For most of summer, and usually a good chunk of September too, playtime naturally spills outdoors.
There are bikes, scooters, gardens, parks, footballs, pavement chalk and all those little pockets of fresh-air fun that seem to appear without much planning.
Then autumn arrives.
The evenings get darker, the weather turns cooler and family life starts to move indoors a little more.
That can be lovely in its own way with cosier evenings, more time together and a welcome change of pace.
But it can also be handy to have a few simple ideas ready for those in-between moments; after school, before dinner, while waiting for a sibling at a club, during a car journey or whenever you need easy entertainment to pull out of the bag.
Nothing complicated and nothing that needs half a craft shop! Just five simple games and activities that children can enjoy with very little prep.
You need: A jar or small box, scraps of paper and a pen.
This is one you can make once and use again and again. Write simple challenges onto pieces of paper and let children choose one whenever they fancy something to do.
Ideas could include:
You can keep one at home, or make a smaller version for the car with games like Would You Rather?, Who Am I? or mini charades prompts.
It is simple, reusable and takes away the need to think of something on the spot.
You need: A bag and a handful of random objects.
Pop five everyday things into a bag; perhaps a spoon, sock, peg, toy car and cardboard tube. Then set the challenge:
What can you invent using all five?
It might become a machine, a creature, a game or something completely ridiculous.
Older children could create an advert for their invention or decide how much it costs. Younger children might enjoy taking one object at a time and imagining what else it could be.
A wooden spoon can be a microphone. A sock can become a puppet. A cardboard tube can turn into a telescope. It is amazing what can happen when ordinary objects get a new job.
You need: A timer and whatever happens to be nearby.
There is something about a countdown that makes an ordinary task instantly more exciting. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and give them a challenge to complete before it goes off.
For example:
Can you…
The countdown gives the activity a bit of excitement and works just as well at home as it does while waiting somewhere.
For car journeys, swap physical challenges for things like:
You need: Toys, imagination and anything else they can find.
Rather than simply playing with toys, give children a little mission to build a whole world around them.
The dinosaurs might need a jungle.
The cars might need their own city.
The dolls might need a hotel.
The teddies might be opening a café.
A cardboard box, cushions, tea towels, books, Lego and recycling can suddenly become scenery. You can make it even more interesting by giving them one slightly odd requirement:
Your world must include a bridge.
There has to be somewhere to eat.
Something needs to fly.
Every character needs a job.
The building is often just as much fun as the play that comes afterwards.
You need: Nothing at all.
These are the games worth keeping in your back pocket because they work almost anywhere - in the car, at the table, while waiting for a sibling or on the walk home.
Try:
Would You Rather?
Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet dinosaur?
Who Am I?
Think of a person or character and answer yes-or-no questions.
One-Word Story
Take turns adding one word at a time to create a completely unpredictable story.
Category Countdown
Choose a category — animals, foods, films, footballers — and see how many you can name in 30 seconds.
Fortunately, Unfortunately
One person starts with something good: “Fortunately, we found a treasure map.” The next adds a problem: “Unfortunately, it was inside a lion’s cave.” Keep alternating and see where the story goes.
These are brilliant because they need absolutely no preparation and can turn a few spare minutes into something unexpectedly funny.
Autumn doesn’t have to mean filling every afternoon with organised activities. Children are often brilliant at making their own fun when they are given a little time, space and freedom to do it.
But having a handful of easy ideas ready can be useful when the weather changes, the evenings draw in or you find yourselves with a spare ten minutes somewhere. Nothing elaborate, just a few simple ways to add a little fun to an ordinary autumn day.
Nothing complicated and nothing that needs half a craft shop! Just five simple games and activities that children can enjoy with very little prep.
The Challenge Jar
You need: A jar or small box, scraps of paper and a pen.
This is one you can make once and use again and again. Write simple challenges onto pieces of paper and let children choose one whenever they fancy something to do.
Ideas could include:
- Draw something without taking your pen off the paper.
- Build something using only 20 Lego bricks.
- Make up a secret handshake.
- Design a flag for your family.
- Create the world’s silliest sandwich on paper.
- Find five things beginning with the same letter.
- Make up a story using three random objects.
You can keep one at home, or make a smaller version for the car with games like Would You Rather?, Who Am I? or mini charades prompts.
It is simple, reusable and takes away the need to think of something on the spot.
The Mystery Bag
You need: A bag and a handful of random objects.
Pop five everyday things into a bag; perhaps a spoon, sock, peg, toy car and cardboard tube. Then set the challenge:
What can you invent using all five?
It might become a machine, a creature, a game or something completely ridiculous.
Older children could create an advert for their invention or decide how much it costs. Younger children might enjoy taking one object at a time and imagining what else it could be.
A wooden spoon can be a microphone. A sock can become a puppet. A cardboard tube can turn into a telescope. It is amazing what can happen when ordinary objects get a new job.
Beat the Timer
You need: A timer and whatever happens to be nearby.
There is something about a countdown that makes an ordinary task instantly more exciting. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and give them a challenge to complete before it goes off.
For example:
Can you…
- build a den before the timer ends?
- make the longest Lego vehicle possible?
- find ten objects of the same colour?
- draw the funniest monster you can?
- get every soft toy into one room?
- put together the strangest outfit possible?
The countdown gives the activity a bit of excitement and works just as well at home as it does while waiting somewhere.
For car journeys, swap physical challenges for things like:
- Can you spot five red cars before the timer finishes?
- Can you name ten animals in one minute?
- How many things beginning with S can you see?
Create a Mini World
You need: Toys, imagination and anything else they can find.
Rather than simply playing with toys, give children a little mission to build a whole world around them.
The dinosaurs might need a jungle.
The cars might need their own city.
The dolls might need a hotel.
The teddies might be opening a café.
A cardboard box, cushions, tea towels, books, Lego and recycling can suddenly become scenery. You can make it even more interesting by giving them one slightly odd requirement:
Your world must include a bridge.
There has to be somewhere to eat.
Something needs to fly.
Every character needs a job.
The building is often just as much fun as the play that comes afterwards.
The Anywhere Game
You need: Nothing at all.
These are the games worth keeping in your back pocket because they work almost anywhere - in the car, at the table, while waiting for a sibling or on the walk home.
Try:
Would You Rather?
Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet dinosaur?
Who Am I?
Think of a person or character and answer yes-or-no questions.
One-Word Story
Take turns adding one word at a time to create a completely unpredictable story.
Category Countdown
Choose a category — animals, foods, films, footballers — and see how many you can name in 30 seconds.
Fortunately, Unfortunately
One person starts with something good: “Fortunately, we found a treasure map.” The next adds a problem: “Unfortunately, it was inside a lion’s cave.” Keep alternating and see where the story goes.
These are brilliant because they need absolutely no preparation and can turn a few spare minutes into something unexpectedly funny.
Keep It Simple
Autumn doesn’t have to mean filling every afternoon with organised activities. Children are often brilliant at making their own fun when they are given a little time, space and freedom to do it.
But having a handful of easy ideas ready can be useful when the weather changes, the evenings draw in or you find yourselves with a spare ten minutes somewhere. Nothing elaborate, just a few simple ways to add a little fun to an ordinary autumn day.
Practically Family
07939 942334 (during Holiday Club weeks only)
