OEven though it's summer holidays, we still live in the Netherlands with some crazy rain showers every now and then. So if you don't want to dance outside in the rain, you can also do fun activities at home to keep yourself and the little ones busy. And when the sun shines outside, you won't regret not going outside with these activities.
There are a lot of things you can do indoors with your (nanny) children. Children often really enjoy it when you play a game with them. Below I will list some simpler activities that you can do together.
First of all, you can build a hut together. Children always enjoy making their own space. Grab a lot of blankets, chairs, pillows, clothes pegs and possibly nice lights to create a beautiful hut for you. In the hut you can do crafts, play board games or watch a movie with some tasty snacks (read our picnic blog for tips for healthy snacks).
Do you want to make it even more fun? Then I will tell you how to do that below.
You can hold a photo exhibition together. Encourage little ones to take pictures of things they like in the house or garden. Then print out the photos and help them put together an exhibition. Use all your craft supplies to make the exhibition as beautiful and creative as possible. Hang up the exhibition and let the children talk about their photos and the adventures they had while taking the photos. This way you have a fun project that can become super beautiful and that they can look back on often.
If they already liked this, you can take it a step further. This way you can make a stop motion video together. Use your favorite toys, cuddly toys or clay and make very short videos while moving the object a little after each shot. This way it seems as if the object is really alive and you can create a story together. Children always have a lot of imagination and can put it to good use through this activity. Once the video is ready, you can edit it together or alone.
Children usually love treasure hunts. You can put together a treasure hunt for the little ones at home. This can be very simple or very extensive, depending of course on the size of the house. Make clues to the treasure you hide throughout the house. You can add riddles to the clues for when the children are a bit older. If the children cannot yet read (properly), you can also shape the instructions by adding pictures or drawings. Make as many clues as you want leading to the treasure. Surprise the children with small treasures in between to motivate them to keep looking for the big treasure. You can make this as crazy as you want, so be creative!
Are you both fans of nature? Then it is a nice idea to create an indoor garden. Plant seeds, nurture them and observe how they grow together. This can become your project. Teach the little ones about the plants and how to respect nature. This is an educational and fun activity that you can use for a longer period of time.
Finally, you can make a time capsule together. You can put all the beautiful things that you have made together from scratch in a box or coffin. You can make the time capsule as beautiful as you want. Hide the time capsule somewhere in the house and return it when your babysitting days are over. If you are not babysitting you can of course give it back on a special day in the future. You will be reminded of the good times you had. How fun is that?!
Amsternannies is the nicest babysitting agency in Amsterdam. With our blog we give you insight into the events where we attend as babysitters. You can also find great children's recipes or very cool offers for young families here!
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