STAY, PLAY & LEARN AT HOME
TIPS & TRICKS TO BEAT THE BOREDOM
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By Emily McDougall – © U. Games Australia
There’s no sugar coating the fact that COVID-19 is sending us all a little crazy as we face the new challenges of homeschooling, working remote, supermarket hoarding and local toilet paper brawls.
Schools have started transitioning online, and already, parents are seeking support. Can you imagine trying to organise a family of 3 children, all different ages and separated into different areas of the household, into a normal study routine? Sounds impossible right!
On top of that there is also cause to be concerned about the unhealthy effects of spending more time on screens during the day. Whilst being on-screen is essential for homeschooling and staying in virtual contact with friends and family, it is now even more important to limit our recreational screen time activity.
The Guardian (2020) suggests having variety is key! Games and puzzles offer a fantastic unplugged opportunity!
From learning games, games to play solo, puzzles and craft, U. Games Australia have something to keep the whole family entertained during isolation!
LEARNING AT HOME | GAMES TO PLAY SOLO | HAPPILY EVER CRAFTER
LEARNING AT HOME
Keep your preschoolers entertained and complement their at home learning with our First 100 & Wiggles products!
Based on the bestselling book series, First 100 games and puzzles engage children in hands-on learning activities that teach vocabulary, counting, shapes and more. Designed for 2yrs+, these games and puzzles are ideal for improving fine motor skills and supporting early learning.
Check out: First 100 Puzzle Cards – Numbers & First 100 Activity Game.
Watch Mel’s ‘How To Play: First 100 Games & Puzzles’ on UG Studios!
Now, who doesn’t love The Wiggles?
Designed for 3yrs+, make the most of your child’s passion for The Wiggles by boosting their home play with an extensive range of The Wiggles and Emma counting and alphabet floor puzzles, as well as memory card games.
Check Out The Wiggles Alphabet Floor Puzzle & The Wiggles Emma Memory Cards.
First 100 & Wiggles Features: early learning, numbers & alphabet, matching & opposites, shape recognition, cognitive development, motor skills, coordination, memory, patience.
Moving up in the world, we have an even more far-reaching range to entertain our primary school students.
Give your child’s home learning schedule a playful boost with Scholastic: The Brainiac Game. Designed for 6yrs+, the game focuses on five subject areas: Science, Math, Arts, Reading and The World. (SMART). Each card includes 6 questions, numbered 1 to 6, which also indicates the school grade it is written for. With a proprietary levelled-learning approach, kids of different ages and abilities can play together.
A fantastic activity for siblings during a study break!
Scholastic The Brainiac Game Features: curriculum based, STEM principles, general knowledge, teamwork, fast-thinking, problem solving, numeracy & literacy, social skills, educational play.
We may be in lockdown but there’s no limit to bringing the outside indoors with science kits! Incorporate STEM and exploratory play with Wild! Science and National Geographic.
Wild! Science have everything girls and boys want in a science kit and it does NOT look like school! Designed for children 6yrs & 8yrs+, their range includes My First Science Kits, Science Kits for Boys, Science Kits for Girls, Eco Kits and Mega Kits. There is no limit to home play adventure!
Check out My First Solar System Science Kit & Nanoscience Lab.
With National Geographic your child can embark on their own authentic, discovery indoors. Excavate real fossils, gemstones and make glow-in-the-dark slime from the comfort of your own home. In the Glow-In-The-Dark Crystal Lab, each kit includes genuine crystals and in the Dinosaur Dig Kit, dig up authentic dinosaur specimens! Amid much chaos take your children’s mind away from the media, and let them be immersed in the pre-historic era.
Wild! Science & National Geographic Features: STEM principles , astrology & geology, experiment, discover, exploratory play, authentic specimens, build creativity, boost self-confidence.
GAMES TO PLAY SOLO OR IN PAIRS
Now if you’re bearing in mind the impacts of social distancing on game play, never fear! We have a fantastic selection of games you can play solo, in pairs, and within a safe 1.5 metre distance apart #socialdistancing.
Why not challenge yourself with a trivia tin?
A few of our creative tips include:
- Covering the answer to the question with a folded piece of paper;
- Play virtually with your friend via Messenger video, Skype or ZOOM.
Here are our top picks for games to play solo!
Tin Games: In the 5-Second Rule Tinned Game it’s you versus the timer! Make the most of this solo time to perfect your fast-thinking skills!
Also watch Anneka play Smart Ass Tinned Game solo version in ‘Games To Play Solo’ on UG Studios!
Sort It Out: Take this family board game into your own hands and brush up on your general knowledge. This is the trivia game of putting things in order – do you know what’s the biggest, fastest, loudest, smallest, longest? This is the fast-paced game of measurement where knowing just a little bit about something can help you win it all! Challenge yourself or a friend!
Watch Now: Sort It Out – Board Game
Are You Dumber Than a Box of Rocks: In this game, it’s you versus the rocks! Both humans and the rocks have a chance to answer the questions to fun trivia questions ranging all ends of the spectrum, and the answers can only be zero, one or two. If you win – hooray! You’re NOT dumber than a box of rocks. Is it just me or does this game hit the nail on the market for pandemic games? Social distancing, tick! Isolation, also a tick!
Watch Now: Are You Dumber Than a Box of Rocks?
Murder Mystery Puzzles: The jigsaw puzzle industry is about to hit an all-time high, everyone wants a piece of it. The Murder Mystery Puzzle range is much more than your typical jigsaw puzzles, it’s puzzle-plus! Read the case, assemble the puzzle to discover evidence, then uncover clues to solve the mystery. Beware, the box says 12 yrs+…should keep you occupied for a while.
Game & Puzzle Features: tinned games, solo games, puzzles & trivia, fast-thinking, strategy building, unplugged play, general knowledge.
HAPPILY EVERY CRAFTER
‘Sew’ we all know craft makes for one of the best forms of unplugged fun, and the My Studio Girl range closely follows fashion and crafting trends to deliver products that are exciting and fashion forward!
Embellished with bright colours, glitter and sequins, sew-your-own Glitterati Llama pillow! These huggable pillows make for the perfect bedspread feature and travel buddies on any adventure! Collect them all!
Why not decorate your own gorgeous Rainbow Glitter Unicorn with air-dry 3D glitter and colourful air-dry clay! These beautiful creatures are easy-to-make, and come with two figurines for kids to play with.
Happily Ever Crafter Features: sew & decorate, pillows & unicorns, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, dexterity, creativity, self-expression.
FROM ALL OF US AT U. GAMES AUSTRALIA – CONTINUE TO STAY SAFE, PLAY AND LEARN.
Beat the boredom and find our products ONLINE or INSTORE from all good retailers and toy stores: BIG W, Kmart, Target, MYER, David Jones, Spotlight, Kidstuff, Toyworld & MORE! If you would like us to recommend a stockist in your area call 1300 998 150 or email admin@ugames.com.au.
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