12 Ideas for making playdates magical

#MagicSquaresPlaydates with Petits Filous

Playing with friends is such a magical part of growing up. A child's imagination can transport them into a whole world of possibilities where nothing is impossible. Watching 5 year old Freddy acting out different roles in a variety of imaginative scenarios, never fails to bring a smile to my face. I can still remember playing with friends myself, way back when I was free from the constraints of self-consciousness or embarrassment. Such carefree childhood days.

Nowadays, in addition to the fun and freedom of role play and imaginative games, many parents like to offer some structure to playtime, giving children the chance to learn new skills in the process. The trick is to make these educational activities seem like a game, so the children don't even realise that they are learning through play.

For older children, providing them with ideas of what to do gives them the confidence to try new things and have fun that might bring the quieter ones out of their shells. Sometimes shy kids just need an excuse to let go and join in with something. Offering an activity for the group to do can be a great ice breaker and gives them a chance to be entertained without relying on an iPad or a games console.

Setting kids an appropriate challenge and then letting them free to work out the details for themselves is a great way to give them something to do and it helps build teamwork, communication and leadership skills. Such challenges can be in the form of something arty, performance related, social or physical. They can turn playdates into something more memorable!

Here are 12 ideas for things to do to make playdates magical, that don't cost a lot and utilise things you are likely to have at home already.

• Challenge them to put on a circus, collecting things such as hula hoops and balls to showcase their skills. It gives big sister Kizzy a chance to show off her plate spinning and hula hooping act!

• Treasure hunts are always a fun way of entertaining little ones. Virtual treasure hunts using cameras are great fun as children can snap pics of various items outdoors such as a bird in flight or a flower in bloom. Give a list of things to find or use pictures for little ones and let them be mini explorers on a mission.

• Get out the dressing up clothes and accessories and challenge them to put on a fashion show with music and a makeshift catwalk. Let them perform their show and applaud the mini models as they strut their stuff!

• Put on a puppet show using toys or home made puppets made from old socks. A big box with a window cut out makes a good puppet theatre.

• Provide a big sheet of paper out along with a variety of arts and crafts bits and bobs and challenge them to design a scary monster. Or provide some boxes, paper plates and loo roll tubes to make a junk model. Older kids can design band logos or make artwork based on favourite books or films.

• Host a tea party or a picnic - allow the children to pick a variety of goodies such as Petits Filous Magic Squares, fruit, crisps, cheese and drinks and lay on their own spread to eat. It makes a perfect after school treat.

• Make a band by getting together instruments or even saucepan lids and shakers made from bottles half filled with rice. Maybe the children could write their own song or rap and perform it on camera. Or maybe mime or perform to their favourite band's latest song.

• Cook up a storm in the kitchen with no-bake rice crispie cakes or let imaginations run wild by providing fairy cakes, icing and decorations for creating incredible cupcakes.

• Let them be the directors and actors in their own movie. Give them a kid friendly camera and let them unleash their inner Spielberg. Or just get them vlogging in front of a camcorder on a tripod. Kids can be hilarious - it could go viral!

• Let them upcycle some old T-shirts or plain white shirts using fabric pens or fabric paints. The empty Petits Filous pots are great for using as paint pots, perfect for little artists.

• Get green fingered with sunflower seeds, soil and yogurt pots (the Petits Filous Magic Squares pots will do the trick!) Nurturing a seedling is a lovely way to connect with nature.

• Become mini scientists by exploring if household objects sink or float. Provide a bucket of water and some objects. Or get some magnets and let the children find what materials are attracted to them.

We always enjoy having some creative fun when Freddy has a playdate or has his cousins over and the children always respond to the challenges and have a great time. If they take away a new skill or feel more confident because of the activities, then that makes it worth all the effort!

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New Magic Squares from Petits Filous are yummy pots of fromage frais that come in strawberry & vanilla and raspberry & vanilla flavours. The contents of each individual pot is divided into a quadrant of squares of the two individual flavours ready to be stirred together, eaten in alternate mouthfuls or enjoyed separately. It lets kids mix up the magic!  Freddy favoured the 'dive in and scoff the lot' approach! He loved the mix of fruitiness and creamy vanilla flavours.

This post is an entry for BritMums #MagicSquaresPlaydates Linky Challenge, sponsored by Petits Filous.

Top Ten Ideas for Keeping the Kids Entertained This Summer

42 Days of Summer with McVitie's BN - the biscuits with a cheeky wink!

With the month of August stretching out before us, we still have plenty of time for lots of family fun before the kids return to school.  We have days out and holidays planned but what about keeping the kids entertained when there is nothing planned.  Sitting in front of the TV or playing on the laptop is fun, but I think if children can unleash their creativity and work together, amazing things can happen.  As a parent you can get involved by celebrating their achievements in an exciting way.  It really helps nurture children's  creativity and builds their confidence.

Here are my top ten tips for things for the kids to do that won't cost much money, but will be fun and super creative!   

1:  Put on a fashion show - get the kids to upcycle some old clothing and choreograph their own fashion show.  Create a makeshift runway space and put on some tunes so the kids can strut their stuff.  Provide props such as shades, hats and scarves so they can accessorise their handmade outfits. Clap along as they do their thing!  Take photos or video their efforts so they can look back at how well they did.  It's just like America's Next Top Model!

2:  Keep a holiday scrapbook - fill a book with written pieces, drawings, photos, cartoons and clippings to record of all the things you got up to.  Not only is this a fabulous souvenir to look back on, it is also a way to keep the kids' writing skills polished during the long summer break.  Even the youngest child can contribute with finding things to stick in or by doodling pictures, which can be annotated by a grown-up.  This is something we have done for years and we enjoy looking back on the great times we have shared.

3:  Make a music video: get the kids to pick their favourite song and record them as they lip sync or sing along to the track.  They can think about costumes, settings and dance moves to put on a really entertaining show for the camera.  If children can play instruments, they could even make-up their own song to sing and play along to.  X Factor - eat your heart out!

4: Have a garden picnic - lunch always tastes better when eaten outdoors!  If the weather is dry why not challenge the kids to make some inventive sandwiches and maybe even bake some cookies or cakes.  Then enjoy an alfresco feast on a blanket on the lawn.  Younger children might like to bring teddy bears and have a teddy bear picnic with teddy shaped sandwiches.  (You could even serve up some chocolate or raspberry BN biscuits!) 

5:  Make a movie - for older children, challenge them to write a script and direct their own short movie.  Hand them a camcorder and leave the creativity to them.  My children have participated in movie making projects and they really enjoyed it.  Once the film is edited, put on a premier party.  Invite friends and family over to watch the first screening of their debut movie.  Get everyone to wear their best red carpet attire and provide freshly made popcorn to nibble on.

6:  Make a giant junk model - using boxes, newspaper, PVA glue and paint, challenge the children to create a junk model.  Encouraging teamwork and creativity, this is a fun way of recycling household junk and producing something artistic.  Whether they make a car, a dinosaur or a play house, they will love playing with the end product once it's been made.

7:  Make an art gallery - get the kids to draw or paint portraits of family members.  Once the whole extended family has been immortalised on paper, Blu-Tack them around the house and invite the family over to view the pictures.  The artists can be in charge of serving pop and nibbles to the guests, who are free to keep the portraits of themselves at the end of the afternoon.

8:  Stage your own mini-Olympics - think of ten sporting events that can be done in the garden, hula hooping, skipping, obstacle course, bike race, wheelbarrow race etc.  Spend an afternoon competing against each other in the fun sports you have devised.  Give younger kids head starts or handicap older children to make it a level playing field.  At the end of the day tot up the scores from each event and have a medal presentation.  Ensure everyone wins something to reward their strengths, even if they win the 'biggest smile whilst running' medal. Not everyone can be an athlete, but everyone can do something really well!

9:  Have a Pirate themed day - get into the spirit by dressing up with bandanas and eye patches; face paint on a beard and some scars and spend the day talking in Piratese with phrases such as "ahoy me hearties" and "shiver me timbers"!  Do some arts and crafts activities making things like a loo roll telescope or an egg carton treasure chest. Make a treasure map and hunt for buried treasure in the garden or have a hopping race in honour of Long John Silver himself.  Theme some food such as making a Map Wrap where the kids can decorate a tortilla wrap with a piratey scene - red and green pepper palm trees, sweetcorn gold nuggets, grated cheese sand and with carrot sticks in an X marking the spot! At the end of the day watch a piratey film such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan or Treasure Island.

10:  Have a photo scavenger hunt - make sure each child has a camera or a phone for taking photographs and challenge them to take a picture of twenty objects.  Write an age appropriate list with items such as a spider in a web, a funny shaped leaf or a bird on a branch if you are surrounded by nature, or a phonebox, an electricity pylon or a blue front door if you are in town, and get them to photograph the evidence. The photos can then be uploaded to a computer and everyone can watch back a slide show of each other's efforts.  It encourages kids to enjoy photography!  For older kids, you can give them prompts which can be artistically interpreted using their imagination. Ask them to capture a colour or an expression, or photograph things that begin with a certain letter of the alphabet. Making two teams will give two very different results!  



This post is an entry for 42 Days of Summer Linky Challenge sponsored by McVitie’s BN. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1mRpMCL