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Sheffield Cognitive Development lab have tried to compile a list of resources and/ or activities that children will be able to do in the home. On this page, we have links to different activities organised into categories (though many of these might cross over!). On the second sheet, we've tried to put some resources that are more aimed at parents to help them through this challenging time. These are simply suggestions just to get you started and not intended as endorsements for any particular resource. As a disclaimer we must stress that you provide appropriate supervision to any activities going on in the home.
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We'll try to keep the list updated so please check back if you want more ideas and let us know if you've seen something of interest and we can look into adding it to this document! You can email stephanie.powell@sheffield.ac.uk or eljames-brabham1@sheffield.ac.uk to suggest activities!
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ActivitiesDescription/ NotesLink(s)Ages?
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"Keeping Clean!""Virus" vs Soap ExperimentA really wonderful demonstration of why it's important to wash our hands! Needs soap, water and black pepper.https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/15/teacher-uses-pepper-teach-kids-importance-washing-hands-12400033/ALL (we were amazed by this too!)
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PBS resourcesPBS KIDS videos, games and activities all about hand washing and staying healthyhttps://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-coronavirusVarious
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Toy-Washing BinLet your kids wash their plastic toys. Add tear-free bubbles, sponges, towels and other supplieshttps://time.com/5803373/coronavirus-kids-at-home-activities/Various
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Physical ActivityActive Indoor Activities (NHS)Easy-to-follow Shake Up games inspired by kids' favourite Disney characters.https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities/indoor-activitiesVarious
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P.E with JoeJoe Wicks, aka the Body Coach, 30 minute exercise routines on his YouTube channel. We've included the link to the "P.E with Joe" playlist, but there a lots of exercise videos for all ages.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz0go1pTda8&list=PLyCLoPd4VxBvQafyve889qVcPxYEjdSTlVarious
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Keep Active Indoors Here are some great ideas for keeping your kids active indoors. https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/15-ways-to-keep-kids-active-indoors-even-if-you-dont-have-much-space/Various
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Pinterest keep active indoorsHere are more ideas on keeping your kids active indoorshttps://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/531847037230818712/Various
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Yoga for KidsA resource linking to videos of yoga for kidshttps://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/Various
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The Ballet CoachFree lessons live-streamed on Facebook and Instagram (Facebook link provided) for a range of ages. Youtube streaming hopefully coming soon - we will update with a link once it's up and running!https://www.facebook.com/SarahDuFeuTheBalletCoach/Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:30am for 3-5 years, 10am for adults, 4pm for 5-7years/ Tuesday and Thursday 4pm for 7-12 years, 5pm for 13+ years/ Wednesdays 10.30am for seniors.
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EducationalBBC BitesizeThe BBC Bitesize website - educational resources for different age groups. From 20/4/20 they introduced homeschooling lessons which "have been created with teachers and other educational experts and feature a mix of videos, animations, practice activities, quizzes and games".https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesizeVarious (primary, secondary and post-16)
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Family Maths Toolkit The family maths tool kit contains great activities for children and advice for parents https://www.familymathstoolkit.org.uk/activities-for-childrenVarious (preschool to 13)
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National Literacy Trust resourcesThe Family Zone, with dedicated resources for different age groupshttps://literacytrust.org.uk/Various (early years to secondary)
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The Book Trust - Stories onlineHere are some great story books to read with your children and they're online and free!https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/storybooks-and-games/Various
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Homeschool HistoryFun history podcast for the whole family hosted by Horrible Histories' Greg Jenner, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and available on BBC Sounds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hmmfVarious
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Online Phonics LessonsA range of online phonics lessons for different age groups.https://www.youtube.com/ruthmiskintrainingedu(Set 1 = nursery, reception or people new to English; Set 2 = from Reception confident in Set 1 up to Year 1 and Year 2; Set 3 = Year 1 and Year 2 confident in Set 2)
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Learning Resources (Science Museum Group)The UK's Science Museum Group has a variety of suggested activities that also explore scientific concepts - a great way to explore science at home!https://learning-resources.sciencemuseum.org.uk/Various
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The Great Indoors (The Scouts)An enormous range of activities for children to do in the home, provided by the Scouts' websitehttps://www.scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors/Various (recommended ages on activity pages)
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Steve Backshall Q&AWildlife presenter Steve Backshall livestreams a Question and Answer session (9:30 GMT) answering wildlife, biology, conservation, geography and exploration questions - I hope there will be more of these and will update the links if that is the case!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKHBVWM8Aio5-105 years!
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National Marine Aquarium Live FeedsThe National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth are broadcasting their feeds live on Facebook and Youtube - so far, they have broadcast a Turtle and Shark Feed and a Rockpool Feed. An interesting look behind-the-scenes and a chance to learn some facts about marine animals!https://www.facebook.com/NationalMarineAquariumVarious
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Chester Zoo Live Virtual Zoo ToursChester Zoo have been streaming live virtual tours of their zoo - a great opportunity to see and learn about the animals and conservation effortshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ9UagJLiMdBIFOHYwT7eLAVarious
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Six Bricks Booklet (Lego Foundation)A booklet containing ideas for using six Lego/ Duplo bricks so kids can practice different skills like memory and movement (link to PDF on provided webpage)https://www.legofoundation.com/en/learn-how/knowledge-base/six-bricks-booklet/2+ years for Duplo, 4+ years for Lego (reflecting Lego age recommendation for Classic bricks)
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"It Turns Out, You Can Use LEGO Bricks to Teach All Kinds of Math Concepts" (We.Are.Teachers.com)Blog discussing how Lego bricks can be used to teach mathematical conceptshttps://www.weareteachers.com/lego-math/?utm_content=1584622921&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR34zpdw0gXjDzW2shWdPzzQnGMnzm4BYIzx2jV5NP1S1B-nCV64-dJwSHg4+ years (reflecting Lego age recommendation for Classic bricks)
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 "Five Playful Activities That Support Development & Learning In Any Environment" (Lego Foundation)Blog post from the Lego Foundation with suggestions on how to incorporate play to support development and learninghttps://www.legofoundation.com/en/learn-how/blog/five-playful-activities-that-support-development-learning-in-any-environment/4+ years (reflecting Lego age recommendation for Classic bricks)
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Oxford Owl online maths and maths worksheetsThis website has fun maths games both online and activity sheets to help support maths learning at home https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/kids-activities/fun-maths-games-and-activities/Activities for various ages from age 3-11
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Maths activities to try at home This website has some great ideas on how you can introduce maths into your everyday activities while you're at home. https://www.theschoolrun.com/maths-activities-to-try-at-homePrimary school
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Science experiments to try at home This website has some great suggestions for funscience experiments you can try at with stuff you have at home!https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/Various
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Numberjacks videosHere's the link to youtube numberjacks videos which are great fun for your children to watch and learn about numbers https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWKuiktSh-V3E4ysPU0VC3QPreschool/ infants
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The Maths FactorA great maths learning website for primary age children. This is usually £2 per week but is currently free until schools go back. https://www.themathsfactor.com/4-11 years
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Learning Through Play at Home (Lego Foundation)A series of fun home activities using Lego or Duplo blocks that families can do to help exercise critical skills through play, devised by the Foundation's Play Agents.https://www.legofoundation.com/en/learn-how/learning-through-play-at-home-with-the-lego-play-agents/Various
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PBS resourcesGreat range of educational resources and books https://www.pbs.org/parents
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UCl Institute of Education - links to resourcesUniversity College London (UCL)'s Institute of Education have been putting together a list of resources ideal for homeschooling, including homeschooling for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/mar/resources-available-support-homeschooling https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/centre-inclusive-education/homeschooling-children-send/managing-transition-home-schooling
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Technology and MediaRecommended literacy apps (Department for Education)If your household uses touchscreens - a list of educational apps that were rated by an expert panel (including Professor Jackie Marsh at the School of Education, University of Sheffield)https://www.gov.uk/government/news/early-years-apps-approved-to-help-families-kick-start-learning-at-homeEarly years
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Sir LinkalotIf your household uses touchscreens - Sir Linkalot is a spelling app (produced in collaboration with Countdown's Susie Dent) and they are making their app free to access for 12 weeks (from March 20th). Click through to the link and there is a banner at the top of the page, giving you access to a code by signing up to the mailing list.https://www.sirlinkalot.org/Primary school and upwards
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Common Sense MediaIf your household uses touchscreens - Common Sense Media are a US organisation aiming to rate and review digital content for children of all ages to help caregivers make informed decisions about technology use. You do not need an account to access reviews.https://www.commonsensemedia.org/Various
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Free Amazon Kindle ebooksIf you use Amazon Kindle for ebooks, they currently have free ebooks available to download, including classic fiction (e.g. Treasure Island, Sherlock Holmes, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and many more) as well as children's ebooks and CGP school books. Terms and conditions apply!https://smile.amazon.co.uk/b?node=21173577031&pf_rd_r=SWSCFT2NAGXBTDN4D304&pf_rd_p=07a118d7-c16a-4fb1-9a10-366e9fbac2bcVarious
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BBCWe are aware the BBC are looking to expand their capacity for educational content (see this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-keeping-nation-informed-educated-entertained). We will update with links to the resources if this happens! https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-keeping-nation-informed-educated-entertainedVarious
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CbeebiesThe Cbeebies homepage, with access to lots of games and resources, including puzzles and colouringhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebiesEarly Years
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CBBCThe CBBC homepage, similar to Cbeebies but for older childrenhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc6 - 12 year olds
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Sesame Workshop: "Sesame Workshop Launches 'Caring for Each Other' Initiative to Help Parents and Children During Coronavirus Pandemic"Sesame Workshop are the non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street - they have announced they will be launching an intiative to help children and caregivers during this time. We don't yet know when this will be, or whether the content will be accessible in the UK (we really hope it is!) but we will try to update with links when we know more if we can!https://www.sesamestreet.org/caring
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Arts and CraftsThinking and Drawing Creatively!Steph (one of our PhD researchers) studies children's creative thinking and there are tasks used in creativity research that also happen to be fun activities for kids - we've taken these to our public engagement events before and kids (and adults!) seem to really love it! Only requires printing off the sheets linked (>>>>), some pencils or pens and a dash of imagination :)https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZWW9cpEgrKvVgUBeYWGbXxXl-NkvIYPAAll ages!
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Creative Fun Arts & CraftsCollection of creative art and craft projects to do at home with childrenhttps://www.projectswithkids.com/painting-ideas-for-kids/
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Sheffield Colouring Sheet (Matt Cockayne, Goo Design)*Requires download and printing!* Sheffield artist Matt Cockayne (of Goo Design) has got a colouring sheet available to download for free (or £1, to support a local business!), featuring Sheffield landmarks.https://goo-design.myshopify.com/products/free-download-sheffield-mash-up-colouring-sheetAll
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Pete McKee Cartoon WorkshopsSheffield artist Pete McKee will be posting cartoon workshop lessons on his YouTube channel every Wednesday for the next few weeks, starting today (25/3/20) at 12pm - link is to the cartoon workshop playlisthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8f8ag58jDs&list=PLSRtXoaeseYGXzGb_yasSJ0HcIqf2S5IB
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Twitter Art ClubIf you use Twitter, comedian Noel Fielding has started a social media Art Club at 3pm - you can post a photo of your children's artwork (or just your artwork!) following the theme ("Love" and "Things We Love About Italy" have been the themes so far) and tag @noelfielding11 and #artclub. You don't have to post though, you could just follow the themes!Link is to Noel Fielding's most recent tweet about Art Club on his Twitter page (discretion of course advised when using social media) but you can see some of the examples that have been posted by other people! https://twitter.com/noelfielding11/status/1241379279428112384Art club is open to all ages, but discretion advised for social media
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How to Draw a MandalaWebsite showing how to draw your own mandalahttps://www.art-is-fun.com/how-to-draw-a-mandalaProbably better for older children!
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PinterestPinterest is a great way of finding activities for kids to do (and falling into craft-related rabbit holes...)https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?q=indoor%20craft%20activities%20for%20kids&rs=typed&term_meta[]=indoor%20craft%20activities%20for%20kids%7Ctyped
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Tate for Kids Here are some great art activities and information for children! https://www.tate.org.uk/kidsVarious
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PBS resourcesGreat craft ideas by age https://www.pbs.org/parents3-6 years
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OtherGardeningIf you have access to a garden, now is a great time to explore gardening, growing fruit and vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, carrots) and building bug hotels. As well as getting outdoors, it can help teach children about where food comes from and also the biological processes behind it like germination. We've included a link to the Royal Horticultural Society which has ideas for bug hotels and a guide to growing tomatoes, a link to Cbeebies about gardening with kids and a link to Gardener's World projects for kids.https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools/family-activities https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/7-tips-for-gardening-with-children https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/10-gardening-projects-for-kids/Various
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Sing Along Music TimeDaily live streams from a music teacherhttps://www.facebook.com/fanfaremusic.co.uk/ Ages 3-6
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Sheffield City Council and Create SheffieldSheffield City Council announcement of new resources for children and young people (0-20) from Create Sheffield and "50 things to do before you're 5"https://sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/news/new-website-app-for-childrens-activities-in-lockdown/Ages 0 - 20
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More links to great collections of resources EY MattersThis link has loads of great ideas and resources! https://www.eymatters.co.uk/resources-for-children/
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Birmingham Museums 'Things to do'Here's another great link for activity ideas to do at home https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/blog/posts/things-to-do
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