Mumsnet users share how they're keeping children entertained during lockdown with Equazen

[JustineBMumsnet]

Keeping children entertained and keeping their minds active can be difficult, particularly when you’re limited to your home. Spring often signals it's time to get out and about to explore, and Equazen would like to hear your tips for keeping your children entertained with home activities while we're in lockdown.

Here’s what Equazen has to say: “Keeping the mind active helps us to maintain a healthy brain.
Did you know our brains are made up of 60% Fat? These fatty acids are ‘essential’ because they cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through the diet.
Equazen offer clinically researched high-quality fish oil supplements. Unique and specific formulations of essential fatty acids Omega-3 EPA and DHA with Omega-6 GLA to help support brain function*. Perfect for those active days with the family!
Buy now on the Equazen website and receive a free puzzle cube with every purchase.
^Also look out for Equazen brain games, coming soon!
*DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal brain function. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 250mg of DHA.”

How are you planning on keeping your children entertained from home? Will you be digging out the board games to help keep their minds active? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a garden you’re able to get out and play in? Or do you have a child who is more than happy to activate their imagination with a good book?

However you’re keeping your children entertained, share on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I have been involving my son who is 6 years old into cooking and baking with me. I also have involved him cleaning the house and feeding the birds in the garden. We play with water guns and out door toys in garden and he also has play station and switch that he uses. When I am work go from home I ask him to help me with my work, by writing ideas how I could improve certain things or ask him to proof read my emails lol as his spellings and English is much better than mine we also make some rondom stuff with rondom a material or things we can fine at home. He is very creative and it's fun just along things with him. we also watch films together or some funny YouTube clips.

We’ve been occupying them with helping prepare meals and other odd jobs round the house. The garden has been a godsend and the board games are now a staple addition to each evening.

We have pitched tent in garden for camping out, we are all becoming experts at cards & board games.
Everyday they have to read.
They have taken it in turns to cook/bake something of their choice.
I'm a key worker & kids haven't used school provision due to being older (14,12,10)
As I'm busier than ever it feels like I've hardly seen them so cramming in as much as possible on my days off.

Baking, painting and lots of cosmic kids yoga to calm them down

We've been making papier-mâché eggs which takes up quite a lot of time with all the different stages. The sunny weather has been great - some den building and gardening. On colder days the board games will come out and some homemade popcorn whilst we watch some old DVDs.

We're lucky we have a big garden (& currently nice weather!) so we've used that a lot.
We've also played lots of board games & done some jigsaws.
We've done craft & baking too but we're not quite so skilled (or tidy) at these so these are minimal!!

As much exercise as possible in the garden (I'm high risk so can't go out)

Lots of CBeebies!

Board games, a bit of school work, craft and cooking

Mine are older, and one thing we've done to spend family time together and to entertain ourselves during the lockdown is watch a play every Friday night. The National Theatre, the Bush and the Royal Court, among others, have put a lot of their productions online for free. Taking a family to the theatre is bloody expensive nowadays, plus the travel when you're not in London, so we haven't been to the theatre anywhere near as much as I'd have liked over the years - now we're making up for lost time.

Arts& crafts, signing and dancing... but also...
We're getting new toys and books from Whirli, We can exchange them as soon as DD is bored of them. It's also great for books as the libraries are closed!
I have a discount code if anyone is interested: MCA9OIHZ

My DD is 8 and will play on her own in her own little world for a bit. But when she's stuck for ideas of what to do instead of suggesting something and her saying no I write down up to ten activities with toys/stuff she's already got, get her to cut each activity up and we draw a raffle and whatever she picks is what she's to do for half an hour.

I have done the best I can so far! I have a (relaxed) routine. We usually get dressed and then potter spring the house, get lunch and then do schoolwork if it’s a ‘school day’ and then a fun activity depending on the weather. Either playing outside or a short local walk. Sometimes we take bikes or scooters. We made chocolate crispies from Easter eggs today.
When the weather isn’t as nice we are planning a movies and popcorn day. It’s very scary and emotional times and I have tried to be honest with my children about it but I also don’t want to scare them so I am trying to find activities to entertain them all the time.

Trying to make a swamp in a tank to put outside - bear with me on this idea!! A glass tank, filled with tadpoles, moss etc and we are making a 6cm stand for it out of wood and a ramp and DS is hoping for newts, not sure if the newts will arrive but no harm in having hope I suppose 😂😂😂 lots of painting, baking, slime, play dough and such. Lots of following and the Julia Donaldson books alongside the films, know stick man word for word 💁🏼‍♀️

Again lots of play in the garden, screens in the later afternoon while I make dinner

We've been for walks on the beach, collected stones and made a rockery. I'm getting ten pallets next week to make a pallet sofa for the patio so they will help me make and paint that. Should take a good while!

Mainly though they've been off playing together (10&7) which usually involves a lot of pretend play, playmobil, teddies and taking teddies outside to play with on their buggies and scooters.

We got them old mobility scooters a couple years ago and they absolutely love driving around in them playing cops and robbers and all manner of things. Best toy ever!!

We're extremely lucky to have a garden and panic-buying a wendy house when lockdown started has proven to be a great investment!

Baking, painting and reading (and probably too much Disney Plus ) for when she can't be outside.

We've been playing in the garden lots, basketball, football, obstacle courses etc. DS has also rediscovered his lego and is loving building the tallest vehicle he can, he's managed a five decker bus so far! We're also doing some school work and of course there's some tv and a bit of screen time.

The free games and activities on www.boredgames.club

Bikes. Dolls. Pushchairs scooters

We are an outdoors family. So this has been hard on my children. It's also their birthdays. But even being young they really understand that they won't get any presents this year. But it will be filled with love

I’ve written up some of their favourite stories I’ve told them and get my mum to record them and made them into a podcast - so they can listen again and again and everyone else can listen too!

So envious of all these activities! My daughter refuses to do so much of what we suggest then complains of being bored! We did do an Easter egg hunt in the back garden, which was great fun. She had a screen free day last week & ended up creating a playground for our bunnies. It was the most physical I’ve ever seen her! It’s a work in progress but they love it so far.

I have lots of dressing up costumes - collected over the years so dressing up. the trampoline is out in the garden, I have 2 easels out doors, pots of paint, and lots of paper, to make rainbows to decorate our windows. I feel blessed to be able to WFH and be safe with my family.

I am getting out my inner 'blue peter skills' and we have been making papier mache Easter Eggs by plastering over blown up balloons, popping them when set and painting them rainbow colours.
We have been watching YouTubes videos, for PE reading stories, and watching demonstrations of lego creations - so up into the loft I went and brought down our huge collection of Lego - and what fun they have had making houses, castles, farms and kingdoms.

We've just made Easter nests out of cornflakes and melted Easter Eggs, as as I am lucky enough to have a garden - with a disused greenhouse - we have given it a good clean, and I cleaned the glass with Jeyes fluid.
We have planted some tomatoes, peppers, and peas, it's been lovely that they have embraced the growing of our own food.
We made cress people with an egg shell, damp cotton wool and the seeds - so have had egg and cress sandwiches for lunch.

I know the produce won't be ready for months, but it's taken their mind of the outside world, with measuring, photographing and watering our plants.

In the sun - 'painting' walls with water, painting the wall also with water, you can make lots of patterns drawings, and watch it fade away. It works with a fence too - the hotter the sun - the quicker they will have to 'paint' - hours of fun - no mess and it's free !

Thank goodness for his trampoline - he's on it for hours and it keeps him fit! When he's inside as long as he does some piano practice, he's allowed a bit more screen time than usual - mostly on his Switch.

His is also making the most of a daily walk and watching the wildlife.

I've carried on with 'mummy school' during the holidays as otherwise I know my boys would just want to watch videos on YouTube all day! We've done slightly less academic stuff but stuck to the same hours and break times. Structure and routine is a must in our house. We've been watching a lot of films too.