Family time is important!

20 minutes activities to help Primary Children's Wellbeing

• Play a ball game. Football, catch, basketball, dodgeball … there are endless ball games to choose from. You can ask your child to pick a game they’d like to play or ask them about their favourite sports team.
• Ready, set… bake. Baking is a great way to have fun together and there are so many bakes to choose from including with fairy cakes, scones, traybakes or energy balls.
• Create something together. There are so many things you can make in 20 minutes. This can be as simple as doing a paint-by-numbers, jigsaw, designing your own Birthday or thank you cards, or trying something new like painting your own T-shirt designs.
• Draw cartoons of each other. Sometimes, all you need is pen and paper. Create cartoon drawings of one another, and other family members, cats, dogs, fish – have fun! You could also try drawing with your eyes closed or not taking your pen off the paper to add an extra challenge.
• Indoor picnic. 20 minutes isn’t quite enough time to head out to the beach with a picnic blanket, but it’s perfect for having one indoors. Lay out a blanket, pick out your family’s favourite finger food and have a picnic in the comfort of home.
• Tech-free games. Take a screen break with tech-free games like 20 questions, cat's cradle, marbles, jacks, the floor is lava, skipping and more. There are so many 20 minute games to choose from.
• Indoor treasure hunt. Hide some things (such as toys, messages or even sections of a story) around the house, create some clues and see if your children can guess where they are!
• Put on your dancing shoes. If your child loves to dance, let their feet do the talking. Ask them to pick out their favourite song and dance like you mean it!
• Sing it. From car singing to serenading the family in the kitchen, turn up your favourite ballads and sing along. You could turn it into a game by challenging them too sing in the style of their favourite film or TV character.

If you have a little more time in the holidays or at the weekend....

• Build a fort. Use blankets, bedsheets, cushions, chairs and fairy lights to create your own cosy little fort. Be warned: it will take several attempts to keep it all up, but so worth it once you’re inside!
• Flex those green fingers. Sow some seeds and watch them grow together! Begin with seedlings on the windowsill and watch them grow before moving them into window pots or even the garden. If you’re not green fingered, begin with something easy like sunflowers or sweet peas.
• Have a games night. You could learn a new board or card game, choose a video game to play, or even try a family poker night.

Websites to help support your child's wellbeing