6 Ideas to Try Right Now
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#1·20+ min
Book Club for One
🛒Materials: Books
- 1Let your child pick 3 books.
- 2They read (or look at pictures) independently.
- 3Later, ask them: 'Which was your favourite and why?'
🧱
#2·30+ min
Building Block Free Play
🛒Materials: Lego, Duplo, or any blocks
- 1Set out a bucket of blocks.
- 2No instructions — free build.
- 3Only rule: must name what they built when done.
♟️
#3·25–30 min
Strategy Board Game: DIY Checkers
🛒Materials: Paper, pencil, 12 coins of 2 types (or bottle caps)
- 1Draw an 8x8 grid on paper and shade alternate squares.
- 2Each player gets 12 pieces arranged on their 3 rows.
- 3Play standard checkers rules: diagonal moves, jump to capture.
🌀
#4·30 min
DIY Maze Game
🛒Materials: Cardboard box lid, straws, glue, marble
- 1Glue plastic straws inside a box lid to create paths.
- 2Leave openings to form a maze.
- 3Place a marble at the start and tilt the lid to navigate it to the end.
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#5·30 min
Design a Business: Lemonade Stand Plan
🛒Materials: Paper, pencil
- 1Name your business and design a logo.
- 2List your product, price, and costs.
- 3Calculate: how many cups to sell to make a £5 profit?
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Real maths with a purpose — far more engaging than worksheets.
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#6·30–45 min
Write and Illustrate a Mini Book
🛒Materials: 5 sheets of paper, stapler or string, pencils
- 1Fold 5 sheets of paper in half and staple along the fold.
- 2Page 1: title and author's name (them!).
- 3Write and illustrate one scene per page — 4 pages of story.
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Ask: 'What's the twist at the end?' — 7–8 year olds love a plot twist.
