Bored? Frustrated? Suffering with cabin fever? Unfortunately we all are, but remaining homebound doesn’t mean Easter has to be given a miss this year! If you’re lacking inspiration, fear not, as ToddlerTunez have put together a list of 9 quirky ideas to keep you and your little ones entertained over the holidays! Many also aim to make the most of this beautiful weather that has recently come out to play, so embrace your creativity and enjoy the sunshine if you can, in a safe manner, of course! Happy Easter! :)
Stretch and smile with a family workout
Home comforts may include relaxation, peace and quiet, and moments of meditation, but when your children aren’t at school we realise that these goals may not always be achievable. Here’s where a family workout comes in! Try combining some of your favourite moves from yoga, pilates and fitness classes to devise your own routine for your children to follow. This will keep them engaged and active as they follow Mum and Dad stretching, all whilst having fun, learning exercise techniques, and tiring themselves out to make bedtime a tad more appealing! :)
Draw and mime your way to creative mastery
Whilst dinner parties may temporarily be off the agenda, so too are many hotly-contested board game sessions. Or are they? How about trying to make them more practical with some innovative renditions of old family favourites Pictionary and Charades? Drawing and acting are two of the best ways for your children to channel their abundant creative energy, and being unable to talk whilst miming makes the latter require that little bit more thought, meaning they’ll be developing a new skill whilst bonding with those closest to them - a win-win scenario for all parties involved!
An Oscar-winning performance or a tear-jerking Globe adaptation? The choice is yours!
Building on the confidence nurtured during Charades, it’s time to make your living room centre stage and put on your very own cinematic masterpiece or Shakespearean comedy production! Acting is an amazing tool for combining many forms of imagination: dialogue, modes of expression and, of course, colourful costuming! Delve into the deepest and darkest depths of your old wardrobe to find out which formerly charity-bound pieces can provide the basis for your little star’s latest eye-catching role! Maybe you could reenact some of Peppa Pig’s recent adventures, or even write up some new ones to perform in front of the whole family!
Junior jamming for musical marvels
If acting isn’t your forte, then maybe music is! You don’t need an instrument to make melodic sounds - salt and pepper shakers, pots and pans and chopping boards all make brilliant percussion, so raid your kitchen and see what you can find! Once your family ensemble has rehearsed enough, perhaps you could put on an impromptu concert to showcase your talents, together with some solo pieces which your child may well have been working on. And if you’re searching high and low for some musical stimulus, look no further than yours truly - the clue is in our name and we’ve even recorded some amazing original tracks to sing and play along to with your children! Download our digital songbook here :)
Get arty with some fancy headgear
Being unable to venture very far means there’s more opportunity for thinking outside the box at home, which is where arts and crafts sessions work a treat! Gather together whatever materials you may have lying around - paper, glitter, glue, felt tips, crayons, you name it - and see what Easter-themed pieces you can invent! We’re massive fans of this cheeky chick-filled Easter bonnet, for which there are loads of great step-by-step guides online! Or if your children are particularly competitive, maybe you could give them a time limit and see what original things they can come up with that may be useful for an Easter egg hunt, like a treasure map or a detective’s magnifying glass? Which leads us onto our next idea...
Play quizmaster with an engaging Easter egg hunt
No Easter would be complete without a classic Easter egg hunt for all the family! Anoint your child captain of the pirate ship so he or she can wield their homemade treasure map and navigate their way around the house-turned-island-home in search of chocolate-filled (or whatever you fancy!) mini goodies :) then once all of the clues and mind-boggling riddles have been solved (a great way to develop your children’s wordplay and language skills), perhaps an even more unique final prize can be dug up from the garden - we’re thinking maybe an arts and crafts set or puzzle but feel free to get creative!
Whip up a few chocolatey (or slightly healthier) delights
Easter and chocolate have gone hand in hand for years, and the holidays wouldn’t be the same without at least a little sweet treat or three! There are plenty of easy-to-follow online recipes for inventive home baking, with some of our favourites including egg-shaped biscuits, bunny cupcakes and traditional hot cross buns! Organic food colouring is one item that allows your children’s imagination to run wild with innumerable zany designs, which should of course be highly encouraged - the challenge is to make the bake taste as good as it looks! If you’re worried about sugar levels, there are lots of healthier alternatives where products like stevia make great natural sweeteners - feel free to get in touch with some of your own family recipes! :)
Screen some bunny-filled features
As the Easter Bunny continues to spread chocolate-covered joy at this time of year, why not celebrate with some equally egg-cellent films starring a few rabbity counterparts? Disney’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an excellent place to start, combining live action with animation to produce an innovative modern classic! There’s also Looney Tunes’ basketball bonanza Space Jam, starring Bugs Bunny et al. as they enlist the help of Michael Jordan to shoot some hoops against a group of menacing aliens - a must-see for all sports fans! And for the more traditionally inclined, there’s always Beatrix Potter’s wonderfully whimsical Peter Rabbit, complete with a brilliant ensemble voice cast to bring a smile to faces young and old. If you’re looking for more suggestions, feel free to ask and we can point you in the right direction :)
Tune in to a couple of Easter special classes
And last but undoubtedly not least, we’ve got two very special Easter classes happening this Saturday, 11th April! The multitalented Elle is running an online Easter Egg-stravaganza of singing, poetry and much, much more for both ToddlerTunez (10-10.40am, 0-5 years) and RocketTunez (11-11.40am, 6-10 years)! The session will be highly interactive, so make sure you’ve warmed up your vocal cords and are equipped with an egg/potato/tangerine/your item of choice (!), some colouring pencils/markers, and whatever decorating materials (glitter/cotton wool/feathers) tickle your fancy for making your very own Easter egg! The more original, the better! :)
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Written by Alex McGeever
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