6 Ideas to Try Right Now
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#1·Any
Audiobook + Drawing
🛒Materials: Phone/tablet (audio only), paper, crayons
- 1Put on a children's audiobook.
- 2Give your child paper and crayons.
- 3Ask them to draw what they hear.
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#2·15–20 min
Shadow Drawing
🛒Materials: Paper, pencils, toys, a lamp
- 1Place a sheet of paper under a lamp.
- 2Line up small toys to cast shadows on the paper.
- 3Trace the outlines of the shadows and color them in.
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#3·10–15 min
Interactive Storytelling
🛒Materials: None
- 1Start telling a story about a character.
- 2Pause at key moments and ask your child to make the decision.
- 3Continue the story based on their choices!
♟️
#4·25–30 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.
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#5·30 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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#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.
