The winter school holidays are quickly approaching. Trying to keep your children busy can be hard work, not to mention expensive! We have prepared a list of fun activity suggestions to keep your child entertained and happy indoors.
If your child has a disability, it may feel tricky for you to find enjoyable and accessible activities to do indoors, but a touch of creativity can solve that! By making indoor activities just as fun as outdoor ones, your child will feel entertained and stay warm during the winter holidays.
Here are some affordable and accessible indoor activities for children:
Build an indoor duvet den together
Building blanket dens or blanket forts is an old-time favourite for children (and adults!). Playing inside a den or tent can help children reset by feeling less stress. It gives them a sense of freedom by having their own space without the noises of the outside environment.
If you are looking for ideas on how to make a den indoors, it can be fairly easy, all you need are blankets, chairs and pegs to shape it. But why not engage your children to share their ideas on what the den should have and how they want it decorated?
You and your child can work together on creating your children’s den by talking about the different elements to include in your den, like colours, shapes and even a theme. Then you can decide which activities, snacks, books, and toys to enjoy inside. Making the blanket den cosy is important, so be sure to add cushions if you can. Getting your child to engage in building the den they want will spike their creativity and make the activity even more fun for them.
To make the indoor den accessible and adjusted to your child’s needs, you could add sensory elements, like lights or different textured blankets.
Make your own magical reindeer food
Leave delicious reindeer food by your front door or in your garden if your children expect a visit from Santa this year. The food will attract the reindeer to your home so Santa can deliver your presents faster!
The most traditional reindeer food is based on:
- Oats
- Edible sprinkles
But you could also add:
- Edible flowers
- Sunflower seeds
- Sparkly cake decoration
You can be as creative as you like with your reindeer meal, but make sure all ingredients are edible, so animals such as birds don’t end up ingesting something that will cause them harm.
Paper snowflakes to make it snow indoors
All you need is paper and some scissors. If your child struggles to use scissors, adaptative scissors might be helpful.
To create a snowflake, fold a piece of paper several times and cut out circles and triangles from the edges. Make sure the shapes are proportionate. When you unfold the paper, you will see a beautiful snowflake.
Having more folds in the paper will mean your pattern will be more detailed.
When you have a collection of snowflakes, you can stick them to the window to make it look like it’s snowing. You also can decorate the snowflakes with paint and glitter if you want. Adding pom-poms or pipe cleaners along the edges can make it tactile if your child is visually impaired.
Create DIY wrapping paper
Creating wrapping paper can be a very exciting creative activity to do with your child. To be environmentally friendly, why not use old newspapers or recycled paper?
Tools needed:
- Rolling pin
- Foam stickers (or foam and glue to create your own)
- Child-friendly washable paint
- Paint roller kit
- Leakproof fabric (to protect your floor or table)
- Adaptive scissors
Steps:
- Decide together with your children which shapes you will create
- Create the shapes with foam and attach them to the roller
- Protect the area where you will use paint
- Get the paint and roll in your design!
To make the wrapping paper even more unique, you can draw on top of the shapes and add more colour using markers for additional drawing around the shapes.
Children with a physical disability may find it difficult to hold a paintbrush or use scissors. You can adapt a paintbrush (or buy easy-grip non-roll brushes) and get adaptive scissors that fit your child’s needs.
Making your own playdough
While you can buy playdough, making your own is probably easier than you think. Also, your child might enjoy making the playdough and playing with it afterwards.
To make playdough all you need is the following:
- 8 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp table salt
- 60ml warm water
- Food colouring
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To make it a more sensory experience, try adding glitter, pop poms or different colours. Also, try experimenting with the temperature. Warm playdough has a different texture to cold playdough.
While all these activities have been indoors, if you fancy a trip outside, here are 5 accessible activities to do with kids.
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About the Scheme
The Motability Scheme offers an all-inclusive package. If you are in receipt of a qualifying mobility allowance you can use it to lease a car, scooter, powered wheelchair or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle. The Scheme provides flexible and hassle-free access to a brand-new, reliable vehicle of your choice. As well as a great choice of cars, we also provide a wide range of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs.
Eligibility
To join the Scheme, you must be in receipt of one of the following mobility allowances:
- Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Child Disability Payment – Scotland
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
You can easily check whether you’re eligible to join the Motability Scheme by using our eligibility checker tool.
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