So here we are, starting lockdown 2021. But this time, it’s without the spring sunshine to keep us going.
If you are worried about what to do with your children during these winter days, here’s our list of cheap ideas to keep them entertained.
Cheap kids’ activities for the 2021 lockdown
PE with Joe
It’s back! The Body Coach, Joe Wicks, has announced that PE with Joe is coming back to YouTube for lockdown 2021.
It won’t be on five days a week like it previously was. But if you fancy getting your kids moving at the start of the day, Joe will be doing live sessions at 9am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize is a completely free resource that caters for every age group from primary pupils right through to college students.
It has full lessons, quizzes and practice activities. These are helpfully broken down into the educational Key Stages children are working at and cover a huge range of subjects, from English and Maths to design and technology.
Orchard toys
Mainly aimed at younger children, educational toy brand Orchard Toys has a free downloadable pack that includes activity and colouring sheets to keep kids busy during the 2021 lockdown.
Children can create their own puzzles, learn some fun facts or practice their tracing.
Twinkl
Used by schools, Twinkl has a lot of free educational resources. It covers early years, KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4.
During the March 2020 lockdown, you could access pretty much the whole site for free. However, for the 2021 lockdown, it currently looks like there are only specified free resource packs available for download.
YouTube
It’s not only Joe Wicks that you can find on YouTube. There are loads of content creators producing great stuff for kids.
If you haven’t yet discovered ‘Maddie’s Do You Know?’ from Maddie Moate on CBeebies, then take a look. Maddie’s channel has videos about animals, travel and technology. During the 2021 lockdown, she is planning to continue her live family science show, Let’s Go Live. It will be shown on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11am.
Meanwhile, if you have a budding scientist that loves nature, check out the National Geographic Kids channel. Here they can learn about cool jobs that explorers do, fun facts about different animal species and even go behind the scenes with some of the explorers on their adventures.
And if your kids are arty types, Art for Kids Hub has easy-to-follow drawing tutorials featuring some very well-known and much-loved characters.
Pocket Money
The 2021 Lockdown could be the perfect time to teach your children about money. And you could even add in a little reward aspect to homeschooling.
Prepaid cards such as gohenry are designed for children and help them to learn good spending habits early. The app allows parents to stay in control, but children can see their balance, set up a savings pot and even earn more money through chores.
One valuable activity could be setting it up, speaking about budgeting and savings, and then setting some reward goals. A little incentive can go a long way!
Other information
For more ideas, check out our top activities for kids from the 2020 lockdown.
Or, if you are unsure about the new restrictions or need more information on financial help during the pandemic, check out our coronavirus resources page.
