Plan A Fun-Packed Morning Of Activities For KS1 Kids

Wondering how to start your day in a positive way and make sure your KS1 kids aren't bored at home? We've built a timetable for weekday mornings from 9am-12pm. The schedule is fairly loose so feel free to mix and match and move things to the afternoon if you don't have time, but it's a good basis for some at-home structure. We've covered reception age to year 2 but of course, older children can get involved in the activities too. With our simple guide, your kids will be entertained, educated and energised, so read on for minimum effort and maximum fun!

Stay Active With Go Noodle

Start your week with an early morning workout in the form of a high-energy virtual dance class. Watch one of Go Noodle's upbeat dance videos like Jump! or Roar and see if you can learn the dances off by heart! You might need to watch them a few times but you'll be a dancing pro in no time.

Build A Time Capsule

This period of time will definitely go in the history books, so why not record your personal memories with a time capsule? Collect your keepsakes from around the house and use our time capsule checklist to make sure you've got all the essential items in there. Remember to hide the capsule away when you're finished and open it sometime in the future!

Become A Scientist With Maddie Moate

Maddie Moate from Do You Know on CBeebies and Greg Foot, a BBC science journalist, join forces every day at 11am for Let's Go Live, a kid-friendly science lesson using materials you already have at home. Every week has a different theme - so far there's been 'Garden Week', 'Brilliant Bodies' and 'Mission Space'. Maddie and Greg's channel is great for teaching year 1 and 2 children science based loosely on the curriculum, but older years would find it useful too. You can expect outdoor activities, fun facts, quizzes, games and loads of crafts to keep little hands busy in your makeshift classroom.

Make A Volcano

While you're in a science mood, what better activity is there than making a volcano? Mould clay around an empty plastic water bottle in the shape of a volcano and then set it on a tray or plastic container. Add a couple of tablespoons of washing up liquid, two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda and one tablespoon of red or orange food colouring into the bottle. When you're ready for the big finale, add a splash of vinegar to the bottle and watch in amazement as it erupts! If you've got older kids as well, why not explain how Earth's volcanoes formed, billions of years ago?

Dance With Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse

Kick off your Tuesday with a Strictly brilliant dance session from Oti Mabuse and Marius Lepure. If you want to join in live, they stream a half-hour dance class every day at 11.30am, but don't worry if you miss it as each class is available on Oti's YouTube channel afterwards. Every day follows a different theme, from Frozen to Harry Potter and everything in between!

Make A Terrarium

Bring some of the outdoors inside with a DIY terrarium. All you need is a clear glass or plastic bowl, jar or other container and bits and bobs from the garden. First, line your container with rocks and pebbles, then add whatever you want on top of that to your mini greenhouse, whether it's leaves, flowers, twigs or anything else you can find.

Play Karate Cats

If you want to keep up your education while the kids are at home, one brilliant resource is the Karate Cats game on the BBC website. You'll be karate chopping your way to a better knowledge of all things grammar and spelling. Your goal is to collect as many treats to swap for cats as possible with every correct answer, so that by the time to make it past all the levels you end up with a black belt and loads of cats!

Make A Rainbow Mosaic

Collect any old magazines you've got lying about, and some cardboard and colourful packing from the recycling. Cut out separate colours from your haul and separate them into the colours of the rainbow when you've got enough tiny pieces. Cut out a big rainbow shape from one piece of cardboard and glue all your colours on to make a vibrant rainbow mosaic.

Practise Your Football

Kick off your Wednesday with a virtual football training session from Footiecoach Georgiou. This dedicated dad puts together coaching sessions every week for his own under 8 and 9 teams but everyone is welcome to join in! With a new video every Wednesday, this will be enough to keep your footie fans satisfied until they get the chance to be out on the pitch later on in the year.

Download Activity Packs

Check out the Activity Village for all your crafty needs. Their website is super easy to follow, so you can filter by season, topic (like dinosaurs or rainbows) and type (bunting, clay modelling, costumes and so many more). Most crafts are quick and easy, and you can use what you've got lying around your house. You'll find plenty of free activity packs but there's also the option to become a paying member if you want more resources.

Play Shops

Now more than ever our kids might have a new idea of what a hero looks like, and one of them is our brilliant shop workers! Why not play shops and practise your maths skills while you're at it? Collect things to 'sell' in your supermarket and set them up in your at-home supermarket. Give everything price tags and let your family walk around the pick up things they need. When they're ready to pay, use real coins and practise addition and subtraction so that they get the right change.

Listen To An Audiobook

There are loads of free books available online from audiobook platform Audible at the moment. From fairytale classics and historical fiction to magic schools to mischievous school antics, browse the selection and find a new favourite. If your kids aren't too confident with reading, audiobooks are a great way to get them immersed in the world of storytelling with less pressure

PE with The Body Coach

Racking up millions of live viewers every day, Joe Wicks has been leading the country's families into fitness since the first day of lockdown with his half-hour YouTube live streams every weekday. Get your energy levels up and kickstart your morning with a brilliant kid-friendly workout!

Make Your Own Playdough

Playing with playdough never gets old, and making your own is super fun and easy! Combine 8 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp salt and set aside. In a small bowl mix 60ml warm water, 1 tbsp odourless oil and a few drops of food colouring. Pour this liquid into the first bowl and mix together with a spoon. Sprinkle flour on the kitchen counter and then lay the dough onto it before you knead it into a playdough consistency.

Make A Funfair Ring Toss

Cut ring shapes out of 10-15 paper plates in various sizes. Tape a kitchen roll tube onto the floor or other surface and use your best hand-eye coordination skills to try and throw your rings onto the tube. Why not set a timer for 30 seconds and see how many rings you can loop onto the tube in that time?

Play Toy Theater Games

Head online to Toy Theater, a website filled with tons of interactive games for Year 1 to Year 4 - the website is American so that's Kindergarten to 3rd Grade. You can practise your counting, learn your times tables, play word scramble games and loads more.

Do Yoga As A Family

If you're looking for morning activities KS1 kids can do, this is perfect! Start your day slow with an early morning mindfulness session of child-friendly yoga. All you need is space to move around and access to the Internet. There are loads of online resources for yoga, but one of our favourites is Cosmic Kids Yoga. Pick your favourite story or choose a theme, whether that's Frozen, Room on the Broom or yoga to relieve stress, and start your day right!

Make Snow Paint

Crafty kids will love this super simple activity. Mix 1/2 cup PVA glue and 1/2 cup shaving foam in a bowl and add glitter. Keep stirring until it's all combined and there you have it, your glittery puffy snow paint is ready! Why not use it to paint a scene from Frozen or Ice Age?

Go On A Pirate Treasure Hunt

This educational game is swashbuckling fun. All you have to do is complete eight word-themed challenges in order to help Pirate Jack find the buried treasure. You'll win different items after each challenge to help you along the way. It's a great, interactive way to improve vocabulary and spelling while still being loads of fun.

Write Letters

You might be missing family and friends right now, so why not end your week by writing to them? Get the creative juices flowing and make a special card and then write a personalised message inside. If you know any key workers, you could write them a thank you letter too. If you've got stamps, drop it in a postbox the next time you're on your daily walk. Who knows, maybe you'll receive one in return!