With limitations on when you can go outside and who you can see, keeping your children entertained during quarantine can seem like a difficult task. Here are 10 fun, interactive things that you can do with your kids during quarantine. 

• Bake 
• Have a picnic
• Video call family and friends
• Make your own playdough
• Create your own board game 
• Make slime
• Explore Africa 
• Create pasta jewellery 
• Take on Dr. Seuss’s Word Challenge
• Build a fort

Bake

Baking is fun for all the family. Gather your children and, together, choose a simple recipe to follow. Baking is great for teaching children how to measure ingredients and how to follow instructions, so divide the baking responsibilities amongst them. Not only is baking educational and fun, but you will all be rewarded with a delicious sweet treat at the end. 

Have a picnic

With lockdown restrictions beginning to ease, people within the same household are now allowed to sit in open spaces. Take this opportunity to gather the family and head to the nearest park with a picnic. The fresh air and the chance for your kids to stretch their legs will do you all the world of good.

If the weather does not permit a park picnic, then have one indoors. Grab a blanket and lay out an abundance of snacks and treats on your floor. You can still have all the fun of an outdoor picnic inside, plus there is the added bonus of not being bitten by ants.

Video call family and friends 

During quarantine it is vital that we all stay in contact with our loved ones. Children may be finding it harder to comprehend why they can’t see their friends and family, so video calling them may satisfy their lack of interaction with people outside of your family home. To maintain some form of normality in your child’s social life, why not set up virtual play dates with their friends from school. This is a great way to ensure that your child is building on their social skills, despite being obstructed from the outside world, whilst freeing up some time for yourself. 

Make your own playdough 

Making playdough is fun, easy to do, and inexpensive. Additionally, just like with baking, your children will learn essential life skills whilst helping you make it. 

To make playdough you will need:

• 2 cups of flour
• ¾ cup of salt
• 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
• 2 cups of lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• food colouring of your choice
•  storage bags

To make your playdough begin by stirring together your flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large pot. Next, add water, oil and, if you are making only one colour of playdough, your food colouring. Put your pot on a medium heat and stir constantly until your mixture becomes thick and begins to form into a ball shape. Once your playdough has formed into a ball, take it off of the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Once cooled, if you are making multiple coloured playdough, split your dough into one ball per colour. Place each ball into a zip-top bag with five drops of food colouring and knead the dough. If you would like a more vibrant colour, add more than five drops of food colouring. Once all of your colouring has been mixed into the dough and you are satisfied with the colour, the playdough is ready to play with. 

Store your playdough in a zip-top bag after use. If stored correctly, your playdough should remain soft for up to three months. 

Create your own board game

Board games can provide you and your family endless hours of fun, however, they can become boring and repetitive once you have played them multiple times. Rather than becoming bored with the same games, why not try and build your own game with your children. Think of a fun concept and let your mind run wild creating rules, a board and players for your game. Once you’ve completed creating your board game, have fun playing it. 

Make slime

 If playdough making was a success, why not get your kids to try and make slime. Similarly, making slime is inexpensive and easy. 

To make slime you will need:

• 8 ounces of white glue
• 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons of contact saline solution
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• Food colouring

To make your slime begin by squeezing the whole contents of your white glue into a bowl and add your food colouring. Stir the mixture together until it has combined. Once combined, add your baking soda and saline solution. Be aware that the more solution you add the thicker it will be and the less solution you add the slimier it will be. Using your hands, knead your mixture together until it holds- it will be wet and gooey to begin with, but as you knead it will become more solid. Once satisfied with the consistency of your slime, let your kids enjoy. 

Once your children have finished playing with their slime, store in a zip-top bag to keep fresh. 

Explore Africa 

Just because you and your kids are stuck in quarantine it doesn’t mean you can’t explore the world. Gather your children and head to the Explore website to watch the live African animals Livestream. On the website is an abundance of information about Africa, the watering hole where the Livestream is set and the animals that can be seen. Your children could encounter animals they have never seen before in this safari-style, educational experience, all from the comfort of your own home. 

Create pasta jewellery

Pasta jewellery is easy and fun to make. All you need is some different types of pasta and some string. Let your children’s imaginations run wild as they create pasta necklaces and bracelets. Stylish, organic and tastes great when cooked. 

Take on Dr Seuss’s Word Challenge

Open your child’s mind to the literary world by letting them take on Dr Suess’s Word Challenge. The aim of the game is to read as many books as possible. You could even create a rewards system or a competition between your child and their siblings or your child and their friends. All the information about the Word Challenge can be found at Seussville, where you will also find additional literary activities and games. 

Build a fort 

On rainy days there is nothing quite like gathering the family and building a fort. Use every cushion, pillow, duvet and blanket you can find and build the biggest structure possible. Once built, gather some snacks, some films and your family and spend the day together, relaxing in the fort. 

Don’t stress about your laundry when you have to look after your children. Book your Laundryheap dry cleaning slot and we will pick up, launder and deliver your clothing within 24hrs. Now available in Kuwait and New York. Head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app to book your service.