If you’re lost when it comes to keeping your child busy during the Summer of ’21, don’t worry because we’ve found multiple at-home DIYs online to keep your children active and stimulated.
In this short listicle, we have subdivided our DIY finds into those fit for toddlers and those fit for children aged 6-10.
DIYs for Toddlers
For toddlers, you need safe, easy, and super fun activities for them to engage in.
1.Card Slot Drop – activity by Busytoddler.com
This activity requires an old empty can, a utility knife, and a deck of play cards.
Step 1: Carefully cut a hole onto the lid of a container, wide enough for the cards to fit through.
Step 2: Teach your child how to drop cards through this whole.
We find this helpful activity for your toddler’s sensory skill development!
Read more: https://busytoddler.com/2016/08/card-slot-drop/.
2. Impromptu Drum Circle – activity by MamaPapaBubba.com
This activity requires round household objects, wooden spoons, or any safe stick-like object you can find at home.
Step 1: Arrange your round household objects into a circle
Step 2: Hand over the wooden spoon or stick to your child and show them to hit these round objects with them.
It may get noisy, but it will ensure that your child has tons of fun and stays busy! Plugin your pair of headphones if you need to our join the fun with your toddler.
Read more: https://mamapapabubba.com/2013/02/17/impromptu-drum-circle/.
3. Pouring Station – activity by BusyToddler.com
This activity requires a storage tub, plastic containers, food coloring, and of course, water.
Step 1: Place a few containers filled with colored water and a few empty ones in your storage tub.
Step 2: Teach your child to pour the colored water into empty containers or mix colors by pouring colored water from one container into another container filled with different coloured water.
This activity helps your toddler develop their motor skills, learn about color, and to be creative! It’s messy and super fun, assured to keep your child busy.
Read more: https://busytoddler.com/2015/09/pouring-station/
4. Pom-Pom Race – activity by emmaowl.com
This activity requires pom-pom balls (you can substitute this with cotton balls), colored tape, and straws.
Step 1: Stick the colored tape onto your floor, write down “start” at the side of the tape line. If you want, place another tape line as a finish line or a box at the end to blow the cotton balls into.
Step 2: Place your cotton balls or pom-pom balls onto the start line.
Step 3: Place straws ahead of the start line before each cotton ball/ pom- pom.
Step 4: Teach your toddler to blow through the straw to make the ball move. Make it a race!
This activity teaches your toddler how to blow through straws and is super fun and easy to do. You can try this game for your toddler’s next birthday party or playdate.
Read more: https://emmaowl.com/pom-pom-racing/
5.Sort and Drop Colour Activity – by Toddlerapproved.com
This activity requires a cardboard box, white paper, colored markers, and Lego bricks.
Step 1: Cover a cardboard box with white paper or just the lid if you don’t have too much paper to use. Use tape to secure the same paper in place.
Step 2: Cut 4-5 square holes onto the top of the box, wide enough for the Lego blocks to fit through them.
Step 3: Outline these square holes with colored markers- those that match the colors of your child’s Lego bricks.
Step 4: Teach them to match the colored brick with the outlined holes, adding the bricks to each hole accordingly.
The set-up may take a while; however, once completed, you can reuse this box to play the game more often. Your child will learn how to sort and identify colours at the same time.
Read more: https://toddlerapproved.com/2013/09/sort-and-drop-color-activity-with-lego.html
6. Painting with Cars – activity by playteachrepeat.com
This activity requires child-safe washable paint, toy cars, paper, and tape.
Step 1: Tape the paper onto your floor, nice and secure.
Step 2: Add a line of paint to the start line
Step 3: Teach your child to move their toy car through the paint and onwards.
Watch them get creative and use their imagination to form patterns with the car and the paint. This activity helps develop your child’s motor skill development, also allowing them to get messy and creative. AND it’s super easy to try at home.
Read more: https://playteachrepeat.com/painting-with-cars/
DIYs for Children aged 6-10
Expose your children to their crazy creative side this Summer with crafty DIYs. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to feel like a child again too! Get messy and creative together.
If you’re a busy parent, we’ve mentioned a pro-tip at the end of this article that can bring you the peace you require to work and keep your child active and entertained through the Summer.
1. Egg Carton Boats – activity by lifeattthezoo.com
This activity requires an egg carton, chopsticks, ribbons/yarn, paper and paint, safety scissors, and blue tack/tape.
Step 1: Have your child paint patterns onto a piece of paper. Hang this paper up to dry while you prepare the rest of the boat.
Step 2: To make the boat mast, Tie two ribbons to one end of one chopstick. Connect the other end of the chopstick to the dip in the middle of the egg cart. Secure this chopstick by sticking it through the cart, adding a tact or tape at the bottom.
Step 3: Stick both ribbons to either side of the cart. If your ribbon is long enough, you can tie the two along the bottom of the boat.
Step 4: Cut out the sail and some flags from the dry painted paper. Stick them along the mast and the ribbon of the boat.
Voila! The boat is ready.
2. Bubble Printing – activity by TheChocolateMuffinTree.com
This activity requires dishwashing soap, food colouring, water, straws, and papers or envelopes.
Step 1: Mix half a cup of water with food colouring or paint, adding a few dozes of dishwashing soap, and mix.
Step 2: Add a straw to each container and ask your child to blow into the mixture to make it bubbly.
Step 3: Once you have enough bubble foam at the top of the container, lay your paper on top!
You can try using envelopes instead or any paper item you wish to decorate with your child’s fantastic print bubbles.
Read More: https://thechocolatemuffintree.blogspot.com/2011/05/bubble-printing-fun.html
3. Paper Plate Dreamcatcher – activity by TheCraftTrain.com
This activity requires paper plates, paint, yarn, glue sticks, paper sheets, a hole-puncher, and items you can decorate with beads, stickers, etc.
Step 1: Fold your paper plate in half and cut out the inner circle for the mainframe of the dreamcatcher. Paint the same with colours of your child’s choosing.
Step 2: Draw out a line vertically in the middle of a paper strip and then draw half feather shapes on one side of the vertical line. Fold the paper and cut the same out to make leaves/ feathers for your dream catcher.
Step 3: On another sheet of paper, draw equally distanced lines, cut them out into strips to be pasted across the hole cut-out on the paper plate ring.
Step 4: Add beads to the yarn strings or add stickers to the strips on the paper plate ring. *Optional*
Step 5: Punch holes along the bottom of the paper plate ring and at the stem of the paper feathers. Tie yarn strings through the punched paper feather holes, connecting it to the paper plate ring.
You’re ready!
This activity can keep you, and your child entertained for at least a couple of hours. You can hang these beautiful dream catchers in your child’s bedroom, or maybe even in your room.
Read more: https://www.thecrafttrain.com/paper-plate-dream-catcher/
4. Sunflower Marshmallow Pops – activity by TheDecoratedCookie.com
This activity requires paper, lollipop sticks, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, a bowl of water, a Styrofoam box, and green paint.
Step 1: Stick a marshmallow onto one end of a lollipop stick and dip it into the bowl of water. Use a paper towel to dab off the excess water from the marshmallow. Sprinkle a few chocolate sprinkles onto the marshmallow.
Step 2: Cut petals or oval shapes out of a yellow sheet of paper (or any other coloured paper). Stick one end of the cut-out paper through the lollipop stick from the bottom, pushing it up to the marshmallow. You can secure these papers with tact or with some tape.
Step 3: Paint the lollipop stick green from below the paper petals.
Step 4: Paint the Styrofoam block green to portray grass. Poke the lollipop stick through the Styrofoam.
This is a fun idea to present birthday party snacks, and it’s super easy to execute.
Try it at home!
Read more: https://thedecoratedcookie.com/sunflower-marshmallow-pops-two-ways/
5.This one’s a Pro Tip:
If you’re a busy parent looking for a caregiver to entertain your child or even accompany them with the activities mentioned above, contact Emirates Home Nursing for Child Care Services on 800NURSING6877464.
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