Low energy activity ideas for two girls aged six and seven

[Aveno432]

I have my friend's two children for a few days this weekend. They are girls aged 6 and 7. They can be pretty exhausting. Any ideas of low energy activities that will keep them entertained with slightly less energy input from an exhausted me? They aren't allowed a lot of screen time so the cinema isn't really an option.
I was going to do some crafting, some baking, maybe some painting but I can't imagine those things will take too long.
I don't mind having them but I'm already knackered before even having them 😴

Bedazzling kit and things to decorate, Hama beads, friendship bracelet making kits - all with an audiobook

Hama beads, loom bands, Lego.

I used to get a paper colour in table cloth from McDonalds a d leave it on the table with pens, we all did a bit every now and then.

Are they rainbows/brownies? Some of the badge work is fairly simple. Aviation, mindfulness and collecting for brownies spring to mind - I’m out of the rainbow loop these days.

Oh and gem art, b&m and the like often have sets in.

Stay away from baking and painting at all costs IMO!

Colouring in a massive cardboard box each, ask for one for free from a supermarket. Once coloured in, open up and create a den. You can also make pretend iPads/laptops/phones/kennels for a favourite dog teddy/mini zoo for their animal toys out of cardboard

buy a roll of wallpaper lining paper, stick to the floor with masking tape and let the kids decorate. One sheet each day until a whole room’s floor is “redecorated”. You can also do this with walls but it doesn’t stay on as well!
alternatively buy giant plant pots and posca paint pens

kids always love helping with grown up tasks eg the washing up, just make sure to line around the sink with loads of tea towels or alternatively have them sit on the bathtub with a washing up bowl each

mine used to love doing the washing of their dolls clothes too, I’d purposefully roll them in mud and let it dry then give my kids a washing up bowl/brush/pegs and washing line in the back garden and let them crack on

sidewalk chalk if you don’t mind them sewing on your drive, then give them a hose pipe or water and brushes and they scrub it off.

walk everywhere to stretch out activities eg wake up, make breakfast together (eg kids butter own toast) clean up together, walk to library, back, snack, clean up. Make picnic lunch sandwiches together, then Walk to playground. Playground, picnic, games, walk back. Quiet time. Garden chalk, audiobooks and colouring whilst you cook tea for them, tea, Lego, tidy up together, bath books bed

The national trust have a list of fifty things to do before you turn 11 and 3/4 for more ideas.
the five minute mum has good ideas on instagram

Magic potions in the garden - water, some petals, pots and spoons/sticks for stirring, add a few small bottles if you have them. My GDs will spend hours messing about doing this- they add grass and weeds too!

Pull out all your spare blankets and sheets and let them make a fort with the dining room table.

Get them outside as much as possible. Do outside painting with water and paint brushes.

turn bathtime into an activity. Give them lots of containers and bath toys and keep them in there for as long as possible while you sit reading and supervising.

Make up scavenger hunts for your garden. Or the local park.

Local nature reserve? Short circular trail and an ice cream at the end usually fills more time than you think. Hide 20 plastic coins or similar in garden, once they have found them all they get a lolly? Library trip and an hour going through the pile of books they have selected? Local theatres sometimes have children's shows in the summer not too expensive.

To add to @wafflesmgee 's excellent suggestions, once paper is taped to the floor, if you add a few pull back cars...and make a racing track - hours of fun. We used to do it in the hallway and bounce them into the toilet door.

If you do do baking, the brand called Honeywell Bakes on Not On The High Street is good. They come with everything you need, measured out, except the fresh stuff like milk. I always order one to use up hours for my can't-deal-with-excitement child. The rainbow bagels involve loads of kneading and proving and stretching then getting the rainbow colours off the children and yourself, look good and taste quite reasonable.

I also like their Bath Potions. Hours in the bath, don't stain, mostly soap flakes so actually clean the children. Hide the rose petals though unless you enjoy picking things out of plugholes...

I mean that's an entire Not On The High Street based day right there! Never thought of combining it!!!

Go for a walk, round the park or to the beach, collect stones or shells. Buy a watercolour palette each (£1 odd from the pound shop) and when you get home sit in the garden and let them paint what they found.
a soft play visit if the weathers rubbish, library's are usually hosting events for children over the holidays too.
if your really stuck go onto Pinterest and search simple activities for 6/7 year olds, it's full of ideas

Just take them to the cinema they will love the new Toy Story film. You are doing your friend a favour so they can get over the screen time.

Paddling pool in garden if you aren't in Scotland (just watching the rain on the Commonwealth games). Plastic cups and pots (eg Tupperware) in the pool. But remember to put it in the shade if you are in the south.

Hobbycraft also have all their giant cardboard colour in houses etc half price atm, that and a pack of pens would keep them busy for ages and then they can play in it after

I know: the brass balls of some people, right? Jesus wept.

Some cooking can be good. Making chocolate cornflake cakes isn't too messy. Perhaps buy pizza bases for them to add their own toppings? Then lunch could be add your own fillings to sandwiches .. .

Especially odd as it sounds like OP doesn't have any children of her own so there isn't the mutual playdate element where she gets bit of break as well. Who would think of offloading two small children to a childless friend and expecting them to be entertained without screens. Unless there's a very very good reason like she's in hospital for cancer surgery or something.

I'm sorry but I don't class a cinema trip as "screen time" 😂

cooking ideas
Making a stir fry with cabbage works well, give the kids two pairs of clean scissors and n entire cabbage to cut up.
or a lettuce
or chives
apple sauce takes ages -peel then chop then stir in a pan
kids and cut up mushrooms without danger using blunt knives or scissors, you could buy shitloads if mushrooms and make mushroom soup

if you know anyone with novelty pets you can make a day of it eg a horse, prep a ton of apples beforehand/read horse books from the library etc

themed days are also good if they have specific interests eg dinosaurs, just for the novelty for your boredom levels eg make carnivore sandwiches (burgers) and omnivore (burgers with no meat), borrow books from library, make giant dino footprints in a mud puddle u make in the garden. If they love Halloween, do an early Halloween with blood spaghetti instead of spaghetti bol

do u know anyone who plays instruments? Could they visit and play for the kids? That could b fun

you could let them go wild in a sweetshop

If you have access to a car, you could take them to a nearby village or somewhere with ducks, a playground or an easy nature trail. It gets everyone out of the house without needing loads of planning. I'm exactly the same when I'm feeling tired – I'd much rather go for a relaxed drive to somewhere quieter than try to organise lots of activities. I think it's a nice change for both you and the girls. When I'm planning little countryside trips like that, I usually just hire an affordable car through qeeq and head off. It's an easy way to get around without the day feeling too tiring.

I saw a lovely video of a little boy washing the outside of the windows. He had a little spray bottle, a broom, a cloth, and a very serious expression. ☺️

Bucket of water and "paint" the garden fence. Who wants to have to rewash all the streaky windows?!

Hama beading

Large cardboard box + felt tips to create cockpit of a plane - draw buttons with letters (“F - this is the fireblaster button, B - this is the bubbles button” etc)

Bake something simple like bread rolls or cookies

Jigsaws (charity shop, for this age look for nothing bigger than 250 piece)

Water painting on patio/fence

Freeze a few little things in a large block of ice (cheap rings, coins, small cars, rubbers etc) and “excavate”

Hair chalk/face paints (and let them do you)

Copy a famous drawing or painting (e.g Sunflowers by Van Gough, then buy some in the supermarket and create their own still life, then draw/paint/photograph it)

Colouring

Telly