TV Free Activities
Potato Prints (potatoes NB Apples, carrots and onions work well) paper, paint/food colouring and glue, knife) Make cards or wrapping paper.
Collage art work. On a medium or large piece of paper draw something the children are interested or on A4 print something off the internet (or your art ability extends too!) Trees, flowers, a dinosaur, Bob the builder! Then with old magazines, junk mail etc rip out or cut out little pieces of paper or cut squares all of similar sizes, but different colours then start gluing them onto the paper to “colour in” the painting.
Stuffed paper animals (fish work well) or shapes. (Paper, scissors, paint/crayons , staples/cellotape & string) Get a large piece of paper and fold it in half (or 2 pieces of A4) and draw a simple shape on the paper as large as possible eg a fish . Cut the shape out and then get the kids to colour in/draw or paint on one side of both pieces of paper. Staple/ cellotape them together, back to back obviously, painted side out, leave a hole to put the stuffing in eg screwed up paper, then completely seal. Attach string with cellotape and hang up from door handles or walls etc
Paint your own canvas. Buy a small plain canvas. Paint the outside edge a solid bright primary colour and then using only 2-3 colours get the children to paint directly on the canvas. A great accessory for their room or birthday present for Nana.
Hand prints and footprint art. On paper or a canvas. Put your childrens hands (over 18 months)and soles of their feet in paint and press onto paper like a stamp. Great to have framed as art, or in a photo album/scrap book and kept over time to watch them grow. A great option for cards or wrapping paper with babies too. Use footprints only for babies and those under 18 months. It gets way too messy otherwise and they always want to close their fists!!
Self Portraits. Get them to doa drawing of themselves & write on their age and year
Footprints (paper scissors and pens) Draw around your childrens feet on a piece of paper/cardboard and cut them out. Use this shape as a template and cut more out eg 10 sets. Blue tak the footprints around the house and get them to follow them around. IT could be a treasure hunt with a surprise at the end. Vary them close far apart, hopping distance etc
Dot art. Large paint brush ideal with flat end. Draw the outline of a picture/shape (or print off the internet a shape or image) eg trees and colour in with just dots, brown trunk , green leaves etc show them pictures of impressionist art using the same techniques.
Etching art. Completely paint over a piece of paper or canvas in one strong colour or several multicolours and then let it dry. Once dry, paint over the top in black or another colour not used below on the first coat. Do this quickly and using thick paint. Get the children to then etch out or scratch a drawing on the top eg using the end of the paint brush or a match stick. With the black scraped away the colour underneath will be revealed.
Funny Feet/shoes ( Large tissue boxes, paint and paper) Tissue boxes are ideal as ‘shoes’. Paint up and add cardboard on the soles for other effects. Claws for Tigers, Dinosaurs, dogs, birds etc. Paper tails can be made out of paper to match.
Painted Easter Eggs. (Eggs, food colouring or paint) Boil eggs and decorate to then eat or decorate then blow the eggs. Draw designs on the egg and colour in or dip the egg in food dye. Tape for a multicoloured effect. To blow eggs make a hole in the egg at both ends with one hole slightly larger, pierce the yolk sac and blow from the small hole end. Make sure you get it all out or it will smell later!
Autumn leaf trees. Collect leaves. Press them. Label them and do leaf rubbings. Another option is to cover them with contact adhesive then cut around the shape leaving room at the top to cut a hole and tie string to hang them on a “tree” using a real or made trunk and branches.
Copy the pattern. Draw shapes and patterns and get them to copy them.
Make a clock. Make a clock , cut the hands out of cardboard. Mark key times on it. Wake up , daddy goes to work. Go to Georges house. Lunch time. Dinner time bath time etc. Helps understand how time passes.
An “I Can book”. Draw a picture of themselves and starting putting in things they can now do… I can dress yourself, go to the toilet, swim, use a knife and fork, ride a trike etc. Draw or stick in relevant pictures.
Mirror Blob paintings. Fold a piece of paper in half. Paint on one half then fold over to press paint onto the other side. Open it up – wow – what do you have? Maybe a butterfly!
Straw blow paintings. Put paint in the end of a straw and blow it gently onto paper.
Bubble pictures. Put powder paint and some detergent in a container. Put a drinking straw in and blow bubbles until the container is almost overflowing with bubbles. Then press paper on the top to make bubble prints, or like the straw blow above draw the bubbles into the straw then blow onto paper.When the bubbles burst they make colourful bubble prints.
Sewing cards. Cut out a shape on cardboard eg car, boat, etc with a hole punch cut out holes all around the edges at least 3 cm apart, with wool or old shoe laces thread them through the holes. Dip ends into melted candle wax to stiffen them. Make sure you tie a large knot in the hole to start with.
Necklaces. Use random household objects to thread onto wool or string. Eg macaroni, buttons, fabric, tinfoil, paper shapes with holes, bottle tops etc
Mobile. Coat hanger, string and random household items or pictures they have drawn or printed off the net of their favourite characters or hobbies eg dinosaurs cars etc. Punch a hole in them and attach them with string to the coathanger.
Photo Puzzles. Large photo of your family. Stick onto cardboard. Contact over it or have it laminated. Then cut out large jigsaw pieces. Great for gifts.
Placemats. Laminate, paintings, drawings or photo collages to make placemats. Great for grandparents too.
Noodle art. You need pasta of various shapes strong glue and cardboard. Draw shapes, names etc on the cardboard and then stick the pasta on eg Spell their name or draw a flower or car etc. Holes can be cut into the cardboard and string attached to put names on their doors. Dry pasta can also be painted!
Sand paintings. Draw a picture or get a picture from a colouring in book. Mix sand with powder paint or leave plain then colour in the painting with glue and sprinkle over the sand. Letters and numbers are good for this as you can also do crayon rubbings over them or trace around them with your fingers to help learn your alphabet.
Shoe prints/Wax rubbings. Put a piece of paper on the soles of a shoe and then do a crayon rubbing over them. Do everyone in the households then cut them out and put them on one piece of paper to compare. Another alternative is to rub over it with white crayon or wax, then make up some powder water paint or with food colouring and brush the water mixture over the shoe to show up the pattern. This can also be done with the leave rubbings. Match by size smallest to largest.
Stencil stars. Make star stencils different sizes and place on paper and get the children to paint inside the stencil. Best on black paper with white paint. This can be stuck on their walls or ceiling!
Playdough recipe. I cup flour. 1 cup water. 1 tbsp cooking oil. Half cup salt. 1 tbsp cream of tartar. Food colouring or paint. Mix all together in a saucepan on medium heat until thick. Except oil. When cooled add oil and knead together. Divide into balls and add different colours to each. Put each colour in a different coloured container. Scented oils or essences can be added to the dough for a perfumed effect.
Wet chalk drawing.You need 1 cup of water and quarter of a cup of sugar. Dip the chalk into the mixture(or soak them in it 10 mins- musn’t press too hard) as you draw the colours are much brighter & doesn’t smear. Looks great on black paper.To keep you need to spray lightly with hair spray or a similar polyurethane or sealant
Paper weaving. Cut out long strips of paper different colours for effect and weave them together. Great to be used as cards or larger pieces as part of a large piece of art.
Body cut outs. Large pieces of paper draw around their bodies and cut them out. Blue tack it up and paint or decorate it. Hang it on the bedroom door so everyone know who it is. Ends of rolls of newspaper are ideal.
Rose coloured glasses. You need toilet rolls of cardboard cylinders scraps of different coloured cellophane and tape. Cover one end of the cylinders and look through. Or you can cut out the centre of a paper plate and replace it with cellophane.
Colourful bottles. Ice cream containers or bottles. Cut out shapes (flowers, stars, triangles, hearts etc) and stick them or blue tack them to the bottles. Spray with metallic paint then peel off to reveal the interesting shapes.
Papier mache. You need wall paper paste or PVA glue. Newspaper, a balloon. Blow up the balloon & start glueing the strips of newspaper onto the balloon. Don’t apply more than 3-4 layers at a time. Peg the balloon on the clothes line so it dries quickly. Make people masks by cutting it in half or a collection of funny animals using the whole head.Add features like noses, ears etc then paint over them.
Kitchen Drums – pots pans and wooden spoons
Quiter- Home made drum kit – containers , tins, cylinders, cover tops/ends in fabric or paper and attach with rubber bands. Attach tightly for high sounds loose for lower. Play with fingers or wooden spoons.
Bottle top tambourine – get a scrap piece of wood & nail on bottle tops. Be sure not to hammer in the tops all the way so they can shake. Shake in time to music or bang with their other hand. Sing songs with a strong beat with it eg Frere Jacques
Musical jars (4-6 empty glass jars) and metal spoons. Leave one empty and fill others to verifying levels with water. Tap them with spoons. Put in order from high to low.
Rice maracas. Put rice, in small containers and shake. Another good option is pegs or stones in plastic milk bottles - they shake well.
Shoe box Guitar. (Shoe box and 4-6 rubber bands). Cut a round hole in the middle of a shoe box lid. Put the rubber bands around the box positioned over the sound hole. Pluck the rubber bands to hear different sounds.
Singing Nursery Rhymes. Baa Baa verse 2. Moo Moo Jersey cow have you any milk yes sir yes sir three buckets full. One for the master and one for the cat and one for the little boy who wants to get fat.
Clapping out Nursery Rhymes. Give them clues on the topic if they can’t get it.
Drop the penny. Get a jar and a range of different objects. Blindfold or turn their backs. Drop the objects into the jar – they have to guess which it is. Eg coins, dice, pencil, pegs, safety pin, marble etc
Box City Fun (large cardboard boxes, other props eg cardboard cylinders broom handles, sheets and masking tape) Make boats, houses, tunnels, towers & castles.
Box vehicles- medium/large cardboard box, string & tape- extras include plastic/paper plates. The box needs to be big enough for them to stand in. You cut a hole in the bottom of the box and get them to stand up. Cut string so it is long enough to go over both of their shoulders and attach to the box ie so hands free they are driving the car. You can then paint or decorate the car, paint doors etc. Extras attach accessories eg stick plastic plates on as wheels and tin foil ones on the front as headlights. Attach a “steering wheel”- plastic plate loosely with a screw or twisty as a so it can be spun around.
Dress up box – Get a large card board box and decorate it to store dress ups in. Cut out pictures from magazines, junk mail flyers etc and glue cellotape them onto the box. Cover it completely. It can be an ongoing project over rainy days to cover it completely. Fill with dress ups. Eg Mums old necklaces, handbags, shoes, bangles, tshirts, skirts, purses, glasses. The $2 shop is great for dress up box accessories.
Marble Bowls. (Small box eg Shoe box, marbles or small balls) Put the box upside down and cut out arches for the bowling alley. Number each of the holes and then roll the balls along the ground to go into the holes. You win by getting the most balls in the hole or for older children your points adding up to the most.
Craft Tool Box. Cover a shoe box and lid with their paintings or paint one to keep their craft materials eg scissors, cellotape, crayons, etc put small containers inside with other items eg paper, stickers sponges, string, old toothbrushes for painting, glitter, iceblock sticks etc, leaves..
Garages. Match different sized boxes to vehicles cut holes in the boxes and park cars in them. Order them from smallest to largest etc.
Obstacle course (Inside or outside game). Ideas for this include: crawling through the legs of the dining room chairs, under tables. Tie a cord/rope between 2 chairs and slide under on your tummy. Tunnels out of chairs, cushions and a rug. Roll up towels to walk along a “balance beam” or plank! Balance bean bags on their heads or books for older ones. Time this to see how fast the course can be done. Graph results. Make sure breakables are well out of reach!
Balloon sport (soccer or basketball) Blow up a balloon try to keep hitting it without it falling to the floor, count how many times it was touched before it fell to the floor. Keep it up using different part of their body hand , head elbow, feet, knees etc With more than one child play sport. Kicking it only or throwing it to each other. Challenges- blow up 2 balloons and try and keep 2 up at once. Lie on the floor and keep 1-2 up with your feet.
Clothes peg races. (Clip clothes pegs and string) Hang up a piece of string between 2 chairs and have peg races using one hand who can put 10 pegs on the fastest. 2 play at once or time each. One can put on the other take off! A great activity to develop hand muscles for writing.
Follow the leader. Walking skipping, sideways, hopping, backwards. Jumping big steps etc
Hopscotch
Soapy water play bath.
Zoo in the sandpit. Boxes houses – straws for fences. Ponds etc
Freeze. Aim to get closest to the person who is IT
Piggy in the middle.
Simon says..
Ring a ring a rosy
Hey Mr crocodile
Can we cross the water to see your lovely daughter floating in the water like a cup and saucer
Yes if your wearing…. Red, shoes etc
Nursery Rhyme guessing… Start a rhyme and get them to finish it….
Animal shadows ( Only requires a lamp and hands) Darken a room, shine a light on the wall and create your own zoo! This is also great for kids afraid of the dark and shadows, helps them to understand how they work. Try butterflys, birds, pig, camel, rabbits.
Torch games. Which fabrics items will thelight shine through.
Curtain Puppet Theatre. Use a door way or 2 chairs and hang some string between with a sheet/teatowel, pillow case, fabric hung over to create a theatre/stage.
With some creative hand sewing using old socks to make finger or hand puppets/animals eg snakes, dinosaurs, people etc and they can make up plays to perform to anyone who will watch! You could also use plain calico and fabric paint to paint the “stage curtains” theme scenes or just ‘On with the show’. Extras: Stich a seam along the top to make curtains so you can open and close the curtains for the opening and closing scenes. Roll up when not in use and store in the dress up box.
Funny Feet. Wearing old rubber washing gloves on their feet they can be a duck, seal or platypus. Make clown or big feet by wearing and old pair of dads socks with some strong cardboard inside.
Playing shop. (Need: Pantry items, a table and some “money” real or coin rubbings on paper, paper) Make a shopping list and visit the shop.
Sock Snake. Sock, glue felt or paper for the face. Red for the long tongue.This can either be used as a hand puppet or stuffed with newspaper as a toy with the end of the snake stiched up.
Home made bubble bath salts. You need bicarbonate of soda(Three quarters of a cup), cream of tartar,(Half a cup) cornflour(2Tblsp) essential oil(afew drops). Put them all in a jar and stir well! Add a few spoon fulls into their next bath!
Bubble mixture. Water. Detergent. Cooking Oil (1 tsp)or sugar solution. Pipe cleaners make good bubble makers or drinking straws.
Water Measuring. Water jugs and containers. Measure out amounts.
Balloon mysteries. Balloon with air. Balloon with sand. With water. Press down hard what happens? Does it bounce. Air allows it to bounce- hence tyres and balls are filled with air.
Rocket Propulsion. This is a flying fox concept. String 2.5 metres long. A straw, tape and a balloon. Tape the straw to the blown up balloon then thread the string through the straw. Hold onto the end of the balloon. Tie the string to two chairs, stretch it tight. Explain that the air is being forced out and pushing the balloon along.
Floating and sinking. Plastic pegs, containers, corks. Sort into 2 categories which sink and which float. Blowing corks for cork races.
Magnet fun.
Leaf sort & identify.
Outside listening game. Identify the different sounds.
Plant a herb or flower.
Sprouting seeds. Mung beans, alfalfa. Rinse and put in warm water over night in a jar. Cover and let grow. Rinse daily. Keep ina cool dark place.
Heart beat. Toothpick and playdough. Make a small ball of playdough and put a toothpick in it, hold out your childs arm and tell them to keep it still place the dough on their wrist where the pulse is strongest. Watch what happens to the toothpick! Get them to run around and do it again. Count the pulse.
Rivers in the sand- Geography. Make creeks, lakes and waterfalls in the sand pit, Make mountains around these.
Finger prints.
Solar system mobile. Polystyrene balls, String hanger or an old broken umbrella!
Alphabet spotting (good for in cars) Sing the alphabet song then take turns looking for things that start with each letter in the alphabet. Do it as a group and write down each thing next to the letter. This can also be done in categories eg Animal alphabet, food, toys etc
I Spy. For younger children use colours or shapes. Older children letters and then several letters for increased complexity eg TOC Teddy on chair
Animal , Vegetable , Mineral… guess the object I am thinking of. Ask questions to determine what “IT” is.. Each person can only ask 10 questions
Rhyming charades. 6 plus. Words that rhyme with dog, log , frog, bog, cat mat fat rat, pat, sat etc
Family Tree. Draw a family tree, print of photos of family members and stick them on.
Hangmans Noose. 7plus. Select a word draw a line for each letter at the bottom of the page. Get them to guess the letters in the word. IF they are correct write the letter on the line if not a line goes on to draw a hanged man. If you draw the whole hang man they have lost.
Word anagrams. 8 plus. Andrew – warden. Dust- stud. Stage gates. Mate- tame.
Spelling crosswords.
Word Bingo. 8 plus. Puts word on pieces of paper. Call the words out and the children have to identify the piece of paper with that word on it.
Animal families. 8 plus. Birds -flock, Fish – school. Cow-Herd .Dog- Kennel.
Clothes peg sorting. Sorting pegs into colour piles and then counting each pile. Put one of the different coloured pegs on the ground to start the piles if needed. This can be done when hanging out washing. Matching coloured pegs to clothes and counting them.
Matching pairs game. Socks pegs, buttons, toys shoes, cutlery, gloves. Collect pairs and put them all in a box/bag together. Get the children to look through the box to find the pairs. This can be done when folding washing – match the pairs!
Largest – smallest. Put a range of things of different sizes in a box. Preferably of the same type eg large car, small car. Big leaf small leaf etc. Get the children to sort them into small and large items then go from smallest to largest.
Largest smallest. Draw around hands and feet. Then order from smallest to largest. These are also good to keep for future reference.
Pouring and measuring. Sand or food eg rice, pasta etc.Make loads for small trucks, Create mountains etc from them.
Comparing weights. 4 plus. Brick piece of wood. Make a seasaw and add items of different weights to each end to see which is heaviest, or ligtest. Compare wet and dry objects as well. Eg sponges flannels etc
Estimation. 4 plus. What will happen next? Building blocks. Water, measuring cups, Marbles. Hammer and nails. How many blocks can you build before they will fall.How many blocks needed to get across the doorway. How many cups of water to fill up the jug. How many marbles to fill the jug. How many bangs of the hammer to get it into the wood.
My Day/My week chart. 4 plus. 1 long piece of paper or 7 pieces labeled Monday – Sunday. 7-7 pm. Write key things you do on different days or at the time of day. Put it up in their room and talk about it using words like yesterday, tomorrow, next week, this morning etc or Get up , get dressed have breakfast watch TV, say bye to Daddy, go to Geroges house, have lunch have a sleep, have a swim or swing, have dinner, watch simpsons, clean teeth, go to toilet, go to bed!
Number Match. 4 plus. Draw lots of irregular pairs of numbers on a piece of paper. Get the children to match drawing an arrow between the pairs. From a 2 – to the other 2. etc..
Paper clip counting. 10 cards. Each with a number written on it. Also draw the same number of circles on each piece of card. Get the children to attach the correct number of paper clips to each piece of paper. Card and blocks/lego can also be used. Count to see if they have done it correctly.
Patterns. 4 plus. Repeat patterns with shapes and colours eg lego blocks- one side ways then one length ways. Start simple then add complexity. Two side ways then one length ways then colour components etc as need greater complexity.
Calculator fun. 6 plus.Write numbers down and get them to push the corresponding button. Then call out a number and get them to push the button.
Dice games. How many. 6 plus Count them. More advanced. Competition- throw then write down your number add them up see who wins with the highest score after 5/10 throws.
Odds and Evens. 6 plus. Hand game like rock paper scissors. Start with a clenched fist, count to three and then put out an odd or even number of fingers, take turns to say if it will be odds or evens.If they guessed correctly they score a point and have another turn at calling, if wrong it is the other players turn to call again. Win first to 20.
Match the time. Need a clock with hands easily changed. Call out the time and the other person sets the clock. Use all the different expressions. Five thirty. Half past five. 10 minutes past. Etc
Thanks to Deborah Higgins from Precious Wipes for sending this very useful play guide to Nappies Direct www.nappies.co.nz