Inspired by Wilson
Wilson is 2 and a half with Cerebral Palsy meaning he can’t sit up or walk, his big sister is 3 and a half with no disability and I’m always trying to think up activities for them both to do together! I’ve listed a few things below that we do which might be helpful, especially during the school holidays!
#1. Baking
This is my go to activity when it’s a rainy day! I always try and keep things in the cupboard ready for days when we are stuck in the house, even if it’s just one of those box mixes, it’s something they can both do together. A good one is crispie cakes! All you need is melted chocolate and rice crispies. 😁 It gets messy and most of the mix ends up in Wilson’s hair, but they both have fun and let’s face it, who doesn’t love to taste some cake they made themselves?
#2. Pretend play
This could mean anything pretend! It’s so good for children of all ages and abilities to learn through using their imagination. Some of the things we like to do are playing cafés, Wilson pretends to take my order and Ava makes my food in the kitchen. Or we pretend we are animals in a zoo, you’ll feel a bit silly at first 😂 but it’s good fun! Wilson likes to pretend he’s a lion. 🦁 We also pretend that we are going to the shops or going on our holidays and we pack bags! There’s so many things you can pretend to do at home!
#3. Go to the park
Your local park might not be very accessible, ours isn’t that great but I still always find something to do! Even if it’s chasing Ava with Wilson in his pram, he finds it hilarious (and it’s good exercise for me- ha ha!) We also pick leaves and feel the different textures and smell the different smells!
#4. Do a singing contest
Everyone loves a bit of competition! If your child can’t talk/sing you could maybe do a dance instead and play some music. I personally feel that nursery rhymes, singing, dancing and all music in general is good for everyone. Play the right song and your mood can be instantly uplifted. 🙂
#5. Let them help you!
Children love to think they are helping (some of the time anyway!) Ava and Wilson both get excited when I ask them if they want to help me do the dishes or making the dinner, general tidying they don’t find fun, but something that they don’t often do can be exciting for them (as crazy as it sounds!) I put Wilson in his standing frame, which has a bowl in it to help me do the dishes. I fill it with warm soapy water and give him a couple of plastic spoons and a cup to wash for me while Ava stands up on a chair next to the sink helping. Be warned – your kitchen will be covered in water! For dinner maybe do homemade pizzas one night and let them put on their own toppings, they’ll love it. My daughter is incredibly fussy and never eats the end product but loves to help make it so this is something you could do even if your child won’t eat it.
#6. Make a card for someone
Just to say hello! Both Ava and Wilson love getting the pens and glue and all the crafty stuff out to make cards, even if it’s just for their daddy coming home! Or if it’s someone’s birthday coming up. I’m sure they would love a personalised card! Cheaper and more fun to do. 🙂
#7. Spend a day somewhere you have never been
Not something you can do every day but it’s always fun to visit somewhere you’ve never been before! I don’t drive so I’m always searching for places I can get to by public transport. I found a good website called "Day out with the kids" to find out what’s on near.
#8. Mess free painting
This is a good one if you don’t like much mess! Buy some large sandwich bags or something similar that can seal, although I put tape round the seal too just to be extra careful none comes out! You can put some paper in and some different colour paints and seal the bag. Let them squish all the paint together (you can even do this without the paper in just for some fun with textures!) Once finished, take the paper out to dry and cut out a shape to make a nice picture 😊
#9. Pretend you’re making a fitness video!
Ok, I know this sounds super silly but it’s a great way to get your child to do some physio! Ava loves helping too. So just be like “right guys! Let’s do some exercise! First put your hands right up and then right down!” You get the idea, try make exercise fun, and I guarantee you’ll have a laugh while doing this one!
#10. Act out some story books
Read a book and while you’re reading you can pretend you’re each a different character and make up a sort of play! Or after reading a book perhaps think of activities you can do around that book such as drawing a picture, or guessing what would happen next or play a memory game to see who remembers what’s happened in the book!
