunning suncatchers for kids to make
- Homemade flowers for kids to make
- Ombre Shoe Lace – How to
- Rainbow Crafts and Activities for Kids
- How to make a Smash book (scrapbook) for kids – a step by step guide
- DIY Etched Wooden Heart Keyrings
- Washi Decorated Toilet Roll Bracelets or Cuffs
- DIY Garden lantern from a plastic bottle
- Salt dough jewellery
- Diy Toy Parachute Craft
- Tissue Confetti DIY Decorated Photo Frame
- How to make Animal-Friendly Pavement Paint
- DIY Butterfly and Flower Fingerprint Mugs
- DIY Phone Amplifier and Stand
- Make your own Jelly Bean Watercolours (Taste Safe)
- 20 Fun and Creative Clothespin Crafts Ideas
- 20 Easy & Beautiful Cactus-Inspired Projects
- Easy Monkey Paper Puppet with Templates
- Simple My Little Pony Craft
- Make a Toilet Roll Microphone
- DIY LEGO Fidget Spinners
- How to Make a Craft Stick Wall Hanging
- Make your own Blow Art Paper Plate Lion
- Bleeding Tissue Paper Canvas Art
- LEGO Batman Crafts and Activities
- How to Make Rainbow Milk Marbled Paper Art
- Simple Stop Motion for Kids
- Mondrian Inspired Jar Luminaries
- DIY Superhero Masks – Crafting with Tweens
- Design a Dream Pet – A simple drawing prompt
- DIY Colouring Page Bookmarks
- Pete’s Dragon Colouring and Activity Pages
- Polymer Clay Monsters
- Washi Decorated Toilet Roll Bracelets or Cuffs
- Cotton Pad Calla Lily Craft
- Shoebox table football/foosball table
- Faux stained glass art for kids
- Floating chalk prints
- Cute Felt Chick Purse
- Printing Flowers with Celery Stalks
- DIY Marble Maze – How to
- How to make Glove Monsters
- How to make a Rainbow Windsock
- Dying fabric with Permanent markers
- Children’s Craft Showcase – Masking Tape
- Home Made Scented Playdough
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