How many of us have not wished we could stay home longer with our children? Now, then, is the time, under these difficult circumstances that we are experiencing, for our wish to come true.

We find our own "Steps of Life", to offer our children a pleasant and creative atmosphere in the family environment. Guided by optimism and patience, and guided by the continued support of our Brave Children and their families, we present some ideas for the creative employment of our little fighters!

Παραμύθια-Θεατρικό Παιχνίδι

The fairy tale has an important place in the lives of preschool children. Children in a pleasant and creative atmosphere can learn new information on various topics. It sparks the imagination, develops creativity and utilizes their potential.
• Read with your children. Tell them one of their favorite fairy tales and then choose the role that each family member wants to play your own play.

• Encourage children to create their own unique fairy tale. They can paint their own fairy tale. Give them a drawing block and tell them to choose a favorite subject or a favorite hero, around which they will create their own story. Each page will be a painting that has something to tell.

• Pretend you are animals: Jump like frogs, walk like penguins, crawl like snakes.

Music

•Choose your favorite children's song and make moves with them that match the words of the song.
• You can hold a cloth (eg a sheet) around it and place a ball in its center. Try to dance and sing together without the ball falling to you.
• You can draw a piece of music you listened to with the child. Children can express their feelings and the images they love.

Making Music Toys

Cultivate the imagination, creativity of children by making musical toys.
• Creation of a rain instrument. In a finished roll of paper we can put a few legumes and close both sides with foil or foil.
• Creating a maracas with a water bottle. Fill the bottle halfway or below with a kind of legume and close the lid
Crafts-Constructions
Preschoolers love crafts and construction
Make constructions with your children with whatever material you have at home (fabrics, buttons, cardboard, ribbons, legumes, glues).
• Flowers: We use spaghetti, legumes, lids, buttons, straws, plates, cardboard and together with the child we create our own original flowers.
• Collage: We create an abstract collage with pieces of paper packaging, newspapers, magazines, etc.
• Jewelry: We make pasta necklaces by passing them on a rope.
• Butterflies: We paint with markers on French coffee filters. When we have completed our design, we swab it with a sponge that we have dipped in water and squeezed. Open the filter and let it dry. In the butterfly that is formed, we catch the middle with a peg and for antennas we can put straws.

• Binoculars for exploration: We all have shutters at home. Get 2 of them. Paint them with the children all over their surface. Glue them lengthwise. Tie a simple rope to the ends to hang the binoculars around the neck. Ready to explore !!
• Make constructions with bricks
• Build a fortress with pillows and sheets. Children love the sense of personal space, in which they set the rules and set up their own stories.
• We take leaves (from trees or flowers) of different shapes and sizes, paint them with tempera and place them on a white paper creating their imprints.

Water games

Children love water… ..
Let them wash their hands or help you wash unbreakable cookware. Their favorite game; Give them a doll or a baby and a sponge and let the babies and dolls bathe in a tub. Create a car wash in a large pan. The easiest way to stay busy.

Games

And the time of the game !!!

• Play Bowling: With empty water bottles or simple plastic colored glasses we can set up a makeshift bowling alley. With a ball the child can aim at the pins-bottles from a distance, achieving perfect coordination of movements.
• Balloon game: We inflate a balloon and throw it at each other. The goal is to keep the balloon from falling to the floor.

• Find the lost treasure: The legumes, rice or pasta we have at home can be a great opportunity for sensory games. Fill an oversized party glass for a contemporary floral arrangement. Invite the children to discover them by looking for them with their hands or a tool.
• Wrap small toys with foil and ask the child to unwrap them.

Puzzle

Puzzles are the perfect activity for all children. They improve memory, develop critical thinking and enhance children's self-confidence and patience. Sit next to your child, and start tying the pieces of the puzzle together. You can also cut a picture from 2 to 9 pieces (depending on the age of the child), mix them and make the picture with him.

Word Games

• Show the children pictures, ask them to tell you the name of the animal or object depicted. Then tell them to find you 3-4 words starting with the same letter.
• Pour flour on a surface or put shaving foam and write letters or words with your finger.
• Fill the bag: Play with the child giving him a sound e.g. "Π" and you have to fill a bag with candies or stickers for every word from "π" that the child will tell you.

Number Games

• Measure the fingers of the hand with the child.
• Measure objects in an image
• Ask the child to give you 5 bricks.
• Cut numbers from magazines and put them in the correct order.
• Paint ice creams. Paint one ball on the first ice cream, two balls on the second ice cream, three balls on the third, etc.

Memory Games

Play memory-enhancing games with your children. Adjust the toy according to the age and preferences of the child.
• Cards with animals: Place 3-4 cards in front of the child. We mention the animal we see on each card. Let the child observe the order of the cards. Then turn the cards over. We then ask the child to remember which animal was on each card.
• Walk to the grocery store: Imagine that we go to the grocery store and fill the cart with fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the game is to buy the things we need but also to remember what the previous players have put. The first says bananas for example, the second repeats bananas and adds something else. The third repeats the 2 previous ones and adds.

Cooking

Have fun cooking with your kids. Make a nice fruit salad by letting them peel the banana. Make a pizza with them, giving them some dough to make. Make their favorite cookie recipe and shape it from the letters of the alphabet, it is both fun and educational. You can do the same with numbers.

We make homemade Sand

You will need 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of some oil (eg corn oil or almond oil). Mix the ingredients and get into the game! The sand has such a beautiful texture that you can give it shapes thus practicing fine mobility.

We make homemade Plasticine

You will need 4 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of salt, mix them. In 4 bowls pour 1 cup of hot water and 1 color of pastry in each. Stir. Pour in each bowl 2 tablespoons of seed oil and after mixing, evenly distribute the mixture with the flour and salt in the 4 bowls. Mix well until it is homogenous and then shape it with your hands.

Gardening

Plant seeds or flowers in pots with your children and decorate your balcony. Explain to them how we take care of the plants.

We wish you good luck, beautiful and creative moments with your children