Just a couple of months ago, our Swindon climbing & bouldering centre was filled with the joyous sound of young children playing and climbing together. Now, it’s filled with mere echoes eagerly awaiting the time when they would be drowned again by raucous laughter and shouts of encouragement! Hopefully lockdown won’t be needed much longer, but as we wait for a re-opening, let’s continue to make the most out of the time we have with our families.
Your kids may be missing all the fun they used to have with their friends at the play centre. To make it easier for them to cope with all these changes brought about by the pandemic, here are some more activities you can prepare and do with them at home this summer:
Turn your home into an adventure park by creating mini obstacle courses in your living and dining areas. Use tape to mark areas on the floors where kids can jump, hop, skip, or tiptoe. Have them crawl under tables, climb on chairs, and jump on cushions. They can still work on those climbing techniques and burn off some of that energy by using different hands, feet and body positions in their very own indoor climbing adventure at home!
There are a million ideas to make this activity fun and exciting whatever the ages of your kids are. You can even create a theme and have them wear costumes as they go through the obstacle course. Remember, little kids have big imaginations. They can turn tables into mysterious caves and chairs into rugged cliffs to climb.
Bring the joy of camping indoors by turning your kids’ bedroom into a cozy campsite. If you have a small tent that fits the bedroom, help your little campers put it up. If you have none, use blankets to create a makeshift tent. Get the campfire vibe by covering a flashlight with strips of coloured paper or plastic cut out like flames. Use a mix of orange, yellow, and red to fill the room with campfire glow.
And don’t forget the roasted marshmallows. Have your marshmallows ready. Then use an electric fondue pot or a warm bowl of melted chocolate in lieu of marshmallows roasted on open flames. Once everything is set, bring out the ukulele for some campfire songs and have thrilling stories prepared for the campout.
Beat the heat by bringing out cool ammunition. Get your water guns and bubble guns out for some water duel. You can set up targets to soak, have shooting contests, or simply let the kids pop bubbles ‘til they drop.
Turn your home into a theatre by acting out scenes from your kids’ favourite books. These role-playing activities help develop creativity and self-expression. Make it even more fun by creating your own props and costumes. This is also an opportunity for you to teach your kids how to sew and do some crafts. Get families and friends in on the fun by streaming your performance and encouraging them to act out their fave stories too.
It is uncertain what the future holds. We can’t define yet what the new normal would be. But rest assured that we will do everything we can to ensure that your kids will be safe and secure in our climbing centre once we are allowed to open again. As always, we set your kids’ health and safety as our priority and we will make sure to comply with new regulations to protect them.
We really look forward to having fun times with you again. But, for now, let’s not let our kids miss out on fun playtime even if we’re all at home. Make quarantine time, quality time with your family.