Children love imaginative play, and the upcoming Coronation provides many opportunities to incorporate imaginative ideas fit for royalty into play, so why not combine the two?
Read on to discover seven ideas for imaginative play to engage your little ones in creative, social play and get them Coronation-ready!
1) Water Play Tea Party
As the weather is warming up, getting out in the garden and engaging in tea party water play makes for an ideal Coronation celebration activity.
Set up a water activity table with teapots, teacups and teabags. Children can pour the water into the cups and have a pretend tea party. You can enhance the sensory play by adding other elements, such as flower petals, food colouring or bubbles, to the water for a royal sensory tea party like no other.
Sensory play can help your little ones develop their fine and gross motor skills as they hold teacups, pour from teapots and pass plates to their friends as they play.
Another fun water play activity for royal knights would be to fill water balloons with water and have a royal water battle! This is a great way to cool down on a hot day and keep the kids entertained for hours.
2) Bouncy Castle Party
A bouncy castle is a fantastic way to get children moving and having fun. Why not choose a 13 in 1 Happy Hop Bouncy Castle for a Coronation-themed kids’ party? The castle-shaped inflatable is the perfect garden toy to let your little kings and queens let off some steam and enjoy healthy active play to mark the occasion in style!
3) Castle Building Competition
Building blocks are an excellent way to engage in imaginative play, and a castle-building competition is perfect for a coronation-themed game for kids.
Select one child to be the king or queen and divide the rest into teams. Give each team a set of building blocks and thirty minutes to make their most imaginative castle design come to life. Encourage children to work together in groups to create the most impressive castle.
Children can bring their architectural creations to life and unleash their imaginations with this task by adding details like moats, drawbridges, and turrets. The sky’s the limit!
Once the time is up, the monarch can choose their favourite castle based on design, features, and fun!
Another way to carry out this building competition is to replace building blocks with cardboard boxes and other recyclable materials. With cardboard boxes, there’s even the option to decorate and paint the castle to add flair to the finished design!
This activity promotes active social play and the development of key skills such as turn-taking, team building and creativity, so everyone’s a winner!
4) Royal Fancy Dress
Coronation play wouldn’t be complete without royal fancy dress. Encourage children to dress in their finest regal attire, whether a princess dress, knight costume or even a king or queen’s robe. You could incorporate sensory elements into the fancy dress by adding fabrics with different textures, such as silk or velvet for added sensory play.
A swing also doubles as a fantastic garden throne, so kids can take turns playing kings or queens and being pushed by their loyal subjects on the swing.
5) Royal Feast
A feast fit for a king! A mud pie kitchen is a great way to incorporate sensory play into a coronation-themed weekend of imaginative play.
Plum Discovery Mud Pie Kitchens have everything your little ones need to prepare a royal banquet. The kit includes bowls for foraging, utensils for stirring, and an easy-cleaning painting screen to draw up the menu.
Little ones can mix and mould mud and water to create their own mud pies and pretend to be chefs in a royal kitchen. You can also add some natural ingredients to the mud pies, such as herbs or flowers, to make them more lavish for the special occasion.
Children can use their imagination to create their own mud pie recipes and serve them to their royal guests.
6) Royal Ball
Create the perfect atmosphere for a kids’ royal ball to remember, in your back garden!
- Decorate the garden: You can add outdoor lights to your space for a magical dancefloor feel. Why not add hanging decorations like paperchains to trees to add extra embellishment to the proceedings?
- Prepare the music: Gather a playlist of your child’s favourite songs. This will give them something to dance to all day long.
- Set the stage: A trampoline is a great way to get children moving and makes the ideal stage. Children can bounce around on the trampoline and have a royally good time as they dance away.
The Plum 4.5ft Interactive Lights Junior Trampoline and Enclosure has everything your little one needs to feel like royalty!
The Plum trampoline has interactive, multi-coloured lights around the top. These lights flash in time with the beats of your children’s favourite songs. As your kids jump, the lights will move with them, creating a royal ball atmosphere, all thanks to the built-in audio sensor.
7) Crafts Fit for Kings and Queens
Arts and crafts are always a big hit with kids, and the Coronation is the perfect time for your children to participate in some royal-themed crafts!
Crafting a crown fit for the King is a fun activity that will get your kids Coronation-ready. Let their creativity run free!
How to Create
1] Download your crown template here, print it on card or paper, and start the fun!
2] Draw, paint, collage, and stamp till your little ones are happy with their crown design.
3] Stick the crown together using the tabs and some tape.
By creating their very own crown, your little ones can enter our #CraftACrown competition to win a £20 gift voucher. Take a look here for all the details. Happy crafting!
Combining the Coronation and imaginative play is a fantastic way to inspire children’s creativity and let them express themselves. From a bouncy castle party to our #CraftACrown competition, there are plenty of activities that are fit for royalty and will provide hours of entertainment.
These imaginative play ideas for preschoolers and older children are bound to spark imaginations, and they’re also great for developing sensory skills, promoting socialisation, and encouraging role play. So next time you’re planning a party or looking for some play ideas for kids, consider incorporating some of these Coronation-themed ideas for an unforgettable experience sure to gain the royal seal of approval from the kids!
