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No-supplies activities for 5 year olds

The best activity is the one you can start immediately. These need nothing at all — no craft box, no shopping trip, no printing. Just you, your 5 year old, and whatever room you are already standing in. At five, rules start to make sense and finishing something becomes satisfying in itself.

They work well in waiting rooms, on holiday, at a grandparent's house, or on the days when the craft cupboard is empty.

22 activities matched

20 minNothing at all

Match the Lids

A cupboard of containers and lids that do not match. Sort it out.

2y - 7yMess Noise They need to play alone
15 minNothing at all

Colour Hunt Around the House

Name a colour. They run. You sit down.

2y - 7yMess Noise I will set it up, then step back
20 minNothing at all

The Odd Sock Challenge

A real job, done properly, by someone who is four.

3y - 8yMess Noise They need to play alone
30 minNothing at all

The Perfect Stick Hunt

Find the best stick in the park. Just one. It takes ages.

2y - 9yMess Noise I will set it up, then step back
10 minNothing at all

Name That Sound

Close your eyes. What made that noise?

2y - 7yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
10 minNothing at all

Rhyming Chain

Cat, hat, mat, flat. Keep going until you run out.

3y - 8yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
15 minNothing at all

Feely Bag

Reach in, feel one object, and describe it without naming it.

2y - 9yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
40 minNothing at all

Nature Treasure Bag

One bag, one walk, ten things to find.

2y - 10yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
15 minNothing at all

Sort the Laundry

Darks here, lights there, and a two year old who takes it very seriously.

2y - 6yMess Noise I will set it up, then step back
15 minNothing at all

Animal Stretches

Be a cat, a cobra, a tree. Ten minutes of stretching that does not feel like stretching.

3y - 11yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
10 minNothing at all

Beat the Clock Tidy Up

Ten minutes on the timer and everything off the floor.

3y - 12yMess Noise They need to play alone
25 minNothing at all

The Alphabet Game

Find A, then B, then C, on every sign you pass.

4y - 11yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
20 minNothing at all

Cloud Watching

Lie on your back and argue about what the clouds look like.

3y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
15 minNothing at all

Three Word Story

You give three random words. They build a story around them.

4y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
10 minNothing at all

One Leg Balance Challenge

How long can you stand on one leg? Now with your eyes shut.

4y - 12yMess Noise They need to play alone
15 minNothing at all

The Memory Tray

Ten objects on a tray, thirty seconds to look, then one disappears.

4y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
10 minNothing at all

Five Minutes of Absolute Quiet

Everyone silent for five minutes, then say what you heard.

4y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
45 minNothing at all

Family Talent Show

Everyone performs one thing. Badly is fine. Compulsory for adults.

4y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
15 minNothing at all

The Mirror Game

Face each other and copy every movement exactly, in silence.

4y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
15 minNothing at all

Twenty Questions

One of you thinks of something. The other has twenty yes-or-no questions.

5y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
45 minNothing at all

The Never-Ending Story

One story, told in turns, that lasts the whole journey.

5y - 12yMess Noise Yes, I will join in
20 minNothing at all

Secret Kindness Mission

Do one good thing for someone in the house without being caught.

5y - 12yMess Noise They need to play alone

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