I've kept 5m kids entertained with cheap, minimal-mess activities – the best hobby to keep them busy for 3h+ this summer

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

Emma's three children tried the activities and crafts and the 'I'm Bored Jar' was a huge success
SCREEN-FREE FUN I've kept 5m kids entertained with cheap, minimal-mess activities – the best hobby to keep them busy for 3h+ this summer
IN a spin about what to do with the kids this summer? You're not alone.
The six-week break can be stressful, especially when you're low on cash and inspiration.
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Kimberly has kept millions of kids entertained with her crafty ideas
Credit: SUPPLIED
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Emma's children busy crafting
Credit: EMMA LAZENBY
But crafting queen and married mum-of-two Kimberly McLeod, 39, has been throwing lifelines to millions of mess-hating, activity-averse mums for a decade, with fun videos and easy-to-follow print-outs on her @bestideasforkids social media platforms and website.
Based in Toronto, Canada, her five million-strong community of parents, grandparents, teachers and carers love her simple, creative ideas for kids of all ages, attention spans and interests.
She even counts singer Alanis Morissette and Meghan Markle's comedian pal Mindy Kaling as firm followers.
But there's nothing fancy about her content, and therein lies her appeal. Think toilet rolls, washing up liquid, twigs and lolly sticks, and you'll get an idea of how accessible her activities are.
A self-confessed 'mess-hater' with screen-loving kids, this influencer is refreshingly honest about the challenges of entertaining young kids at home.
'It's a constant battle to wrestle kids off the screens', she says. 'And I know crafting can feel overwhelming with the mess-factor and not knowing where to start or what to do.
'But it doesn't have to be messy, and you can begin with a few basic supplies that you probably already have. I think parents just need a bank of ideas, it's as simple as that.
'The best bit though, is that parents get a bit of peace when the kids really get into something, especially in the summer holidays. The schools close for eight weeks here in Canada, so I feel that pain!'
On her rise to mum-preneurship, Kimberly says: 'I liked art at school but I never thought of it as a career, until I did a few crafting activities with my son as a toddler (now aged 11) and posted them on Pinterest. Unbelievably, they went viral.
'When I went back to my Brand Manager job after having my daughter (now aged nine), I was struggling with the juggle, so I took the leap and quit, going all in with Best Ideas for Kids.
'I posted more activities on my socials and things blew up very quickly. People were sharing my content and I soon had this loyal community of followers. It just keeps growing!'
Getting started
Kimberly says: 'To keep things tidy and organised, consider getting a craft trolley. Fill it with a few simple bits like sellotape, acrylic paint, glue, crayons and cardboard to start with.
Kimberley's top activities:
Bouncing bubbles
Cost: A few pence
You will need:
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup of washing up liquid
1 cup warm water
Mix everything in a large bowl and leave overnight to ensure the sugar fully dissolves, making the bubbles stronger and more stretchy so they can bounce. Then, make the accompanying bubble wands, below.
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Emma's son trying the bubble wands out
Credit: EMMA LAZENBY
Bubble wands
Cost: Under £3
Playtime: 1-2 hours
You will need:
1 x pack of pipe cleaners (roughly £3 from Amazon)
Jewellery beads (optional)
Shape the ends of the pipe cleaners into circles or hearts (squares or stars too, but they're trickier) leaving enough length to hold. To stretch the activity out, you can pimp them up by threading beads onto the 'handle'. Then dip into your liquid solution and start blowing bubbles of all shapes and sizes. They'll bounce if you're careful with them!
'I'm Bored' jar
Cost: Under £3
Playtime: Whole morning/afternoon
You will need:
Handful of old or bought ice lolly sticks (pack of coloured sticks available from Amazon)
Empty glass jar
Pens
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Emma's daughter holding her 'bored' jar
Credit: EMMA LAZENBY
Ask the kids to think of at least five things they enjoy doing and then get them to write (or write for them) each activity on a lollipop stick. It could be 'make up a dance routine' or 'build a Lego house'. Pop the sticks into a jar. Every time they're 'bored,' they can dip in and choose an activity. When they're bored with that one, send them back to the jar, and so on.
Leaf printing
Cost: Under £3
Playtime: 1hr 30mins - 2hrs (including scavenging time)
You will need:
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Large sheets of card (or paper)
A collection of leaves
Go outside to gather leaves in different shapes and sizes. Cover the back of your leaf with a generous, even amount of paint. Press firmly onto your card, making sure to rub and press every part of your leaf so the veins on the back of the leaf will make an impression. Freestyle any picture! A rainbow, a leaf person - anything you like.
Nature scavenger hunt
Cost: A few pence (for printing)
Playtime: 1hr - 1hr 30mins
Perfect for getting the kids outside, they can take this sheet to the park or on a walk. You can raise the stakes by making it a challenge - who can tick off the most? Even the little ones are guaranteed to spot a few of the things on the sheet, with simple things like 'moss', 'insect', 'rock' etc.
What do kids think?
Mum-of-three Emma Lazenby put a couple of Kimberly's activities to the test...
With her limited crafting supplies and skills, Emma gathered her kids, aged 11, nine and six and got crafting!
She says: 'I loved the idea of the 'I'm Bored Jar' and ordered a pack of multi-coloured lollipop sticks from Amazon (£1.25 for 50). The kids miraculously engaged with this immediately, scrawling their favourite activities, like 'draw a monster' and 'play a Screwball Scramble tournament'. They kept coming back for more and this filled most of a Saturday afternoon, which was a result!
However, I wish I'd have separated the activities into 'no-help-from-mum-required' and 'mum-needed' jars, as my youngest son's first selection was 'bake a cake', which I hadn't signed up to, but had to do - this being the rules.
Next up, making the bubble solution and wands in fun colours, shapes and sizes. It was all very easy, despite the fear of our solution falling short on bubble size. But we spent a good 45 minutes in the garden as the kids took it in turns to perfect their bubble-blowing while the others chased them, bursting each one before it had the chance to bounce. Obviously!
Egg box garden
Cost: Under £3
Playtime: 1hr - 1hr 30mins
You will need:
6-egg box
Coloured buttons
Coloured card
Green acrylic paint
Ice lolly sticks
Strong glue
1. Cut off the top of the egg carton, paint it green and let it dry.
2. Paint the lolly sticks green (for flower stems) and let them dry.
3. Draw out and cut out 6 flower head shapes (think tulips and classic petal designs) on your coloured card.
4. Glue the buttons to the centre of the petal flowers.
5. Glue the petal flowers to the tops of the lolly sticks.
6. Draw some leaves onto a green sheet of card (or paint a white sheet of card green) and cut them out. Glue the leaves to each flower stem.
7. With a pencil, poke small holes at the top of each egg box cone. Push the flowers into the holes. If they don't stand up on their own, use some glue to keep them in place.
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Kimberly has so many ideas and activities to keep kids entertained and having fun
Credit: SUPPLIED
'Oobleck'-making
Cost: A few pence
Playtime: 45 mins - 1hr
You will need:
2 cups cornflour
1 cup water
Simply mix the water and cornflour together in a bowl until it comes together.
Inspired by kids' favourite Dr Seuss and his book 'Bartholomew and the Oobleck, this doughy mixture is perfect for sensory-seekers and little scientists, making a fun alternative to slime. Oobleck isn't a liquid or a solid, it's a 'non-Newtonian' fluid and shows how changes in pressure can alter materials' properties. Pick up the oobleck with your hands and form a ball. Then let go and watch it melt into your hands like magic!
It will only last a day, so let it dry out overnight and then you can smash it to pieces before you throw it in the bin.