With half term on the horizon, parents are undoubtedly already thinking about how best to keep their young ones amused. Particularly given that many of us will be continuing to WFH!
Introducing Make Time 2 Play’s free app – the ultimate sidekick for all parents who need some creative play inspiration to amuse their kids this half term. Whether for indoor play, long car journeys or outside activities, the app inspires creative play and features a range of resources, including 450+ activity ideas, helpful tips, and information on the benefits of play.
How the play based activities can help your child:
- Physical – Physical activity has been shown to contribute to brain growth and function, and allows children to let off steam and burn off their natural energy. Play is a great way of engaging children in this area.
- Emotional – Experts believe that play is vital for a child’s emotional development, including their experience, expression and understanding. Playing amongst nature can also boost children’s mood and self-esteem and may even contribute to making them nicer in general!
- Creative – Creative play is a great way for children to express themselves, innovate and develop their imaginations.
- Social – Through social play, children learn how to interact with those around them, strengthen friendships, practise empathy and develop their communication skills.
- Behavioural – Children need to learn that there are limits and boundaries. Learning this through play can help children to regulate their own behaviour towards others and the world around them.
- Inquisitive – By using their natural curiosity, kids’ expand their minds – they start to learn why something has happened and what could be done differently to achieve different results next time.
How the app it works – it really is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Download and open the app on any iOS or Android device
- Use the different filters to select your children’s age range, number of players and current play setting
- Go ahead and play! And, remember to favourite the best ones to save yourself time when searching in the future
Here are just a few of the brilliant games you can try out, depending on the occasion, setting or mood you and your child may be in…
Games perfect for car journeys:
- Car Bingo: Keep your eye out for different coloured cars and tick them off as you go. The winner then gets to take control of the next car singalong.
- On a Plate: Taking only the first letter on each car’s number plate, see how long it takes you to get from A-Z. The letters must be spotted in the correct sequence.
- The Name Game: The first person says a name and the next has to think of a name with the last letter of the person before. Keep going until someone can’t think of one…and then they are out!
Games perfect for rainy days:
- Toy Treasure Hunt: Hide toys around your home and draw a simple treasure map with fun clues for the kids to follow.
- Bag of words: Write a range of words and place them individually in a bag for your child to pick out from. Then, get them to make a sentence or short story out of their chosen words.
Games perfect for outdoor play:
- Nature Crowns: Get your children to collect different types of leaves and flowers from the garden or park. Then, cut out a strip of card measured to the size of your child’s head to act as the crown. After this, the decorating can begin by sticking on all the flowers and leaves!
- Water Balloon Catch: Half fill balloons with cold water and tie the ends, then play catch with the balloons. Who will catch the balloon and who will end up soaked through…?
- Sprinkler jumping: Put on the water sprinkler for your child to jump over whilst trying not to get wet! Great fun on a hot day.
For more great play ideas and endless fun, download the FREE Make Time 2 Play app here, available on iOS and Android!
