CREATIVE
DIY Indoor Sandbox
Create a mini sandbox at home with just 2 ingredients, which you can get at the drugstore/supermarket or may even still have at home. For your little indoor sandbox, all you need is flour and oil (baby oil). Toddlers and even older kids will have just as much fun with it as with real sand, and it also feels wonderfully soft!
Preparation:
Measure 6 cups of flour and 1 cup of oil (mixing ratio 6:1) and gradually pour everything into a bowl. To properly combine the oil and flour, an adult should knead the mixture thoroughly with their fingers until the sand reaches its soft, moldable texture. If the sand is still too dry, simply add a bit more oil until you’re happy with the consistency. The children can continue kneading in the bowl, or you can make a larger batch and put it in a big tub or small paddling pool.
To store, put the magic sand in an airtight container. It will last for several weeks.
DIY Giant Bubbles
At the following link, you will find instructions for making bubble wands and two recipes for bubble solution: Instructions for Giant Bubbles
At Hurra Helden, you can request a free personalized coloring book as a PDF file.
Kinderkunsthaus offers creative ideas for children, online workshops for kids, families, and adults: Kinderkunsthaus
READING AND SHOWS
At wuselstunde.de, there are two live readings daily for children.
Short stories, free audio stories for children from 2.5 to about 5 minutes, www.diekurzgeschichte.de
"The Show with the Mouse" is currently broadcast daily at 11:30 a.m. on WDR, available in the media library or on the website. There are also many other great things to discover there, such as downloadable apps.
Regularly updated stories for ages 3, 5, or 7 are available with the app “Einfach Vorlesen!”
PUR+ takes you on an adventure with Erik to learn all about technology, science, animals, and much more. What does the fire department do? What is it like inside a prison? Which waterslide is the fastest? How are bridges built? PUR+
SPORTS
On the YouTube channel of Alba Berlin, you’ll find sports and movement activities: Sports Lesson
"Movement ideas" from the Kinderturnstiftung Baden-Württemberg bring fun, games, and physical activity to test all our muscles.
MUSIC
Do you know the “Handwashing Song”? Kids love it. You can listen to the song on YouTube: Handwashing Song. You can sing the song with all kinds of body parts—bottom, shoulders, arms… a fun way to learn them all.
The Hamburg Zwergenorchester streams concerts: www.instagram.com/zwergenorchester/
“Annas und Paulas Tiere” – a great and educational children’s show. The episodes are available for free on the YouTube channel.
Music teacher Julia Miller-Lissner offers online music lessons on YouTube.
GAMES FOR INDOORS AND OUTDOORS
How about a WhatsApp group with Grandma and Grandpa? Title: “The Secret Sound”
Here’s how it works: Record a short sound from your everyday life and post it in the group. Grandma and Grandpa have to guess what it is. Maybe it’s the sound of bubbling tomato sauce, brushing teeth, the washing machine, or Dad snoring...
Whoever guesses first gets to post the next sound. Have fun!
Bunny, Carrot, Cannon
You all know Rock, Paper, Scissors. Getting a bit boring?
How about Bunny, Carrot, Cannon?
Bunny beats Carrot because he eats it.
Carrot beats Cannon because it clogs it.
Cannon beats Bunny because Bunny dies.
Hand Silly Game
Each finger gets a unique sound or funny face from Mom or Dad. The child picks a finger, and the matching sound or expression appears. It's especially fun when it gets fast or the child touches two fingers at once. Suddenly, Mom or Dad might be making a fart sound and pulling the silliest face at the same time. Great fun for everyone.
Hide-and-Seek in the Dark
Ever played hide-and-seek in the dark? Not for the faint-hearted. Close all shutters, maybe leave a small slit open so Mom or Dad don't get too scared. The great thing is, you don’t even have to hide behind something—just stay still and silent.
Light Show in the Dark
When you're done with hide-and-seek, you can go straight into a light show. Everyone grabs flashlights or any blinking objects—bike lights, spots, Playmobil fire truck lights, etc.—and then draw shapes in the air or put on an improv show to your favorite music.
Indoor Camping
Have you ever camped indoors? You must try it! Set up a tent or, if you don't have one, build a cozy fort with pillows and blankets. With a warm tea or hot chocolate, you can read aloud or listen to an audiobook before your exciting indoor camping night begins.
Mattress Bounce Castle
Pretty self-explanatory, right? Put mattresses on the floor or in front of the sofa and let the kids go wild. Slanted mattresses from the sofa are also very popular. Small mattresses are great for sliding down the stairs too.
Hopper Ball Wrestling
Do you have a hopper ball—the kind with two handles? Then you're ready. Place the hopper ball between you. Goal: wrestle it away from your opponent. It’s a wild game. Try to take the ball from each other; almost anything goes, like in wrestling. Set your rules beforehand. Works best with two players. A regular exercise ball works too.
Obstacle Course
Create an amazing obstacle course through the apartment—over chairs, under tables, around sofas, and through anything you can think of. Stuffed animal hurdles, building block slalom, a short toy car drive, and pillow throwing are a must. Time it! Use tape for a start line and finish with a jump onto the bed. It’s even more fun with Mom and Dad.
Role Reversal
Want to know what it feels like to switch roles? Mom becomes the child, and the child becomes Mom. Let’s go! Interesting for us parents to hear the things kids say—and how they reflect our own behavior. Sometimes it helps us change things.
King, How Many Steps May I Take?
You need at least 3 players. One is chosen to be the king. The others line up along a starting line.
The king stands at least 20 steps away. One by one, the players ask: “King, how many steps may I take?”
The king responds with something like: “2 chicken steps” or “3 giant steps” or “1 hop.”
Before the player moves, they must ask: “May I?”
If the king says “No,” the player must stay. The king lets the players advance slowly—he wants to stay king as long as possible.
Whoever reaches the king first becomes the new king.
Green, Green, Green
You need at least 3 players—otherwise, it's not as fun.
One person is the caller, the others are the performers. First, everyone thinks of 2–3 colors and assigns each a movement.
For example: RED = Jumping, BLUE = Jumping jacks, etc.
The important one is GREEN: GREEN = Running.
The caller repeatedly says “green, green, green…” and occasionally calls out another color.
Anyone who performs the wrong movement is out. The winner becomes the caller for the next round.
EXCURSIONS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
- Large barefoot trail, barefoot park
- Wonderful places and ideas for families in Baden-Württemberg: Wunderkunft
RECIPES
Baby Cookies 1
Quick baby cookies without sugar that older siblings can help make—and they don’t just taste good to babies.
Ingredients:
200 g unsweetened applesauce (or another fruit puree),
100 g oats, whole or coarsely ground,
optional: a bit of cinnamon.
Mix all ingredients together. Use two teaspoons to place small heaps on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for about 15 minutes. Stored in the fridge, they last 2–3 days.
The slightly darker cookies in the picture were made with apple-raspberry-blackberry puree.