With the excitement of Christmas and the New Years fireworks over, you might be needing some new ideas to keep the kids entertained during these school holidays. These ideas will spark the imagination and get the creative juices flowing, all without using devices!
1. Storytelling with Words
Everyone sits in a circle or a square or a triangle – whichever shape takes your fancy. Choose one person to start, they dream up a good first line of a story and then each person says one sentence (or two, or even three) to follow on from the previous one. Continue this until you have an incredible story.
Top Tip: Write down each sentence as you go. Then you can create your very own storybook (and then get the book printed for their birthday present!).
2. Storytelling with Images
Everyone takes a few moments to draw a picture totally from imagination. No discussion is allowed yet and no peeking at your neighbours drawing! Get creative with different subjects and colours. Drawings can be anything, landscapes or objects, people, animals or even aliens or monsters (my personal favourites).
Once everyone has completed their pictures, pass your drawing to the person on your left.
Choose one person to start the storytelling. They look at the picture and make up a sentence (or two or even three again) using inspiration from the image and then each person says one sentence to follow on from the previous one. Continue this until you have an awesome story.
3. Get up Early and Watch the Sunrise
I know you are on holidays and the thought of getting up early is already making you sleepy but think of this, if you get up early for boring old work or school, why not get up early for fun?
Pack a breakfast picnic and something to draw with, of course not forgetting paper and walk to a nice spot where you can see the sun rising over the horizon. Once you have enjoyed this natural spectacular event have some brekkie and then, get everyone creating by drawing their own interpretation of what they’ve experienced.
Top Tip: Repeat this for Sunset with a dinner picnic.
4. Put on a play
Dig out the dressing up box or if you don’t have one, see what you can borrow from everyone’s wardrobes and design your own character. Try adding some accessories to give your character some extra personality and depth. Once in the costume, act out your favourite scenes from a movie or even better make up your own play.
5. Make each other laugh
My siblings and I loved this game. Sit or stand opposite each other and make each other laugh. It’s that easy! Try using only facial expressions and then mix it up by introducing words, jokes or sounds. Or play the extreme no holds barred version, where the only rules is, there are no rules.
6. Build your own Music Band with Household Drums and Maracas
Loads of household items can be turned into musical instruments. For Maracas you can use drink bottles filled with sand, rice or coins. For Drums you can use pans (check with the chef for permission first!), chopsticks on tabletop and bucket with wooden spoons. If the chef’s too grumpy to let you bang the pots, you can just sing! It’s easy, kind of like, Sunday morning. Experiment with all of them for different sounds to become and the next big band.
Top Tip: Learn how to play the lost art of The Spoons to expand the instruments in your band.
Barry S. Brunswick is an author. You can buy his books on Amazon:
Dreamland Part 1 – The Fabric of Dreams
Dreamland Part 2 – The Masters of Light
The War of The Turnips
Barry Brunswick’s Tall Tales – A Short Story Collection
Inner Outer – A Poetry Collection
