FOR ALL AGES
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
If a stranger were to step into your living room, would they be able to tell that you have small kids? Almost certainly. We all leave piles of toys and books lying around, and you’ve probably got photos of them all over the walls. But what are the subtler clues that the house is inhabited by little people? Well, here are 17 to start with...
1. A stash of pipe cleaners. An estimated (by me) 99.95% of pipe cleaner sales are for children’s craft projects and not for cleaning pipes.
2. Nobbly rubber things on the corners or cabinets and tables.
3. A small plastic item whose origins are hotly debated. Did it come with a magazine? Was it part of that cheap construction set from Aunt Flo? What is it?
4. A partly deflated balloon, upon which someone has drawn a smudged face.
5. A tiny vase on the mantelpiece contains one wilted daisy and yellowing water.
6. A dog-eared craft project that has exceeded its useful life, but remains too precious to throw away. Your lounge is a kind of limbo for such objects.
7. A rogue crayon. Science has proven that you are never more than two feet from a misplaced colouring pencil, when in a home with small children.
8. A rolling cavalcade of seasonal decorations. Most households will put up something for festivals like Christmas or Hanukkah, but only a house with small children will be in a near-constant state of decoration. Spring bunting, Easter paraphernalia, Autumn wreaths, Halloween spooky stuff, winter icicles and paper snowflakes… this show just keeps rolling.
9. A remote control augmented with at least three unrelated sticky substances.
10. A discarded shirt or vest decorated with bean stains.
11. A cookie cutter, for some reason.
12. A toy dinosaur. I refuse to believe that there is a single family living room that doesn’t contain at least one toy dino. The terrible lizards didn’t go extinct, they reconquered our lounges.
13. A jigsaw, 75% complete before its inevitable abandonment for the latest episode of Peppa Pig.
14. A small, odorless puddle of mysterious origin. It’s probably just water, you delude yourself.
15. At least one week-old cereal hoop. These tend to inhabit the floor at the edgelands of the sofa and bookcase for some reason.
16. Your coffee table and part of the sofa are hidden beneath a complex canopy of sheets, blankets and pillow cases.
17. A dozen additional things you know you’re going to have to clean up later.
11 Items you’ll only recognise if you have kids
8 Reasons you’re late leaving the house… again
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
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