When parents are dealt the double whammy of the half-term break keeping the children off school and the rain keeping them inside, it’s time to get creative with ways to fill your little one's days.
Rather than turn on the television, or allow endless iPad time, here are 10 ideas that encourage children to put on their thinking caps while enjoying competitions and challenges, all in the comfort of their own home.
1. Weave through a laser maze
One of the simplest indoor activities to create lets little ones channel their inner spy. All you need is string or wool (crepe paper works well, too) and masking tape.
Best played in a corridor or hallway, cut lengths of string to fit across the hallway and stick the ends of the string to the opposite walls. This creates a laser maze that children have to carefully work their way through.
Stick the strings high, low and close together, so they have to bend, stretch and even crawl to get through the maze without touching any.
2. Go on an indoor treasure hunt
Parents can hide one item or a few pieces around the house and let the children loose to go off and find them – and don't make it easy.
Join in the hunt by going around the house with little ones and saying “hot” or “cold” when they move closer to or farther from the items, or create a treasure map, where X marks the spot.
Alternatively, don’t give them any clues at all and turn it into a competition as to who can find the item first.
3. Create a living room obstacle course
When little ones are stuck inside for long periods, all that energy still has to go somewhere. An indoor obstacle course will not only bring out their creative side, but also expend some of that vigour.
Enlist the children to help design the course, which can be put together in the main family areas of the house or weaved in and out of the children’s bedrooms.
Use chair cushions, pillows and poufs to create places to step and jump to, and toys such as skipping ropes, hula hoops and sports training cones to add in some tricky manoeuvres.
4. Host the balloon Olympics
The last thing any parent wants inside the house is balls being kicked or thrown about, putting the photo frames and china at risk.
Balloons make a great alternative to balls and can be used for a variety of modified indoor sports.
Blown-up balloons can be batted over the sofa (which serves as a net) using badminton rackets or hands for a game of indoor tennis.
Balloon hockey is another low impact option. Use boxes or laundry baskets as goals at either end of the room and wooden spoons or spatulas as sticks to try and knock the balloon into the opposition goal.
5. Recycling creativity
Dig out the boxes, tubes and containers from the recycling box and get creative at the kitchen table.
Find plenty of ideas online with step-by-step guides to create easy and fun things that are creative and useful.
All you need is a pair of scissors and some tape and glue to transform everyday items and give them a new lease of life. For instance, put together a fun jetpack using empty bottles, a pizza box and bottle tops to create a Nasa-worthy accessory for budding astronauts; or build a cereal box aquarium for younger children who will enjoy getting creative designing the tropical fish to go inside.
6. Learn a dance routine
There are thousands of dance routines on YouTube to suit all ages and levels.
Choreographed dances that recreate some of the moves from their favourite films are popular, as well as hip-hop classes designed to engage little ones and get them moving.
Trained teachers put together dances to popular songs – Justin Timberlake’s song from Trolls, Can’t Stop The Feeling is a favourite – with videos that break down the steps for even the youngest children to enjoy.
Remember to have a final show performance of the dance.
7. Send children on a colour hunt
This activity is better suited to younger and preschool children.
Put together a list of colours, and then ask them to go around the house and find five items in that colour.
Give them a bag or basket to put their items in and encourage them to find the strangest objects they can.
8. Have a paper aeroplane contest
Give everyone the same materials, watch a few instructional videos and let them loose to design, fold and craft their own paper aeroplane.
Children should also paint and decorate their craft before holding a competition to see whose plane flies the farthest.
Put masking tape on the ground to mark where each plane lands, and host a few rounds. Don’t forget the prizes!
9. Build a Rube Goldberg machine
American cartoonist, engineer, and inventor Rube Goldberg’s cartoons of complicated gadgets sparked an ongoing global quest to design a Rube Goldberg machine in real life.
Perfect for older children, the idea is to come up with the most complicated way of performing a simple task.
Gather together items found around the house and in the toybox, such as Lego, construction toys, dominoes, marbles, string, cardboard, magnets, balloons, pipe cleaners and more, then go online to @RubeGoldbergTV and be inspired by thousands of machines you can build at home without the need for batteries.
10. Make a movie
With plenty of moviemaking and special effects apps available to download, task your children with making a movie.
They have to come up with the plot, script and characters, and can enlist all family members to star in it.
When it's finished, host a screening of the film, and don’t forget the popcorn.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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SPECS
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
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