With the announcement of UK schools closing this Friday until further notice, parents will need inspiration more than ever! Keep calm, Thankfully Melissa & Doug, leading toy brand in both wooden toys and imaginative play have put together a Stuck Inside Guide and I wanted to share my favourite tips. There are some brilliant ideas in the guide and I hope they inspire you as much as they did me.
Reading Zone
Grab some cushions from the sofa and a few of your little ones favourite teddies, lay some blankets down and create a cosy reading corner. You could put a few of your children’s favourite books in a box so that they can help themselves or maybe you could play libraries. Why not treat your children to a few new storybooks? The girls are loving these books from Egmont Publishing https://www.egmont.co.uk at the moment.
They are perfect for Easter! The girls both loved Mr Wolf’s Pancakes, it has a brilliant twist at the end that had them both in stitches. The First Egg Hunt was a second favourite and Flo loved Thomas and the Spring Surprise as she is obsessed with playing with her trains. It was so nice to sit quietly and read to the girls.
Provide Play Prompters
I’m a big fan of this sort of play and I regularly set up Invitation to play for the girls. Let your little ones take charge and encourage them to create their own games by setting out various props. You could even set up different zones including a dress up area, building zone and art station. It’s great to teach your children to play independently without needing prompts from an adult.
I made the girls a “bug hotel” out of a cardboard lid. I drew the bugs beds with little pillows, puddles to drink, flowers to eat, they had a tree with swings, a slide and they even had their very own ball pit! It’s very easy to create and it will provide endless, imaginative fun.
Hide Toys Around the House
The girls love playing this game. It’s so easy to play and it definitely keeps them busy. Simply take it in turns to hide your children’s favourite toys or teddies around the house and watch the excitement levels go through the roof, whilst they dash around the house trying to find their toys.
Use Play as a Way to Process Big Feelings
Children listen and understand more than we give them credit for, so they are probably feeling confused and a little anxious about what is going on. You could try role play, and maybe your child could pretend to be a Doctor or Teacher, by helping them feel in charge, it will make them feel a little less stressed. You could also do a bit of rough and tumble play or tickle attacks to help relieve anxiety.
Melissa & Doug have lots of amazing wooden role play toys and fancy dress costumes. One of the girls favourite is this Wooden Pizza. They love serving Mummy pizza for dinner and it’s an activity that they can play together.
Build on What Absorbs Your Child’s Attention
If you’re having to juggle working from home whilst trying to keep your little ones entertained, think of an activity that your child loves the most and create a hands on set-up, that will keep them busy and quiet whilst you work. Flo loves to be creative and she loves to draw and colour in, but I can’t trust that she wouldn’t be tempted to add a splash of colour to my living room walls, so I always have to supervise her.
Thankfully Melissa & Doug’s Water Wow book allows Flo to be creative independently without this Mama looking over her shoulder. You simply fill the pen provided with water and watch your little ones faces light up with amazement as colour appears on the pages. This gem is a god send it you’re isolating with younger children. Check out Https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melissa&doug for toy inspiration.
Click on the link if you want to read the rest of Melissa & Doug’s tips from their Stuck at Home Guide https://www.melissaanddoug.com/blogpost/?postId=our-best-play-ideas-for-when-kids-are-stuck-at-home