6 Ideas to Try Right Now
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#1·10–15 min
Hallway Bowling
🛒Materials: Empty bottles or cups, a soft ball
- 1Line up 6–10 empty bottles at one end of the hallway.
- 2Roll the ball from the other end to knock them down.
- 3Keep score — best of 3 rounds!
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Fill bottles with a little water if they tip too easily.
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#2·15 min
Kitchen Band
🛒Materials: Pots, wooden spoons, plastic containers, dry rice in a sealed bottle
- 1Gather 'instruments': pots as drums, rice shaker, spoons as sticks.
- 2Play a favourite song and let everyone jam along.
- 3Take turns being the 'conductor' who starts and stops the band.
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#3·10–20 min
Balloon Volleyball
🛒Materials: 1 balloon, string or tape for a 'net'
- 1Stretch string or tape across the room at waist height.
- 2Each player stays on their side.
- 3Hit the balloon over — if it touches the floor on your side, other team scores.
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#4·30–45 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.
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#5·20 min
Kitchen Chemistry: Slime
🛒Materials: PVA glue, baking soda, contact lens solution
- 1Pour a full bottle of PVA glue into a bowl.
- 2Mix in 1 tsp baking soda.
- 3Add contact lens solution 1 tbsp at a time, kneading until it comes together.
♟️
#6·25–30 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.
