Whether its self-isolation, nurseries or schools closed, lots of families will be spending more time at home in the coming weeks.
We would like to help you provide some practical ideas for activities for families who find themselves in uncharted territory at the moment. Here are some links to websites full of activity ideas, which might be helpful to pass on.
BBC Tiny Happy People
This page has activity ideas to try at home with children from pre-birth to age 4-5, divided up into age ranges. There are also videos and transcripts for 7 nursery rhymes and songs – perhaps you can learn a new one!
The BookTrust
If having time to read with your children was always an issue, now might be your opportunity! The BookTrust has some tips! This is good page to start on, but there are other helpful pages on the BookTrust site, including read-alongs with popular books.
The Imagination Tree
The Imagination Tree site has created a stay at home survival guide. Some of the activities here require quite a lot of planning and resources, and some suggestions are very structured, which may not suit all our families. However, ideas like writing to friends and family, having a Lego design contest, and doing a book or movie review are more manageable.
BBC Bitesize
If families are worried about children missing out on education time, there are structured activities linked to key stages on the BBC Bitesize site.
These resources are split into ages and then topics, and also nations, recognising our different curricula around the UK. There are educational online games too! This site is more about activities completed online, as opposed to things you can do together as a family, but it may be useful if a family is particularly concerned about schooling.
Local Home-Starts already provide these kinds of ideas to families up and down the UK every day of the year. Please share your top tips for 'at home' activities in the comments below - Home-Start UK might share some via social media.
Is there a favourite activity or a song you always turn to? If groups and visits are cancelled but one or two volunteers are still available, could you make a short film clip about one of your team's top family activities and share it?
Written by Homestart Staffordshire Moorlands