Here’s Kerry with her latest Parent Panel post full of brilliant ideas on how to keep your tots happy when you’re stuck indoors!

It is great to get out and about in all weathers and we all know there is nothing quite like grabbing an umbrella and doing some puddle jumping. However, sometimes the weather is just too unfriendly, or the house is full of poorly people and it results in a day stuck indoors.

This can end up being a spiral of hyped up, over excited children (well it is in my house) and so I abort all planned daily chores (unless one can be sneaked in, like a load of washing) and embark on a day in of fun! It can be done.

The day’s routine:

Dressing up

We delay getting dressed initially and play fancy dress instead. We have a big box in our playroom with dressing up bits and pieces that we have collected and made over the past few years and so this creates lots of fun choosing what to wear and characters. Usually it involves Captain Hook, Bob the builder and The Little Mermaid!

Role Play

We use the characters to create a game. Last week we used the table, the blankets and a stick and cushions and made a pirate ship. We played Peter Pan and Captain Hook for a long while and then I was able to leave them to play for a bit whilst I got dressed. (Just enough time before the bickers start!)

Carpet picnic snack time

Refuel time – Snacks are great but if you turn them into a picnic or tea party it becomes even more fun. You can make squash in their teapots that they can pour out into cups and lay a rug on the floor. It is so simple but they think it is brilliant.

Tidy up game

Obviously you have created some mess so you need to clear up a little bit just before naptime so you can get a cup of tea! Get them to race each other to put items away, make up a tidy up song, or make it a puzzle. If you say things like ‘I bet you don’t know where the cushion goes’ they suddenly want to prove you wrong.

Naps

Hooray! Hopefully you now get maybe an hour to yourself?

Lunch – make it together

Ready-made pizza bases are such a good staple to have in the freezer. Rather than slaving away during their nap making their lunch, wait until they wake and get them involved. They can spread the tomato paste, add their toppings and decorate as a face, a monster or clown. Usually, because they have made it, they then want to eat it!

Craft

Think up a craft idea or be as adventurous as you like if you are crafty. It can be as simple as painting or drawing. I recently did straw art- blow painting pictures with the kids-which was really easy but great fun!

Lounge playground

So they have concentrated for a bit and are now starting to realise they have not gone anywhere. They want to burn off steam but there’s no chance of the park: so we make an indoor playground. I lay cushions out for stepping stones, I turn the sofa into a slide by piling up the cushions and get some chairs and bits to climb over to make an obstacle course. Our very own mini play gym! They absolutely exhaust themselves running round; which is exactly what you want.

A TV chill out

Hopefully it is late afternoon/early evening for you now, so I think a little bit of TV chill out with their favourite programs or DVD is perfectly acceptable! If you want to join in, make it a nursery rhyme one where you can all sing along or do the actions, or use it as an opportunity to make your own dinner and get their tea together.

Teatime

Don’t bother with picnics this time – they should be exhausted and will be quite happy with some normality!

Bath time

Blowing bubbles and making potions is a great bath time activity.

Story time

Snuggle up on the sofa, or in their bed and have a few stories. This is one of my favourite times of the day!

Bed

Hurrah! You made it.

Hope this gives you some ideas. I would love to learn more ideas for structuring a day of indoor play so please feel free to share them in a comment below.

MM x

ps My link for straw art if you want it is: http://multiplemummy.com/noah/straw-art-creating-blow-paintings/

 

 

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