I want to entertain my kids at home

Whether you’re choosing to self-isolate due to Coronavirus or simply have no choice, you might be looking for some fun ideas of things you can do with the kids that doesn’t just involve screens. Of course, your kids’ health and safety is paramount, but keeping your little ones entertained for hours on end is probably also vital for your own sanity.

But BEFORE you start going on a ‘Pinning’ spree (and collect a billion resources to keep your kids entertained), I want to remind you of something…

While we can’t control what is happening around us, we can control how we respond.

Sometimes scrolling the socials can make you feel like we need to DO more (have more, set up more, buy more)…but at their very core, our kiddos just want to feel connected with us ????????????

*Especially* in times like this.

They’re looking to us to model for them how to respond to what’s happening in the world around them.

And so an incredible opportunity presents itself.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Lean into family time

Invite your children to help with daily tasks (even if they don’t do them ‘right’). Bake with them and stock up the freezer.

Invite them to ‘help you’ sort the odd socks. (Seriously, where do the partners GO?!)

Keeping things relatively ‘normal’ helps keep the calm amongst the uncertainty.

2. Boredom is the birthplace of imagination

Despite what social media is often showing us – you don’t need to be your child’s entertainment coordinator! Of course, have a few ideas up your sleeve (and you can use our huge list below) but don’t feel the pressure to DO, DO, DO.

3. Keep it simple!

Dance parties, balloon games (aka ‘keepy uppy’ Bluey style!), making cubbies/couch forts, playing hide and seek… Don’t undervalue those simple, timeless games!

4. Check in with YOURSELF

How are you feeling? Are you doing things that fill your own cup? Because the better you feel, the better you show up for yourself AND the people around you. (Make sure you check our list of ideas to take care of you in iso here)

50+ activities, recommendations, and ideas to help you stay in and keep the kids entertained.

In an effort to make the next few weeks a little easier on you, we came up with a list of activities for kids that will keep their minds and hands busy while stuck at home, whether you’re stocked up on crafting supplies or not.

We will try to keep this list up to date and refresh it regularly.

If you want to add an idea to this list send us an email to hello@mumoki.com

1. Make fresh pasta at home
2. Colouring in activities. Download and print these cute artworks from Rachel Castle which say things like “Wash Your Hands”
3. Roll out some butchers paper and try painting or colouring in on the floor for a change of location and scenery
4. Organise pom poms by colour and glue in lines
5. DIY play-doh: Combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, 3/4 cup water, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, and food colouring for homemade Play-Doh!
6. Make slime: This recipe is great. 
7. Make stories up about things you see outside: Listen to Story Salad on ABC Kids Listen for inspiration.
8. Stack Magnatiles: Who can build the tallest tower?
9. Practice writing and penmanship in activity books
10. UNO
11. Memory
12. Snap
13. Baking
14. Make sandwiches into fun shapes
15. Read a book
16. Movie Marathon and make fresh popcorn
17. Pizza picnic in the lounge room
18. Build a cubby house
19. Put on a puppet show: Make the puppets out of old socks
20. Scavenger hunt around the house with a prize at the end
21. Baking soda and vinegar volcano: This is a pretty simple way to do it. 
22. Bin basketball
23. Paint homemade cards and write letters to friends and family
24. Teddy Bear Picnic
25. Flash Cards
26. Hide and Seek
27. Hide and Seek Maths: Find out how simple it is here.
28. Puzzles
29. Star Jumps
30. Balloon Keepy Uppy: Bluey is the ultimate creative inspo
31. Lego
32. Yoga: Check out Cosmic Kids on youtube or download the app
33. Bath time
34. Duplo Bath: It’s as basic as it sounds but is a great way to kill some time and change up the routine for your kids.
35. Dance Party
36. Make Anzac Cookies: Our favourite recipe is here
37. Shadow Puppets
38. Make a feely bag
39. Virtually see the penguins being fed at the aquarium: And sharks, and dugongs and more. It’s all happening at the Sydney Aquarium.
40. Do a learn to draw class
41. Go for a walk and play spot the teddy bears: Children are doing it all around the world.
42. Go for a walk and collect leaves and flowers to take home and make an artwork out of it. 
43. Paint a still life picture of your lunch
44. Set up a virtual play date
45. Make some banana bread: Our favourite recipe is here.
46. Hopscotch
47. Chalk drawings on the footpath and leave messages for passers by
48. Learn a language: The Duolingo app for kids great and will get them telling you that the “milk is in the fridge” in french in no time. Seriously…. this happened to me.
49. Make a vision board: Set them up with some old magazines and find out what they want to do and achieve when all this iso is over.
50. Get them to make you lunch for a change: Just be prepared for a Vegemite sandwich.
51. Watch the ballet: Go behind the scenes of Swan Lake performed at the Palais Garnier in Paris straight to your tv
52. Get sweaty and do PE with Joe in your lounge room: His Spiderman episode is a particular favourite in this house. 
53. Bubbles!
54. Set up a shower water play area: If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. All you need is a shower space, some Tupperware with a bit of water in it, and a few toys—anything you already have on hand will work as long as it’s water-safe. Pants optional.
55. Draw a toy: and make mum guess what it is.
56. Maths scavenger hunt: Find 1 orange crayon, 2 spoons and 4 socks. How many items do you have? Now take away 3 items? How many items are left? And so on….