Wonder Adventures interactive & fun entertainment, events and parties for active and imaginative kids
Are you a bah humbug or an ecstatic Elf?
Take our fun quiz and find out your Christmas Factor score….. and don’t forget to share with your friends and compare your Christmas Factor scores…..
You can simply hide items around the house and give children clues to find the items or for a ready- made Wizard themed Treasure Hunt use the Hocus Pocus Interactive Treasure hunt – everything is ready to be downloaded and printed and the addition of wizard videos delivering riddles, clues and fun Wizarding activities for children not only keeps them busy and excited for 40 minutes but gives you maximum mum brownie points for very little effort!
Divide the children into teams, give each team a roll of toilet paper and some tape. One member of the team chooses to be the mummy and the rest of the team have to wrap them up. Give the teams a time limit and for added challenge ask the mummies to position themselves in the most creative position and judge the best mummy at the end of the time limit!
3/ Frankenstein Bowling
Wrap up some different size tube sin toilet roll, lay them out as bowls and each person lines up and bowls 3 balls. Count the number of pins each person gets down and add these together for their team.
A variation on the above, paint tin cans and stack them for the bowling game. You can even involve the children in the painting and preparations!
5/ Poke a pumpkin
Stick some small orange cups on a large piece of cardboard. Fill each cup with a treat (or put tricks in some is you want to give added challenge!) Cover each cup in orange tissue paper. Stick numbers on each one. Each child chooses a number, pokes the paper and either wins the treat or does the trick hidden inside!
A classic game – the best party games are classics! Easy to set up and everyone loves it!
Give each child a bag of sweets with their name on. This game can last throughout the party or can last for a set time limit. The object of the game is to catch people saying any of the following words (or wors that you decide on)
It works well to write words in large and display them around the party space. If you catch a person saying one of the words they have to give you one of the sweets from their bag,
The person who has the most sweets at the end wins a prize. And the best part is everyone gets to keep their sweets at the end!!
NB: This games is a challenge with younger children as giving away their sweets is not something they are easily persuaded to do!! So best to do with older children!
Beforehand cut strips of paper, twice as many strips as there are children. On half of the strips write ‘treat’ and on the other half write ‘trick’ and include tricks such as ‘hop on one foot’, ‘pat your head and rub your belly’, ‘sing a song’, ‘act like a dog for 5 minutes’ etc.
Put all the strips in a Halloween bag. Have the children make a circle, walk around the circle. Each player draws out a strip of paper and performs the trick or receives the treat (doesn’t have to be sweets, can be a sticker or a badge or small toy). You can make sure everyone receives a treat as you will have enough treat strips for all children.
Carve out the insides of a pumpkin, but leave the pumpkin seeds and goop inside the pumpkin.
Blindfold one child at a time and have them reach in and scoop out a handful of seeds. They put their handful of seeds into a paper cup with their name on.
After all children have had a turn each one counts out their seeds and whoevere has the most wins a prize.
NB: if you have a lot of children you might want to have multiple pumpkins or their might not be many seeds left by the time it gets to the last child!
Sit in a circle and start a ghost story. Give the first few lines and each person in the circle adds on a few sentences to give the story scary twists and turns!! You can spice up the game by giving each child a prop that they have to incorporate into their bit of the story.
This is a Halloween version the Chocolate glove game! Put a bar of chocolate in the centre of the circle, with a knife, fork and a pile of Halloween dress up items – we suggest a cloak, hat, scarf, mask and wizard gloves. Have a dice going around the players of the circle. Each player rolls the dice. If they roll a six they get to go up to the centre of the circle, they have to put all the items on and then can eat as much of the chocolate that they can with the knife and fork before the next person rolls a 6. If the next person rolls a 6 before they have put all the items on they cannot start eating the chocolate!
If you have a big group you could have 2 dice going around! The game finishes when all the chocolate is gone!
Draw a large pumpkin face shape for each player. Give each artist/player an orange crayon and a blindfold. Instruct each person to draw a jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin. Take the blindfolds off and enjoy the creations.
Purchase plastic skeletons and disassemble them. Hide the bones before the game starts. Have kids search for them and then reassemble the skeleton. For older kids, you can hide the bones and then write out clues for them to follow. You can also get a few skeletons and break the kids into teams.
For a ready- made wizard themed scavenger hunt go here
One child leaves the room and one child in the room puts a sheet over their head. The child who comes back in the room tries to guess who the ghost is.
There are many variations to this old school classic party game…..
Pin the Wooooh on the ghost
Pin the Wart on the Witch
Pin the Nose on the pumpkin
Whatever variation of this you want…..
What kid doesn’t love slime?? Especially at Halloween! For an easy tutorial on how to make Harry Potter inspired slime see the tutorial here…..
Fill a large glass jar with sweets. As guests arrive, invite them to guess the number of candies in the jar, and write down each guess. As the party winds to a close, have the children help to count out the number of sweets in the jar. Whoever guessed the number correctly (or came the closest) wins the jar!
Happy Halloween…..
To get an easy, ready made, super fun Wizard themed treasure hunt go here
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Ideas for five minutes of fun per day with your child
September is here which means most of the summer festivals have been and gone for this year, but what’s it like to go to a family festival with the kids? Have you wondered about going but have not been sure what its like or if they / you would enjoy it?
Well, see the video review from 10 year old Daisy here on her visit to The Big Feastival in the Cotswolds over the August Bank Holiday and get a feel for what its like. And if you are a festival old hand, bit not been to The Big Feastival its worth cue sing out as a possible one for you next year. Early bird tickets are already on sale here – https://www.thebigfeastival.com
And do let us know what festivals your family love to go to and share any of your pictures with us. What is great about kids at a festival is their bodies and imaginations can run free. They can be active, creative, carefree and try new things – all things that are essential ingredients for a childhood!
You might also like to read https://wonderadventures.co.uk/15-ideas-for-awesome-childrens-summer-holiday-activities/
https://wonderadventures.co.uk/11-fun-ways-to-encourage-imaginative-play-in-your-child/
Or to see some of the kids entertainment fun we provide to family festivals see here
https://wonderadventures.co.uk/festivals/
Often face painting is associated with being at a family attraction, however you can pick up a face painting kit fairly cheaply and bring up some fairly simple designs on the internet and the kids love having their face painted! If you are feeling especially brave or chilled you could also let them paint your face!! The kids LOVE it!!!
Board games don’t have to be saved for Christmas and don’t have to mean monopoly or Cluedo. There are lots of board games that can involve all ages and even be non – competitive, like Escape Board game. And there are some interesting ones that are great for helping children with strategy, maths, reading and help them with their learning whilst having fun! Some of our favourites are Carcassonne, Settlers, and Ticket to Ride.
Give the kids a time limit, decide on a top / theme or series of topics (maybe give a different topic to each child) and they have to go away and create a quiz / game to host for everyone.
A great online quiz tool is Kahoot. and is brilliant for creating bespoke quizzes and games for the family which you can all do live!
Depending on the age of your kids you can simply decorate some rich tea biscuits (simple icing, some sprinkles and smarties and they will be busy for hours!! ) or you can do cupcakes, easy no bake tray cakes, or go all out with some bread or a cake! It’s a great way to teach them passion about food and what we put in our bodies as well as fun to do together (plus if you are clever about what you make you can have tea covered off!)
This is a super easy science experiment, with very little materials needed and maximum fun and impact for the kids!
Easy instructions here –
Obviously messy play isn’t everyone’s cup of tea at home because of the mess, but if you contain it in an area and in containers and give the children rules about where they keep it, it can keep them busy for ages! And for little one especially, sensory play is so beneficial.
Our favourites are dried rice, divided and coloured into different colours; shaving foam coloured with gel colour (this is great in the bath!) spaghetti or pasta shapes.
Create a list like below and give it to the children to find each one of the items. If they are too young to read go with them and read it out to them or create it as a picture or colour list.
Try a list like –
find something red
find something fuzzy
find something round
find something with wheels
find something with eyes
find something with 4 legs
find something mutli- coloured
find something that roars
Obviously this can be tailored to the ages of your kids
Or you can do a pre-prepared indoor treasure hunt like here
What kid doesn’t like making slime?! Here is a great recipe and method on the video by Daisy Days here – don’t forget to subscribe to her channel for more fun and creative ideas….
Make sand foam- super easy, simply mix sand with shaving foam and you won’t believe the amazing texture it creates! It isn’t even that messy once it has been combined and the kids LOVE it!!
This is a super easy version of making your own playdough, is edible and smells amazing; what’s not to like!!
You need –
Pre made frosting mixture – any flavours you like
3 cups Icing mixture/sugar
Step 1
Pour your frosting flavour into a mixer
Step 2
Slowly add 3 cups of the icing mixture to the frosting on a slow speed
Step 3
Once combined pour out onto grease proof paper and let the kids have some fun!
This is by far the best recipe I have come across for playdough.
You will need –
2 Tbsp of Oil (any oil will do, coconut oil, vegetable oil, even olive oil)
1/2 Cup of Salt
2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 Cup Boiling Water
How to make playdough
A great way to use up old magazines and newspapers – give the children a theme and get them to make a picture made out of what they can find in the magazines!
You might want the children to take a break from screens and I bet they don’t actually spend that much time purely listening to a story unless you are reading it to them, as they are usually watching something on the television or device. Getting them to sit and listen to an audio story has an amazing calming effect on a lot of children and they love the ability to sit and let their imagination run along with the story as they hear it.
Download and listen to the Wondersldie World audio book for FREE here
Again another way to use their devices in a creative and alternative way. Get the children to choose a music track and ask them to plan out creating a music video. Encourage them to do the planning before they actually pick up the device to do the filming. They should draw out storyboards and create a visual script; who should be doing what and where. They can costumes and visuals. Once they have filmed it they can use a free editing tool like imovie to edit it and share it with the family at your own premiere!
The most simple game is often still the most asked for in our house!!
and when it stops raining you can take them outside to hide them! See a video here on rock painting…
Get dads short out, stuff it will pillows or cushions, put a soft surface down and have some fun. Obviously this needs to be supervised as can get a bit excitable!
A roll of masking tape is perfect for creating streets, roads and motorways all over the home and then cars and vehicles can have a real adventure! Did you know that vehicles are the most popular interest in pre school children? This is a great way to get them using their vehicles in a new way!
Kids have the most fun with a pile of random cardboard boxes – plus some strong tape, felt tips and scissors – they can do what they want with.
Space rockets, boats, bridges, trains, teddy hospitals, castles, smugglers’ caves, bomb shelters….chances are you will be impressed with what they come up with!
Have you seen this amazing video of the cardboard arcade games boy? Its well worth a watch…..
What is a love bomb?
Basically it involves spending a nice chunk of one-on-one time with your kid, showering them with love and affection—and most importantly, letting your child call all the shots. So on a rainy day ask them what they want to do, switch off your phone, your laptop, the radio, the lot. For an hour. Solid. And cuddle them. Listen to them. Read to them. Play any game they want. Basically give them undivided attention for that hour.
Then leave them alone.
Now of course they’ll come back for top-up attention, but this is one of the best things you can do to teach them to entertain themselves, as counterintuitive as it sounds, giving them the undivided attention, re-sets them and allows them to go and entertain themselves afterward!
Hopefully some of these activities help you to stay sane in the rain (while inside anyway!!)
And if all else fails, get them suited and booted and go out puddle splashing!!!
You might also like 15 ideas for awesome childrens summer holiday activities/
Read 5 imaginative outdoor activities to do with children
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Have you heard about The Elf Advent Challenge? 24 days of elf fun tasks in December? Learn more and enrol your child here
1/ Building a den; this is brilliant as can be either indoors or outdoors and as elaborate as you and the kids like! Who doesn’t love a den? Even better bring the teddies in and have a teddy bears picnic together once everyone is inside!
2/ Have a treasure hunt: No matter how big or small your house or garden is, the kids are bound to find something to explore and it can be done inside or outside. There are loads of ways you can do a treasure hunt. A simple list of natural objects to find (a stick, a leaf, a flower etc) can be presented with a picture or words depending on the age of your children. Alternatively, you could do a treasure hunt with directional clues – a great one is placing the kid’s teddies, or their toys, in spots for them to find and making the clues about them! You can also do it by finding different colour items or objects beginning with certain letters. Or, one of the simplest ways to create a treasure hunt for toddlers is to print and laminate a load of images of something that they love, such as dinosaurs or wizards. Hide them around the garden and tell them how many there are to find! You can tailor them for your kid’s interests, ages and abilities, make them as short or long, easy or complicated! You can reward them with a treat at the end and everyone can get involved, so it’s great for sibling groups and mixed ages. Grandparents can be involved in a treasure hunt, either helping to organise or set it up or simply participating. And the best thing is a treasure hunt activity is active, imaginative, they learn something and there is a sense of achievement! To download a ready-made treasure hunt complete with video clues go here……
3/ Have a games tournament – kids love board games and most parents do too! Depending on the age of your kids, you might do simple ones or you can teach them some of your old favourites like Cluedo or find some interesting ones that are great for helping children with strategy, maths, reading and help them with their learning whilst having fun! This can even be a tournament that runs throughout the holidays; try having a game a week and keep a record of what you have played. If encouraging your kids to be competitive fills you with dread because you know it will end in disaster try a non-competitive board game like this fantastic one here….Escape Board game
4/ Camp out in the garden or have an indoor sleepover where you all watch a movie together and bed down in the living room for added excitement (or maybe just the kids for this one!) For a special treat have hire in some indoor sleepover tents like these gorgeous ones from Bell Tent Party Events
5/ Set up your own mini festival – better if you have a larger garden but even if not you can set up different stations around your garden; like a story area, an art area, a hair braiding area, a face painting area, a splash zone, a relaxing zone and a refreshments area!
6/ Go Geocaching – this makes a normal walk much more exciting! It’s a pre-existing treasure hunt – you download the app before hand, find the area you want to hunt your geocache and go on a fun adventure hunting the treasure! Make sure you take something with you to put in the geocache when you find it. You can see more information about Geo caching here…
7/ Rock hunting – Find somewhere locally where you can hunt for painted rocks. Most regions have places that take part in the ‘painted rocks’ craze. If you search on Facebook for your area name and ‘rocks’ you should find of there is a Facebook page. Search around the area and see what painted rocks you can find. When you find them take photos and post them to the relevant facebook group (for example ‘Lymm Rocks’) then re-hide them. Make sure you don’t take them home! They should stay in the community for other people to hunt, find and enjoy! For added fun, paint some rocks at home first and then take them out and about and hide them too!
8/ Park hunting! – Find a park you have never been to before! Most people frequent the same places that they know, but why not be a bit more adventurous and find a new and different park. Most councils will list the parks in their region on their website so even if you travel a few miles to the neighbouring county you are bound to find somewhere different! You can also find local parents Facebook groups and ask in there what parks people recommend. Some of our favourite and free parks in North West England include Walton Gardens, Haigh Hall and Woodland park and Worden park.
9/ Do a treasure trail – these are a fun and low cost way to explore a new town or city; or even explore your own town with new eyes! For a relatively low cost you can download a treasure trail for you town or city and spend a day exploring it as a family! See more here….
10/ Go fruit picking–this can be a relatively low cost activity that kids love and can wile away a good few hours. Strawberries are mostly picked by July but most fruit farms will have other fruit and veg to pick throughout the rest of the summer and it will be less busy after the Strawberries so a good time to go!
11/ Go to a museum – lots of museums in the UK have free entry and during the holidays most have activities going on including workshops and events which are often free to attend too. It’s worth checking out smaller and less well known museums often too. Check out the video review here of The Story Museum in Oxford.
11/ Go to a theme park – even if you don’t like big rides most UK theme parks now have a range of attractions for all ages and scare levels! Our favourites are Alton Towers and Thorpe Park for older kids and Legoland and Chessington World of Adventures for younger kids. There are some smaller parks that are really great too and not as manic and expensive as the big ones – Flamingo Land, Diggerland, Oakwood Theme Park and Greenwood Forest Park are all brilliant and well worth a visit. Greenwood Forest Park has an innovative eco-rollercoaster set in the trees which is a great introduction to rollercoasters for younger kids. Nd it also has loads of really great and imaginative play areas in the forest. Cbeebies land at Alton Towers is also great for toddlers. See this video review of Alton Towers as a family day out…..
12/ A day at the beach – the UK has so much amazing coastline, no summer holiday is complete without a day at the seaside! For added adventure why not go on the train?! There’s nothing like the excitement of a train journey and arriving at the seaside at the end of it! We love Llandudno in North Wales as well as Scarborough, Margate, Newquay in South Wales and Lytham St. Anne’s which has an amazing beach. If you are driving to your day at the beach then a more remote bay allows for rock pooling or kite flying. And of course make sure you round your day off with fish and chips; a seaside essential!
13/ Visit a waterpark – the UK has a number of fantastic indoor waterparks, so even if the weather isn’t good you and the kids can have some water fun! Some of them have outdoor areas too. Our absolute favourite in the UK is Alpamere in Scarborough. We also like Alton Towers Splash landings, Waterworld in Stoke (which has had recent refurbishments) and Sandcastles in Blackpool.
14/ Visit a National trust property – The National trust has hundreds of places all over the UK and the majority of them are a full and packed day out of fun with lots having family activities going on in the holidays. Most of them have brilliant adventure playgrounds which are worth the visit in themselves. But they often also have lovely gardens, fun trails, workshops and family activities as well as cafes and houses to explore in some cases. Check out the National Trust website for those sites close to you.
15/ Go to a festival – summer is full of festivals, most of which have brilliant family offerings too. There are some amazing family focused festivals; Just So festival has been running for 9 years and is designed to bring imaginative fun to under 10’s. Other great festivals happening over the summer holidays include The Big Feastival, Boomtown, Elderflower Fields, Wilderness Festival
Not all festivals need you to camp, you can usually buy day tickets and all of the ones listed above have fantastic family areas and kids activities scheduled.
TIPS TO SAVE MONEY…..
Not every big day out has to break the bank. There are lots of ways to get vouchers or money off offers for family days out. Try Days out with the kids for deals as well as Wowcher and Planet offers. Merlin usually have offers running on products in the supermarket where you buy one ticket get one fre to their attractions, so a quick perusal in the supermarket aisles you should find these vouchers. Alton Towers also have a plastic bottle machine at the entrance area where you put an empty bottle and get a buy one get one free coupon for that. So even if you have to buy a bottle of water and drink it then and there it’s worth it for a free entry to Alton Towers!
Let us know what brilliant kids activities your family get up to this holiday! We’d love to hear your ideas and experiences……..post on our Facebook page here..
Want more ideas for fun family activities or days out with your kids then join our Facebook group here….
You might also like to read
Ideas for 5 minutes of fun a day with your kids
5 Imaginative outdoor activities to do with children
Ideas for water activities at home
18 attractions you must visit for days out with the kids before they are 12
Lets hope the kids feel like this at the end of August!……
Last Tweets
It’s Winnie the Pooh day!!
So many words of wisdom have come from AA Milne through Pooh and his friends.
This is one of our favourite quotes....
What do you love about the pooh bear stories?
#WinnieThePoohDay #winniethepooh #littlethings #favouritequotes https://t.co/UFdYbQkcXr, RT @PresentingHelen: #1917Film is a cinematic masterpiece and #SamMendes storytelling genius! grandad went over the top,in 1917, was shot, left for dead but pulled out & got home. So he met grandma, had my dad, I had George. Grateful for my family. remembering Prt Ernest John Chamberlain @1917FilmUK https://t.co/DROzG6lWoM, RT @PresentingHelen: Brill to go to a more alternative panto @HullTruck #peterpan - fantastically told story and brilliant performers. Not your traditional panto but it was ideal for my 12 and 10 year old and my 3 year old was captivated too (especially by the crocodile!!) #pantomime #cityofhull, 
