Lucky are the parents who always have time to devote to their child and play with them. Often, however, in our daily routine we have too little of it. But there are days when our little one has plenty of free time to fill: because they didn't go to nursery, to school, because they're ill, because they're in quarantine. The last few months in particular have shown us how important it is to be able to play with children at home. If you've rarely done it so far, that's fine. We suggest simple ways to get started. Creative games for kids often don't require any special preparation. Take a look, get inspired, and play with your child every day, and it will be an unforgettable time for both of you.

Active creative games for kids – obstacle course, hopscotch, bowling

Setting up a simple obstacle course takes just a moment, and the fun is great. Use what you have on hand. Pillows, water bottles, paper cups. The child should complete the course without knocking anything over. If they enjoy it, you can introduce a one-legged slalom or time it. To play hopscotch, you need to draw squares on sheets of paper. Then proceed just like with traditional hopscotch. Plastic bowling pins in a child's room are a great idea, but if you don't have any, that's no problem either. Set up your own pins from any objects, e.g. plastic cups, and try to hit the target. It's important not to choose a ball that's too heavy for this game, so as not to cause too much damage at home.

Such games at home with children will definitely work well. It can be even more interesting when there are siblings at home. The more children there are to play, the better. Also stock up on comfortable clothes. Shorts and a T-shirt that don't restrict movement will come in handy. Then the fun will be even more enjoyable.

Arts and crafts – creative play for kids that develops fine motor skills

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Manual skills should be practised from the earliest years. You can start doing craft activities with toddlers, and it's worth it. It will help them in the future to fasten buttons on their own, hold cutlery and school supplies correctly, or even write.  Craft activities are not only essential, but also very enjoyable. Take some play dough and create original little snails, pat, roll and join the pieces together. Your child will surely be proud of their creation. Drawing with crayons or painting with paints is also a simple way to have creative fun with your child. You can also make modelling dough from salt dough (flour and salt can be found in every home). Playing with craft materials is not just about working on proper muscle tension and improving the precision and dexterity of little fingers and hands. It's also an exercise for the imagination. Let your child take the initiative and shape something they've thought up themselves. Later, you can guess what the child made and what the parent made.

Reading – not just for bedtime

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Creative play with children isn't just about physical or manual activities. Reading books can also be great fun. Choose your little one's favourite series, or a brand new book. It's a great option once you've tired yourselves out with movement-based games. A good moment to calm down. Reading to children is hugely important, and every parent knows it. It develops not only cognitive skills and memory training, but also stimulates the imagination, teaches social skills, and supports emotional development. It enriches language and passes on good role models. Reading is one of those activities you can never have too much of. So make use of this shared time to read to your child as well. If you're spending time with older children, they can read something to you aloud. It could be an excerpt from their favourite book or a poem, and afterwards you can talk about it.

Musical games for kids at home

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Music stimulates many aspects of a child's development. It strengthens cognitive and sensory development. Psychomotor development, in turn, is the foundation for a child's further proper growth. And although musical talent is hereditary, don't worry if you're not particularly gifted in this area. Not everyone has to be the next Mozart. However, that shouldn't stop you from developing your child's abilities. Nor should you avoid musical games, which can shape them from the earliest years. Any parent can manage games that aren't too demanding.

For such games with your child at home, you can also use a music player with chosen songs. When you stop the music, the child has to perform the action you indicate (e.g. point to something green, touch your knee, etc.) This game can have many variations and can go on for quite a long time. You can also create a simple choreographed routine to a favourite song, and the child's task will be to repeat it. Later, you can swap roles and imitate the routine created by the child.

Musical instruments would come in handy for musical games. However, if you don't have any at home, you can make your own. Preparing instruments is itself a creative activity to do with your children. They can be made, for example, from a jar filled with dried peas or beans; a crisp tube with the same filling also works well in this role. A small box filled with tiny items, e.g. beads, can serve as a rattle. And the best home-made drum is, of course, a pot, a plastic bucket or a bowl. Spoons or two pencils can successfully replace drumsticks. Once you're set up like this, you can hold a concert with your child whenever you have a spare moment.

This might also interest you: Educational games – valuable and developmental entertainment for children

Creative games for children don't just develop their skills and provide learning opportunities. They're also time spent together, building closeness and trust. So play with your little ones as often as possible – sometimes it doesn't take much to come up with an interesting game to play with your child at home.