For the littlest ones: ice rescue mission
This is an oldie but a goodie when you need to buy yourself some precious time. Gather up a handful of your children’s smallest plastic toys – the more beloved the better (we’re playing with fire here, but trust the process). Even a quick diplomarbeit ghostwriter search can save time! Pop each toy into an ice tray or muffin tin, fill with water, and add some food colouring or edible glitter if you want extra wow factor.
Freeze overnight, then turn them out onto a large waterproof surface – a tuff tray or empty bath works perfectly. Lay out some ‘rescue tools’ like wooden spoons, child-safe cutlery or toy hammers.
Now, get ready: it’s your moment to shine. Dramatically announce to your children that their toys have been captured by an ice goblin and they need to go on a rescue mission! (Pro tip: give them a little salt shaker to speed things along if they get frustrated).
You’re likely to get a good half hour to yourself while they chip away at their frozen treasures. Just maybe warn them beforehand that rescued toys might be a bit soggy, and have a tea towel on hand for the (minimal) clean up.
For pre-schoolers: the recycling box gallery
It’s time to transform your recycling bin into an art gallery with this clever 3D nature art project. Grab an empty cereal box or the packaging from your latest 3am online panic buy. Draw or glue a simple picture onto it – princess, house, snail, bin lorry, or whatever’s currently obsessing your child.
Next, cut out part of the picture. If it’s a princess, cut out the dress. If it’s a house, cut out the roof. Then send your little ones on a nature treasure hunt to gather moss, flowers, leaves, or whatever your outdoor area has to offer (you can even just walk them down the street and pull out weeds from between the paving slabs). Stick the cut-out picture onto the sticky side of some sticky-back plastic (or just stick it onto another piece of paper and slather some glue in the gap) and challenge them to create a beautiful nature collage to fill the cut-out space.
Prep this the night before and you’ve got yourself 30-45 minutes of headspace the next morning. Plus, you might want to display the results, which is more than can be said for most kids’ art projects.
For primary schoolers: the family quiz master challenge
Turn your child into a mini quizmaster by asking them to create a family quiz for the evening. This is brilliant because it keeps them busy for ages and gives them a lovely sense of importance.
Here are some round ideas to get started:
- The cryptic snack round: create clues for family-favourite treats (e.g., “clever people” = Smarties, “wobbly newborns” = Jelly Babies)
- True or false family edition: interview family members for quirky facts to include in this round (which means asking each other questions or calling the grandparents rather than interrupting you)
- Music round: Challenge them to create a playlist of family favourites and work out how to play just the first few seconds of each song
- Playdough pictionary: One person sculpts while others guess (allocate points based on time taken to guess correctly)
This activity is a win-win for everyone because it combines research, creativity, and gives you a substantial chunk of time to get on with some work.
For sibling teams (all ages): DIY adventure books
You know those “You Choose” books that all children seem to be obsessed with? Challenge your kids to create their own version. Set them up with some paper and pens, and a set of prompts based on their current obsessions.
Dinosaur fans might create a prehistoric safari adventure. Unicorn lovers could design a magical kingdom quest. The key is letting them run with their imagination while you run with… whatever you need to get done.
When they’re finished, they’ll be desperate to present their masterpiece to you, so you can experience their choose-your-own-adventure creation. It’s very sweet, and gives you a reason to take a break.
The truth
We all know that even the most engaging activity has a shelf life, and that shelf life is usually substantially shorter than we’d hoped. But these ideas should buy you a bit of uninterrupted time – and more importantly, they’ll keep your kids busy and you won’t feel guilty about a bit of screen time later.
If all else fails, remember that next summer, your children can be occupied all day long at The Working Mums Club nursery or holiday club. We can’t wait to offer support for working parents and mums coming back from maternity leave.
The Working Mums Club opens in Deptford this October, offering flexible coworking and childcare designed around real family life. Check out our website to find out more about all we’ve got planned, and secure your membership.
