CHILDREN: How to Make Aquabeads Bunting and a 'We Miss You' Rainbow Card

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Keeping children entertained during lockdown has needed some creativity and thinking outside of the box. The lack of freedom to visit places has meant that so many of us have to stay at home the vast majority of the time. Home learning has been keeping us busy for a lot of the day, but it gets to a point when Isabella needs some time to play and relax. This has been when we've been bringing out the Aquabeads and letting her imagination run wild! If you're not familiar with what Aquabeads are then they are small little beads that can be put together on a tray to create a design, sprayed with water, left to dry and they stick together. No need for irons and such a fun activity for children fours years+ to enjoy. The possibilities for lockdown crafts using Aquabeads really are endless and below I've included a long list of ideas to hopefully inspire you to get creative too.

PARENTHOOD: How to Make Birthdays Special for Children during Lockdown

This is a very surreal time we find ourselves in at the moment due to COVID-19 and our children are constantly having to adapt to the changes, which can be tough. One day they were at school with their friends being taught how to wash their hands properly as the risk of Coronavirus was increasing; then suddenly they were waving goodbye to their friends/teachers and entering lockdown with only one walk a day. It goes without saying that these measures are necessary and so very important to save lives, but it is a lot for us adults to get our heads around let alone the children. My eldest daughter Isabella is the only one of my children at school and despite everything she has handled the change to home schooling/not seeing her friends etc. really well. However, one area that she was getting a bit upset about was that she wouldn't be able to celebrate her fifth birthday with friends/family, like so many children across the world.

PARENTHOOD: Tried and Tested Free Online Live Activities for Children during Isolation

Life has changed more than any of us could ever imagine over the past few weeks and here in the UK we find ourselves in lockdown isolation to help stop the spread of coronavirus. This has resulted in schools shutting and many of us suddenly finding ourselves home schooling our children full time. I keep going between sheer panic/worry to trying to be relaxed about this whole school situation, as this isn't something any of us could prepare for or anticipate. We are one week into isolation and home learning now and it has been a steep learning curve, that's for sure. I have Isabella who is in Reception, Poppy who is almost three years old and Rory who is five months, so their individual needs vary greatly and the balancing act has been exhausting to be honest. But the solidarity of the nation has really made such a difference; there is certainly an attitude of 'we're all in this together' that shines through the hard times.

CHILDREN: 140 Indoor Activities for Hours of Entertainment

There are so many reasons why we may need to stay indoors with our children, whether it be wet weather, a cosy weekend, illness or the current pandemic of Coronavirus. The idea of staying indoors with children for a prolonged period of time can be quite a daunting prospect, but in an aim to help parents I have put together 140 ideas for indoor activities. These will keep you busy for hours, days, if not weeks and can easily be combined with more educational activities too. There are opportunities to practice fine motor skills, be creative, learn new skills and simply have fun, which is really important for children, but especially with the current concerns, unknowns and changes.

PARENTHOOD: How to Make Long Car Journeys with Children Peaceful without Screen-Time

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Long car journeys with children aren't really that peaceful, are they? If it's not winding each other up, it's the constant 'are we nearly there yet?' questioning or requesting snacks or crying about anything/everything or desperate demands for the toilet. It's understandable because long car journeys can be boring and it's harder for children to understand the concept of time. But how can we make them more peaceful and enjoyable for all those involved? As a parent to three children with family who live a long way away we are often making 1.5 hour+ length journeys, so we constantly have plenty of practice and have learnt a few tips/tricks along the way.