7 affordable things to do with kids indoors these school holidays

If you’ve got little tykes waiting for the Easter bunny to arrive, things will undoubtedly be different over the break this year. Once upon a time you and the kids joined Easter parties and egg hunts, but now you’ll be spending most of the school holidays at home to help stem the spread of Coronavirus.

So, if your tots aren’t up to organising their own iso-adventures, you’ll have to come up with 14 day’s worth of fun to be had within your family home. Luckily, we’ve got some family-friendly Easter plans organised that’ll fit your budget and keep the kids grinning in between chocolate feasts. 

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 virtual activities to do with your partner during self isolation.

Get an edible garden growing

Society is getting crafty during isolation, and what better DIY area to up-skill in than agriculture. A mini family farm can be achieved to scale on a windowsill, balcony or in the backyard, and it’s a great way to keep little hands busy on a project that’ll provide edible benefits down the road. This kid-friendly activity keeps on giving, as watering, weeding, fertilising and watching the crop grow will keep everyone entertained throughout the holidays and beyond. 

If you’re not already of the green persuasion, supplies may be hard to come by with limited hours and in-demand stock at stores like Bunnings Warehouse, so make sure you manage your farmstead expectations.

Mould your own Easter egg bounty

Sure, the store-bought version has the shiny-package appeal, but getting kids to make their own bunnies and eggs will save on choccy spending and keep them entertained. You can use special Easter moulds or any of those funky silicone ice-making trays which you can nab online and get delivered from Kmart or Spotlight.  

Need a comparative chocolate price scope? If you’re shopping at Woolworths, your standard cooking and melting chocolate will start in the $1-$2 range per 100 grams, compared to the Easter themed specials which are often more than double that.

Virtually tour the world’s art galleries, museums and zoos

While most of these entertainment institutions have been forced to shut up shop, plenty are getting creative with their online offerings – and a lot of the fun is free. The little’uns will go nuts for all-day live streams of penguins, crocs and koalas at Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo, and the kids of all ages can get a much-needed culture injection with virtual tours of the National Gallery of Victoria or even the Louvre in Paris.

Become a family of trivia and word-puzzle whizzes

School may be out, but learning is so in right now. From free online trivia games and apps to old-fashioned word fun like Scrabble and Balderdash, there are heaps of ways to keep little minds ticking all the way through the Easter break.

Want to move away from screens without investing in a board game cupboard? Classics like charades and pictionary will fuel creative right-brain development and don’t require more than pen and paper (or a whiteboard equivalent).

Get moving online

YouTube is probably already your best mate by now. There’s an endless list of dance routines kids can copy and active characters they can follow along on adventures that’ll expend some of their youthful energy while stuck indoors. But don’t forget the whole world of fitness apps exclusively for kids. 

Your wild child could find their zen with digitally-led yoga classes like Super Stretch Kids Yoga, or have a ball in the backyard as they escape the virtual undead and conquer survival missions with Zombies, Run.

Create recyclable craft projects

Keep things cheap and cheerfully green by making treasure from trash. There’s a lot you can create with a bundle of empty toilet paper rolls – from wind spinners to slithering snakes – and plenty of collage opportunities coming along with deliveries arriving in cardboard boxes and colourful wrapping. If your little artists really want to get serious, they can learn how to draw their favourite Disney characters with a free online step-by-step sketching tutorial.

Start them on their banking journey

Show your budding financial planners how to choose and set up an account to stash their savings. It’ll be a positive sum game, as you can get the kids ticking off household chores to earn holiday dollars while teaching them the value of personal finance management.

Teach by doing and take a spare moment to reassess your home loan or your own savings account and make sure you’re getting a top notch deal with Mozo’s comparison tools.