Activity ideas

picture of farm themed tuff tray activity

Farmyard themed tuff tray

We have had so much fun with our tuff tray over the holidays and this Farmyard tray was a huge hit. Part of the fun for my children was actually creating the farmyard scene with me.

What is a tuff tray?

A tuff tray is a large heavy duty plastic tray. The tray is generally octagonal shaped with raised sides that are perfect for containing different materials. Tuff trays are perfect for indoor...

Monster truck racing sand tray activity

My son is totally monster truck mad at the moment! There is always some kind of race set up going on in our house, so I thought I would try and spice things up a bit by creating a race track for his monster trucks in our sand tray!

All you really need for this activity is a sand tray and some monster trucks. I added in some extra cones and ramps we had to help mark out a few...

Picture of some blocks being stacked on top of each other in the olympic colours

Faster, higher, stronger: have some Olympic-themed fun to keep your children on track with learning

After a year that’s taken its toll on parents’ and children’s physical and mental health, we’re all longing for a bit of rest and relaxation. But the six-week school break can leave children’s learning brains a little too relaxed. So with the Tokyo Olympics in full flow, keep the kids’ brains sharp with these Games-themed activities from former primary school teacher Abby Milnes of education...

Ice cream shop tuff tray activity

On sunny days my children love pretending to set up their own play shop, and ice creams are normally the first thing they think of to sell! So, this week we decided to set up our own ice cream shop in the tuff tray, where they could make their own ice creams, which they actually got to eat too!

Now using proper ice cream would have been the obvious thing to use here, but I wanted a...

Make your own Pick ‘n’ mix station for kids

My children love a family film evening, where we all get to snuggle up the sofa with a great film and even better snacks!

On our hunt for some tasty treats, they have started to pay more attention to the pick ‘n’ mix stations that they have in the supermarkets and this is the first place they head to. We have bought a few of these, but I quickly realised that what my children really...

Picture of two children sitting on the floor doing some drawing

Free summer activities pack to entertain families over the summer

The charity Family Action has produced a free, downloadable activities pack ‘Creating Happy Memories’ that is full of lots of fun ideas to help families have a great summer at very little or no cost.

With all the uncertainty about whether people can travel abroad for their holidays, many families will be holidaying in the UK or having a staycation at home. Parents may be worrying...

Healthy Food Sorting Activity

Teaching children about healthy eating from a young age is so important! I have tried talking to my children about what foods are healthy and which are not so healthy, but generally you can see their eyes glazing over at the word ‘vegetable’.

We always try to make learning a bit more fun in our house, so we got out the play food and made the latest tea party set up a bit more...

Beach themed Tuff Tray activity for kids

To celebrate World Ocean Day 2021, we wanted to make our own beach themed Tuff Tray. This activity took a bit of time to prepare, but my children had so much fun playing with it, that it was definitely worth it!

This activity enabled me to talk to my children about the Ocean and they had so much fun letting their imaginations run wild.

What you need to set up the activity...

picture of children playing in a park in the sunshine

Top 10 free things to do with your children

The sun is finally shining and we have a week off to enjoy with our children. As restrictions lift we have much more choice of places we can visit, but the costs can add up quickly. I have put together a list of 10 things you can do with your children, which will be lots of fun and won’t cost you a penny.

Find a new playpark – We have about 3 parks which we tend to visit

Edible construction play activity for children

We have been itching to get back outside in the sand pit to play with our diggers, but this rainy May weather has made that rather tricky! So, here at The Parenting Daily HQ we have had to be a bit more creative!

We do enjoy messy play in our house, but even I draw the line at bringing sand inside! So, I had a good rummage through our cupboards and came across a packet of Rice...

Making Paper Dolls Activity for Children, based on the book by Julia Donaldson

Julia Donalson’s book ‘The Paper Dolls’ has quickly become one of my daughters favourite bedtime story books. For those of you who haven’t read it, it is a beautiful story about a little girl who makes some paper dolls with her mum. The paper dolls go on an adventure and when they get broken, they go into the little girl’s memory.

I was keen to find an activity that I could do around...

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