Kids. We love them, but they’ll drive you crazy if you let them. It’s not easy to deal with your children each and every day when you’re used to them being at school for 40 hours each week. Having them at home during the school holidays can be a significant challenge.

In a few days, our school holidays are starting and many parents will start thinking about ways we can entertain our children. Creating an armed strategy is crucial. If you do a couple of activities a day, the whole day will be sufficient and the holidays can never be extended.

Here are some simple cheap at-home play activities for children to enjoy a nice break from the holidays. This list offers an interesting range of affordable ideas for fun and relaxation. You might find these ideas helpful for your family who wants fun with their friends.

 

You hate to see them sit in front of the TV all day long, but you hate to hear them whine about being bored even more.

 

Having just finished months of homeschooling no one is completely happy about being cooped up at home during school holidays, but as a parent, you have the responsibility to navigate this challenge with some creative ways to keep kids entertained.

 

Use these creative ideas to keep your kids amused at home while maintaining your sanity:

 

Write

Most kids love to write stories, make lists, and record ideas. If your child is one of those that likes to write, all they need is some paper and give them a writing task.

• Tell them to write a scary story about two friends lost in the woods.
• Maybe your child is older and would like to keep a journal.
• Story time. Write a story together. Take turns writing a couple of sentences. The next person has to pick up where the last person left off.

Art

Regardless of age, there are many people that like to draw, paint, sculpt, colour, or cut and paste. Have an art hour each day.

• Watch a video on how to draw a face and practice together.
• Create a treasure map for a scavenger hunt by simply drawing out a map of your surroundings, and placing an X where the treasure is hidden. 
• Give your child some chalk and tell them to play in the driveway. The activities are endless in the bucket filled with coloured chalk. The children can doodle on their driveway or footpath for hours!
• Completed works could be displayed in your new home art gallery.
• As well as being a great craft to keep kids busy, creating a COVID-19 time capsule will be a great way for them, or the whole family to remember this historic time in their life in years to come.

Garden

Gardening can be a lot of fun and is one of those year-round school holiday activities. It’s exciting to plant seeds in the back garden and watch them grow. Flowers, vegetables, berries, and herbs are all options. Try planting some foods that your child loves to eat.

Hike

Get out of the house and hike in the woods or visit a local park. Many parks have walking or hiking trails. It’s great to get a little bit of exercise and an easy way to change the scenery for an hour or two. It also suits all age groups.

Bake

Have a baking day. Kids love to bake. Depending on their age, some children need more help than others. Bake a cake. Make some cookies. Allow your child to fix or help with dinner. Try some new recipes.

Remodel

Let your child remodel their room. It might be time for a new colour or a new desk. Perhaps the artwork on the walls is getting a little old. A new lamp? Give your child some freedom to make their own choices.

Old Movies

Has your child ever seen Goonies, The Karate Kid, or the original Star Wars? Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? Relive some of your favourite childhood movies with your children.

• They might laugh at the special effects or music found in a movie from the ’70s or ’80s, but that’s part of the fun.
• Talk about some of the differences between these old movies and the ones they normally see today.

Old Toys

Pogo stick? Hula hoop? Hopscotch? Old board games? Or maybe pull out some of their old toys from the attic or garage.

Build Stuff

Build a birdhouse, treehouse, doghouse, tent or fort using large sheets or cardboard boxes. Create something out of popsicle sticks or toilet rolls holder. Construct a raised flower bed. Build some shelves.

Zoom

As adults, we are probably over Zoom but young kids may want to act like mum or dad did while having a Zoom call. While there are many platforms for holding virtual meetings, Zoom has become especially popular these days. Unable to invite friends over for play dates? Set up a virtual meeting for your kids and their friends. They can spend time together and catch up with each other’s lives.

If you’re at the end of your rope with your kids, you’re not alone. It’s not easy to keep your kids occupied in a fun healthy way during the school holidays. However, there are plenty of things your kids would enjoy doing that they’ve never even considered.

At home activities for families & kids

It takes time to do surprisingly inexpensive activities around the house. Although these things may not be perfect for you, they might give you ideas for others of some kind.

Experts suggest that as parents, we need to put on our creative hat to give our little ones a few things to do that will benefit them more than watching TV or playing video games. As a family, you’ll all be glad you did!

Are you struggling to get shoes on your baby?

The whole idea behind Attipas baby shoes is that less is more. Goodbye to heavy shoes and socks, and hello to lightweight, practical, flexible shoe-socks that let babies 'feel' the ground.

Attipas slip on like a sock, saving you time as you rush your toddler out the front door. That’s why our founder, Caroline Africh, originally brought Attipas to Australia and our entire range can easily replace all the other shoes and socks in your baby's cupboard. 

As Seen at the Oscars!

Attipas baby shoes made it to the Oscars! Founder Caroline Africh and her team were flown to Hollywood where they handed out Attipas baby shoes to celebrities including Zoe Saldana, who is a huge fan.

Caroline also made an appearance on the Today Show where she talks to David Campbell and Sonia Kruger about getting close and personal with Ryan Gosling!

While other brands may sell 'first shoes' for babies, Attipas are the only baby shoes that successfully mimic barefoot walking.  And the evidence is clear.

Attipas baby shoes come in six sizes and can be worn from 6 months to 4 years. They start from $39.95 and are sold on the Attipas Australia website.

Attipas baby shoes come in over 50 colours in an identical design that slips on like a sock but supports like a shoe. Bestsellers include Attipas Sneaker: cute, sneaker-style shoes that look like traditional Converse; Attipas Rainbow: unisex, bright and bold stripes that match any outfit; Attipas Attibebe: soft pastel tones, a favourite for girls; and Attipas Marine: cute nautical themed pre-walkers, a favourite for boys.

Our founder, Caroline Africh, discovered Attipas baby shoes on a holiday in Japan and knew she needed to bring them to Australia. As a mum of a then 1 year old, Caroline had unique insight into exactly what a toddler should be wearing on their feet while learning to walk. An avid fan of the barefoot movement, Caroline says: “As a new mother, I was very conscious about selecting the right first shoes for my baby.”

“The biggest mistake parents make when choosing first baby shoes is that they think they need to be structured,” Caroline says. “The reality is that science really speaks for itself. Being barefoot helps baby develop brain function and the barefoot movement has been massive for decades. When choosing suitable pre-walking shoes for babies, parents need to select something that mimics the concept of walking barefoot.” 

Long before Caroline founded Attipas Australia, she had two very successful careers—first as an auditor, and then secondly as a project manager.

Caroline began her career as an IT auditor in the early 2000's, working for PwC Sydney as a graduate. Not feeling as though she 'fit in', it was then she realised her aspirations to become an entrepreneur — which she would later fulfil by bringing Attipas shoes to Australia.

At age 25, Caroline packed her bags and moved to London, and just like that, she worked her way up the chain to become a Project Manager in an investment bank. Over the next five years, she managed several large-scale IT implementations however still felt like something was 'missing' from her work life.

In her early 30s, Caroline had a baby and moved back to Sydney. After nearly a decade working in corporate, Caroline wanted to start her own business and become an entrepreneur. As a new mum conscious about baby foot health, Caroline discovered Attipas shoes in Japan and knew it was her inner calling to bring Attipas to Australia. We are proud to say: she succeeded. As seen on the Today Show, at the Oscars and on Shark Tank, over 500k pairs have been sold since Attipas arrived in 2012.

Caroline's 'less-is-more' approach to toddler foot health has been adopted by hundreds of thousands of Australian parents, who use Attipas on their babies every single day.

What our customers are saying about us...

“We bought these for our then 11 month old and they are the perfect baby shoe! They protect little toes, are easy to walk in even for an early walker, and the sock-style means she can't pull them off. She's one now and loves them so much that she sometimes brings them to you to put them on for her, even inside! Very glad we bought the next size up as well.” — Victoria

All Attipas Products are tailor-made for environmentally conscious families.

We care about making our products safe and healthy for you—and our planet. That’s why our products are non-toxic and contain no formaldehyde or BPA.  They are also vegan-friendly and not tested on animals. We also keep packaging to a minimum and use cardboard over plastics where possible.

Anyone can have allergies. If your baby or toddler has any discomfort or a rash develops, discontinue use and consult your doctor.