is an initiative to inspire people around the world with creative ideas to play at home by using materials around the house.
✔ for all ages
✔ for all cultures
✔ provide inspiration and empowerment through creativity
✔ support positive feelings
✔ maintain togetherness
✔ we thank designers and creative people from all over the world for their play ideas
✔ initiated by Katja Runge, founder of afilii
Do you want to support our non-profit-initiative with your play idea? Please send us a picture (square) or a video (max. 15 sec.) with a short text to: moc.iilifa@tcatnoc
Enjoy and have fun!
spaghetti tower
What do you need?
Spaghetti, plasticine, fantasy and a feeling for statics.
idea & credit
Mielasiela, Lithuania
balloon ping pong
What do you need?
Empty toilet paper roll, piece of cardboard, tape, scissors, balloon.
You can draw frightening monsters on the racket or cut the cardboard in different shapes. Now tie a rope between two chairs and use it as a net. Or conquer the kitchen table as the ping-pong center court. Or just don’t let the balloon touch the ground.
Let’s go: The smaller the ballon, the faster the game.
idea & credit
Andreas Mikutta, Germany
dance
Dress up & turn on music & dance!
idea
Tara, Germany
painting the song
“How deep is the sea” by Lucio Dalla
It’s no use. There’s no more work. There is no more decorum. God or who for him. He’s trying to divide us. To hurt us. To drown us. How deep is the sea.
idea & credit
Stefano Visconti, ITACAfreelance, Italy
crumpleman
What do you need?
Just one page from a magazine and a deeper look at picture number 2, there you find the manual how to create your crumpleman.
Have fun!
idea & credit
Alfredo Häberli for form 2002
paint a rare animal
What kind of rare animals do you know? Paint or create one.
idea & credit
kakapo.paris, France
walking like an animal
Try out to walk like different animals, such as a frog.
idea & credit
Sarit Shani Hay Studio, Israel
dung heap
Draw the numbers 1 – 20 on a sheet of paper. Choose two different coloured pens with your partner. One person connects the even numbers, one the odd ones. Then it starts. Connect number 1 and 3; the other number 2 and 4. And so on. There is only one rule: Do not cross any other lines. (Tunnels are allowed)
idea & credit
pappka, Germany
a word on the back
Write a word with your finger on the back of your family! It’s for cognitive ability, concentration and fun!
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
write an “elfchen” – a short poem with eleven words
First one word, then 2 words, then 3 words, then 4 words, then 1 word again = 11 words.
You made an “elfchen” (elevenie) – congratulation!
idea
Jos von Hest
credit
afilii, Germany
movements of the day
Write down different movements and do this every time you go through the doors!
• Jump in like a frog!
• Crawl like a snake!
• Turn like a ballet dancer!
• Walk backwards!
• Try headstand! (If you can)
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
paint with ink cartridge
What do you need?
Paper, ink cartridge, scissor, and even better: a black t-shirt and gloves.
It’s for creativity and flow.
idea
Tara, Germany
create and play a punch and judy show
What do you need?
Paper, pen, pasta carton or other kind of carton, scissor, toothpicks, shashlik stick.
idea & credit
homeindustries_halle, Germany
spot the difference in the room
Look closely at how the room looks like.
Everyone goes out and a player changes 5 things in the room… for example, hide something, put something in a different place, open/close the windows.
All other players come back in and look for the differences.
This is for memory and also good for cleaning up the room with fun!
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
detective at home
Take zoomed-in photos at home!
Can your family find the motifs?
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
paint with lines & curves
Let’s paint with lines and curves. How many people, houses, trees, flowers you can paint spontaneously?
idea & credit
Parna Rastgo Iran/Germany
flicking stone
What do you need?
Tea lights, bottle tops, coins or buttons and 2 people.
credit
starex, New Zealand
create a micro & macro cosmos imagination
Create vegetables, fruits, objects, create a table, a sphere of life , a microcosm Circle Sphere.
Have fun and keep smiling.
idea & credit
Dominika Błażek, LABORATORYART, Poland
vegtec – build and taste
Use all your senses for playing. Create constructions, animals and patterns out of vegetables and afterwards have a healthy snack. All you need are some common kitchen tools, fruits and vegetables.
usefull tools apple pitter, cookie cutter, toothpicks, paring knife
usefull vegetables and fruits apple, pear, cucumber, kohlrabi, carrot, kiwi
idea & credit
studio baustein, Germany
creating a maze and letters from dough
Recipe for baking dough
4,5 glass of flour, 4,5 teaspoons of baking powder, 1,5 glass of milk, 150g of warm butter 200°C , 15–20 min
Then decorating with seeds, playing and finally eating.
idea & concept
Agata Potiopa, just blocks, Poland
let’s build your way to school or kindergarten at home
Ask your children: Do you remember the buildings, shops or trees in your school way? Which one was the nearest to school? What did you do there? Let’s build your school way in your room with whatever you have!
idea & credit
Parna Rastgo, Iran/Germany
hide & seek
You just need your home: in- or outdoors
Count to 10 while a family member is hiding. Then you call: I’m coming. In case it takes too long, call: say beep. Communicate the rules: which places/ rooms; no locking of the doors and it should not exceed 3 min.
idea & credit
Casieliving, Germany
diy mobile
What do you need?
Paint mobile on cardboard and cut out, paint and pierce the figures in the specified places. Then connect and balance the individual elements of the mobile with twine.
idea & credit
Atelier LILA Holzdesign GmbH, Germany
diy brush
Collect sticks and make a brush with found objects from the garden or park. For example, an empty bird food net. But also moss, leaves and grasses are suitable as brush hairs. Cut a stick to a suitable length and fix your collection pieces with adhesive tape on the end of the stick. With watercolor you can paint funny patterns, thick and thin stripes.
idea & credit
Kinderkunsthaus Munich, Germany
give live to things
Observe everything around you.
Look at the shape of this simple stone.
What do you see ?
idea & credit
Laurence Dachouffe, happymakers, Belgium
create a collage of your favorite animal
What do you need?
Newspaper or magazine, scissors and glue.
There you go: Draw your animal in pencil. Then cut out strips from your newspaper and stick them on your drawing. Your collage is ready.
idea & credit
Kinderkunsthaus Munich, Germany
little big city
What do you need?
More then 1 person, paper, pencil.
Each player takes on the role of an architect. They must all work together. Fold a drawing sheet into sections (matching the number of budding architects). The sections become the building floor levels.
The first Architect will be responsible for designing the ground floor and the last Architect will be responsible for designing the top of the building.
Starting at the bottom and moving up the building. Once all architects have designed their architectural vision, unfold the detailed design to reveal the completed building.
idea & credit
Jason Dobbs, sofunsowhatplay, New Zealand
write your friends with secret letters
What do you need?
Paper, pen.
Make your own secret letters and write your friends you miss!
…or you can use my secret letters!
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
alphabet from home
How to play it
Find a digital camera or a smartphone with camera. Look around your living space and try to photograph shapes that look like the letters of the alphabet! You can do 9 letters to make a shorter challenge, or all letters from A to Z for a longer activity. Use your imagination!
optional
Assemble all the photos to make an alphabet poster for print, or to share digitally. If you want to share it on Instagram, you can hashtag #alphabetfromhome to see others.
idea & credit
Mister Alphabet, US
make a leporello picture book
What do you need?
Paper, scissors, glue or tape, crayon.
Cut a paper in half and glue or tape it together.
Draw a crazy line from one end to the other end of the paper.
Fold the paper and make a leporello.
Let be inspired by the line and make your own picture book!
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
jump
Hops, jumps, bounces and raves in high spirits.
Who manages the highest jump?
Put a few books in the room as obstacles and jump a rally on time.
(But ask your lodgers beforehand if this can be allowed.)
idea & credit
pappka, Germany
tell a short story
What do you need?
A book, or magazine, or newspaper, pen and paper.
Open a book, magazine or newspaper and find a page that is filled with text.
Close your eyes and point your finger anywhere on the page. Open your eyes and write down the word your finger shows.
Do that 5 times.
Make a short story with these 5 words you found!
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
shadows on the wall
What do you need?
Paper, a stick and then…
Let the sun come in your apartment!
idea & credit
Kids’Garret, Italy/Germany
drawing word-chain
Draw something you like!
Next player draws something that starts with the last letter of the first thing.
And it goes on with the same rule!
!!You can’t say what you drew!!
For example: cat → tomato → orange → egg → giraffe → eskimo →…
idea & credit
Akane Katsuragawa, Japan/Germany
build a chair
What do you need?
Just look around in your home or kitchen to find things or boxes or materials…
And if you are at Instagram, you can share your idea with #isolationchair
idea & credit
Max Enrich, Spain
playing, drawing, learning I
Starting to draw a circle and then the sun, a face …
idea & credit
Luca Boscardin, Netherlands
playing, drawing, learning II
Starting to draw a rectangle and then an elephant, a football field…
idea & credit
Luca Boscardin, Netherlands
playing, drawing, learning III
Starting to draw a triangle and then a mountain, a tree…
idea & credit
Luca Boscardin, Netherlands
give shapes to small things
Just look around and imagine… While walking outside what these simple stones could be with a touch of colour!
What do you see ?
idea & credit
Laurence Dachouffe, happymakers, Belgium
tic tac toe
Game for two people aged 4 and up.
What do you need?
A paper, a pen, and 9 bottle tops or coins or buttons.
idea & credit
afilii, Germany
nature framed art
Just take an empty shoe box, collect material outside (twigs, leaves, flowers, pebbles, grass, feathers etc.) and glue them into the box.
idea & credit
Maria Schwebs, France
flying bird
Do you have a fan at home?
Then take the chance to make a flying bird out of plastic waste for your room wall.
idea & credit
Saran Samuel, India
playing, drawing, learning IV
Starting to draw a semicircle and then a car, a bird…
idea & credit
Luca Boscardin, Netherlands
fork tower
Build a tower as high as you can. Or as beautiful as you can. That’s all.
idea & credit
Bram van den Haspe, sunrose.nl, Netherlands
get on the clothespins
What do you need?
Clothespins.
idea & credit
nino kreativ, Germany
spider web at home
What do you need?
Wool or cords.
The children weave a huge network from furniture to furniture. In the end, an entire room is covered with the spider web. Where does the big spider live? If you want to go in, you have to crawl!
idea & credit
mamirocks, Austria
casa di anversa
Following the idea of reuse and turn a cardboard box into a historic playhouse from Antwerp.
The inspiration for the playhouse for children was found in the historic city of Antwerp where the brand ecoBirdy was founded.
idea & credit
ecoBirdy, Belgium
make a finger puppet
What do you need?
Packaging of chocolate or other things, scissors and glue.
idea & credit
playtoyi, Turkey
