Keeping the kids entertained indoors is one of the biggest challenges mums and dads are currently facing, which is why these eight fun things for them to try at home should keep everyone in the family happy… With the exception of the guitar lessons, unless you happen to have earplugs!
Brush up on maths
Kids can get some top tips from British maths whizz and TV presenter, Carol Vorderman. Sign up to Vorderman’s website The Match Factor for free where they can get to grips with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It’s aimed at kids between four and 11.
www.themathsfactor.com.
Practice spelling
Sir Linkalot’s multi-sensory app promises to improve spelling for students of all ages. It uses mnemonics, or memory aids, to help children learn, memorise and recall the spelling of 150 high frequency words that they’re expected to know under the National Curriculum. The app is free until Friday June 12, 2020. You’ll need to sign up to its mailing list and you’ll be sent a code for free access.
On the app store and Google Play.
Become a linguist
Sign up to a three-month language course aimed at kids. The normal price is around Dhs220, but at the moment, little ones can learn a variety of languages such as French, German and Spanish for free on the Rosetta Stone website. And if you have more than one child you can sign up multiple times, you’ll just need to use a different email address each time.
www.rosettastone.co.uk.
Watch a ballet
The Royal Opera House is broadcasting free ballet and opera on its website. As its London venue is closed, it’s bringing opera and ballet into people’s homes. Expect to watch things like Peter and the Wolf and Acis and Galatea. You can see the schedule of free online performances on the website.
www.roh.org.uk.
Play the guitar
If you’ve got a little Lenny Kravitz wannabe on your hands and you happen to have a guitar lying around, now’s as good a time as any to learn a new skill. Instrument manufacturer Fender has made its online guitar courses free for three months – but you’ll need to nab a code, and there were only 100,000 available when the offer launched on Friday 20 March, so go quick if you want one. You can choose from acoustic, bass, electric or ukelele, plus a variety of different music styles (eg, blues, country, pop and rock).
Free online guitar lessons for 3 months (ususally around Dhs50 per month). www.fender.com/play.
Listen to classic kids’ lit
Enjoy hundreds of free Audible kids’ audiobooks, including Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden. NHandy if you’re struggling with home-schooling or entertaining the kids, as they’re available for as long as schools are closed. See Audible Stories.
Burn some energy
Joe Wicks, a.k.a. The Body Coach is running free daily workouts for kids. His online PE lessons take place at 1pm every day where 100,000s of little ones are taking part in his 30-minute fitness classes.
Relax and de-stress
Two popular meditation apps normally cost around Dhs250 a year for a subscription, but they’ve both released free content specifically to help those struggling with anxiety and stress at this time. Calm is offering calm kids’ and mindfulness resources, while Headspace has a collection called Weathering the Storm, which includes meditations, sleep and movement exercises.
Available on the app store and Google Play.
