Skills Challenges

Spring is in the air...it's a great time of year to think of the future.  What would you like to achieve in the coming months? Write down a goal you have and begin to plan how you can reach that goal.  

Think about what will success look like? How will you feel when you reach that goal? What will you need to do to be successful? Who might be able to help you?

Take some time to walk with a member of your household and talk about a time when something has gone wrong for you. Share your thoughts about what happened and how you can prevent the same thing happening again.

Organise a time when you and your household can get together and focus on a jigsaw puzzle, a board or card game. Decide which game you will play and when. Make sure you are all there on time when you have arranged to play.

Extension: Encourage all family members to join in and look for ways to avoid any unhelpful conflicts.

Invite everyone in your household to make a suggestion for an activity you can all do together indoors or outdoors.  Can you manage the discussion so that everyone gets a chance to share their ideas and opinions in a fair way and come up with a way of making a group decision together?

Think about where you would like to be in 10 years time.  What would you like to be doing? Imagine different scenarios and share your ideas with members of your household?  You could write or draw about what you imagine to help you share these ideas.  

Extension: Can you encourage a friend or family member to do the same. Are your ideas similar or totally different?

Consider the problem:  Sometimes, some people can find themselves struggling to get enough sleep.  It might be because they are super busy or because they are worried about something.  It might even be because they are actually over tired.  With a family member see if you can come up with as many different ideas which might be useful to help someone who is feeling very tired at the moment, then chose your top three tips for a good night's sleep.

Tell a friend/family member/teacher what what you have been doing today.

Make sure you go through your day's activities in a logical order so they can understand when you did each thing.  They may want to ask you some questions to find out more - can you give more detail?

Extension: Can you deliver this information as a formal presentation using visual aids to engage the listener?

Sit or lie very still. Listen to the sounds you can hear indoors, or outdoors.  Listen to the noises you can hear close by and far away.  Listen to your own breathing.  Just listen very carefully for as long as you can.  

Extension: Ask a family member to join you to listen carefully too. Talk to each other what you can hear. Summarise what you have both heard.

At home and school, you will encounter challenges as you learn.  What are your top tips for having a positive approach to new challenges?  Can you think of a great way to share these ideas with others? Maybe you could share them with your teacher.

Extension: Set yourself some simple goals to challenge yourself and aim high this term.

Try this mindfulness activity. Choose a natural object - a flower, plant or tree. Take some slow deep breaths and really look at the object. Explore every detail like you've never seen it before and feel yourself relax as you do so. Maintain your concentration on this object for as long as you can.  

Extension: Ask a family member to join you for this mindfulness exercise.

Plan an indoor picnic. Work with members of your household to decide when and where you will have the picnic, what food you will need to prepare and what you will sit on. Make sure everyone has a job.

Organise a family nature hunt. Work together to decide on 5 different types of wildlife or nature you would like to look out for in a garden, local field or park and see how many of them you can spot.

Extension: Think about what you need to organise and who should do which job - someone could create a spotters chart, someone arrange the route, someone else can get some snacks to take.

Look up at the sky. Can you see any birds or planes?

Imagine you can fly. Where would you go and who would you meet? Ask members of your family where in the world they would fly if they could.

Extension: Design a new mode of transport you could use to fly through the sky.

Consider the problem: While in lockdown there are concerns that many of us are spending too much time looking at screens on electronic devices like phones, laptops and televisions.

Think of different solutions to this problem. What might you do to reduce your screen time?

Extension: Explain the problem to someone else and see if together you can come up with lots of different ideas of how to reduce the time spent on an electronic device.

Imagine you are the prime minister and are going to deliver a speech at a press conference about schools reopening.

What would you say? Think carefully about making your points in a logical order and being clear so your audience will understand your message.

Extension: Challenge your family to do the same - would you all say something similar?

Call a friend or family member and ask them how they are doing.  Ask them about any books they have read recently or television programmes they have been watching. Really listen to their answers and ask some follow up questions to show you are interested and understand what they say.

This week, set yourself a new challenge. It might be to learn the rules of a new game, learn how to play a new piece of music, get up (or go to bed) earlier, start a new book by an author you've never read before, reduce your screen time or something else totally different and new!

Think about 3 things you are grateful for today, that brighten your day and make you feel happy. They can be small things or big things.  

Extension: Discuss your choices with members of your household and talk about other things that have brightened their day today too.

With members of your household, plan a route for a walk in your local area. Think about how far everyone can walk, the time you have and what you may need to wear to stay warm and dry.  You may need to come to an agreement on the places you want to pass (the local park, a relatives home to wave hello or even a favourite tree!). Make sure everyone has a chance to share their ideas and agree on a route you are all happy with.

Organise a family quiz.

Choose a theme you know your family will enjoy. Make sure everyone has a job as you prepare for the quiz. You may need someone to set the questions, to ask the questions, to keep scores and to organise snacks. You could invite other friends and family to join in too over the internet.

Extension: Think about everyone's strengths - what job would they be best at?  Manage any disagreements carefully.

As the winter turns to spring, many people will be thinking of ways to brighten up their gardens, window boxes or pots with plants and flowers. Draw, paint or create a model of a garden, a window box or a flower display.  Display your creative work so other people enjoy it too.

Consider the problem: Many people are feeling a bit sad and lonely at the moment as they are unable to visit friends and family during this lockdown.  

Think of some different ways to stay in touch with friends or relatives. How might you cheer them up?

Put on a puppet show.

‍Use toys, hand or finger puppets or create your own sock puppets. You could even create a stage and set. Act out a simple story using the puppets and speak clearly as you take on different characters.

Extension: Perform the show for younger siblings at home or use Zoom to invite younger family or friends to watch.

Learn the lyrics (or words) of a song.

‍Find a song you like on the radio, online or from your family's music collection.

Listen carefully to the lyrics (or words) and see if you can memorise them or write them down by repeating what you hear a section at a time.

Create a daily exercise plan for yourself.

Plan what activities you will do, for how long and when.

Set yourself a goal for each day and for the week ahead.

Build a tower. You can use toy bricks, pebbles, Lego or even a pile of shoes! Build the tower as tall as you can.

When it topples over, start again and see if you can get it even taller than before.

Who in your family can build the tallest tower?

Work with members of your family to design and build a den. Share your ideas and come to a group decision on how you will make it.

The den could be built outside with natural materials or indoors with furniture and blankets.

Take a picture of the finished den from inside looking out and outside looking in!

Set up a simple (and safe) obstacle course at home for members of your family to follow. Explain clearly what each step of the course entails and how long they will have to complete it. Give lots of encouragement and praise when others give it a go!

Design a new board game.

Base the design on Snakes and Ladders, but choose a new theme. Design the board, the pieces and the rules. Show the design to a family member.

Extension: Create the game using materials you have at home. Invite a member of your family to play it with you.

Protect Our Planet. Research climate change and list or mindmap different things you could do at home to help protect our environment. Choose 3 simple things you will do differently as an individual this year to play your part in solving this problem.

Create a Vlog or video diary. Speak clearly as you describe your daily routine. Talk about what you are doing in lockdown and how you feel.

Go outside and listen very carefully. What can you hear? List as many different sounds as you can in 5 minutes.

Extension: Use relevant bird watching apps or websites to identify specific birdsong.

What are your goals for 2021? Talk or write about 3 things you would like to do or to achieve this year. Try to make sure they are a challenge but achievable!

Close your eyes and think of a place that makes you feel calm and happy. Find a photo, draw or paint a picture of this place. Tell others in your home about your happy place. Ask them where their happy place would be.

Cook a meal together with others in your home. Come to an agreement on what you are going to cook, then share jobs out between you. Talk about who is doing what and when. Enjoy celebrating your great teamwork by sharing and eating the final meal together!

Organise a family games tournament. Speak to different members of your household and come to an agreement about which games to play. Decide who will play when and how long you will spend on each game. Try your best to manage any disagreements and encourage others.

Design a new play area for your local park.
Use your imagination to think about some different ideas of what could be in the park.
Draw a picture of your design to share with your family.

Consider the problem: Everyone is having to stay at home at the moment. It is difficult for some people to get much excercise. Can you design an excercise routine for your family? Please make sure it is safe to do indoors or in the garden. It needs to involve some movement to keep fit. It should last no longer than 15 minutes.

Organise a game of 'Who Am I' with your family. Each member of the family writes an agreed number of famous people's names to put in a bowl. Take it in turns to pick a name, describe clearly the person without saying their name and see if your family can guess who it is. You could use a timer to see how many names people can guess in one minute.

Listen to an audio book or a podcast.
Write a review or talk to a family member all about it. Would you recommend it? What was the best part of it?

Set yourself a balancing challenge. You will need to decide what or how you will balance and for how long. It could be standing on one leg, balancing a book on your head or balancing a ball on your nose! Make sure it is a safe challenge, but it needs to be tricky!

Mindfulness exercise...

Watch a sunset or sunrise. Aside from its natural beauty, the sunset is also a great reminder that each and every day offers us a new end and a new beginning. Peacefully enjoy the vibrant colours.

You might take a photo, draw or paint a picture of what you see, or simply just sit and look.

If it is not possible to see the actual sun setting or rising, find some sunset images online to look at and observe the colours and shapes.

This week, create the opportunity for a team activity. Ask friends or family members to work with you. You might complete a puzzle, run a relay race or work on a craft project.

Throughout the activity make sure you are being a good teammate by:

Being positive,
Supporting others,
Contributing to the group,
Resolving conflicts.

Extension: Reflect on the group task. Was it quicker or easier to do with teammates? Did you enjoy working with others?

This week, gather positive stories from the people around you. Talk to friends or family members about how they stay positive. You may want to ask:

When do you have to stay positive?
How do you remind yourself to stay positive when something goes wrong?
What does staying positive mean to you?

This week, we are designing a new city or town. Use your imagination to design:

1. the buildings,
2. the rules or laws,
3. the shops and restaurants,
4. the people who will live there.

Extension: Plan the layout of the city. Where would the buildings and streets be placed? What factors do you need to consider when making your decisions?

This week, think of a problem that our society is facing.

What are the main challenges?
What is preventing this problem from being solved?

Research the problem.
Come up with a possible solution.
Identify the opportunities and challenges.

This week, tell someone about your favourite place. This might be somewhere you went on holiday or a local area near your home.
Write a script or notes to remember what you want to say.
Practise speaking clearly
Use descriptive language
Use body language or gesture to emphasise what you are saying.

Extension: adapt your speech in response to feedback. What went well? How could it be improved?

This week, interview 4 different people on the topic: What do you like about Summer?
These people could be family members, friends or other people in your network.
Ask open questions to give them a chance to share lots of detail.
Record what they say in your own way, e.g. notes, drawings or transcriptions.
Extension: compare their perspectives - what might have brought about these differences in opinion?

Using a learning app or online tutorial, learn to say some basic phrases in a new language.
Listen carefully to the sounds and try to repeat them back accurately.
Extension: can you build this into a short conversation?

Reflect on a time when you have been part of a team.
What was your shared goal?
What job did you take on for the team?
Were there any challenges? How did you overcome these?

Design a Cleaning Rota for your household.
1. Make a list of different rooms or areas that you could help with.
2. Assign each job to a different person in your household.
3. Lead your team to get the cleaning done!

Set yourself a challenge to get better at something artistic.
For example, you might aim to create a new type of art or write a specific type of poem.
Create a plan of how to get better, including who you will ask for advice and what resources you will need.

Mindfulness exercise...
Step 1: get a piece of paper and draw a swirly line, without taking your pencil off the page. Make it as complicated as you like.
Step 2: using different colours, create a pattern by filling in different shapes you have created in your line drawing.
Step 3: if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a shape again to put you back in the right frame of mind.

Imagine you are a fashion designer.
Design 3 different items for a fashion collection with a shared theme.
For example, you could design T-shirts, hats or shoes.
Extension: get feedback on your designs and adapt them to make improvements.

Consider the problem: A local charity wants to raise money to support its work in the community.
1. Do research to find a local charity and understand their mission.
2. Think of 3 ways you could help to raise money.
Extension: put your plan into action and raise money for your local charity.

Prepare a short speech to present to your family.
Suggested topic: I love my home town/city because...
Extension: after giving your speech, ask your audience if they have any questions. Answer the questions as fully as possible.

Listen to someone reviewing a piece of music or film.
For example, you could watch a reaction video on YouTube.
What do they think about the media they are reviewing?
Do you agree with them or have a different opinion?
Extension: are there any potential unconscious biases in their review?

Create a piece of collaborative artwork.
Work with members of your family or virtually with friends.
Have a group discussion to agree on a form (e.g. paint, digital art or sculpture) and theme.
Assign each person a different task to complete.
Work together to make the artwork.

Extension: work together to present the artwork to a group of friends or family.

Check in with a friend or family member who might be finding it difficult in these times.
Find out how they are feeling and share how you are feeling.
Work together to share ideas of how to stay motivated.
Extension: lead a coaching-style conversation to support the other person to reflect on how they could improve their mindset.

Think of a time when you have succeeded at a task or achieved a goal you set for yourself.
1. How did it make you feel?
2. Create a piece of artwork (e.g. drawing, story or poem) to show how you felt when you experienced this success.

Mindfulness exercise...
Step 1: find a space at a window where there are sights to be seen outside.
Step 2: look at everything there is to see - try to notice the colours, the patterns, or the textures.
Step 3: pay attention to movement such as the grass or leaves blowing around in the breeze.
Step 4: Notice the many different shapes.
Step 5: if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a colour or shape again to put you back in the right frame of mind.

Imagine you are an interior designer.
Design 3 different layouts for a room of your choice.
You could even create pictures of what this might look like.
Extension: get feedback on your designs and adapt them to make improvements.

Consider the problem: A popular beach has seen a rise in littering and local wildlife is suffering.
1. Do research to understand more about cases like this elsewhere in the world.
2. Think of 3 ways you could help to solve this problem.
Example: you could put more bins along the beach path.

Set up a video call with someone in your network. For example, a friend or family member who lives in a different household.
Talk for 5 minutes about what you have been doing recently during lockdown.
Try to organise your points into a logical order. For example, you might say events in chronological order.
Extension: how can you make your talk engaging over video call? What things should you think about?

Challenge yourself to listen actively to a topical podcast.
It could be about a news story, your favourite band, a sports team - anything you like.
Then tell someone else what it was about.
Extension: reflect on the perspective taken by the speaker. What is their view on the topic of their speech?

A new restaurant needs help to create a clear brand.

Connect with 3 other people in your network. These might be people at home, or friends who you connect with virtually.

Host a team meeting.

Decide on a name and logo for the restaurant. Can you successfully work together and reach an agreement?

Extension: decide on other, more complicated elements, such as a menu or restaurant layout.

Imagine you are starting your own business.
For example, you might imagine opening a café.
Write a list of jobs that would need to be done to make the business successful.
For example, in a café you would need chefs, cleaners, cashiers and wait staff.
What skills would people need to do these jobs well?
Design a perfect employee for each role.
Extension: who in your network would be good at each job and why?

Set yourself a challenge to learn a new skill, by following an online tutorial.
For example, you might follow a tutorial on YouTube to make a piece of origami art, or follow a kitchen tutorial to learn a new cooking technique.
Extension: get someone in your household to offer constructive criticism on what you have learnt. Use this to develop the skill further.

Create a cartoon strip to show what Staying Positive means to you.
For example, you might feature a story about someone managing their emotions following a setback, or looking on the bright side of a difficult situation.

Design a new brand of cereal.
Success criteria:
- It can be eaten with milk
- It is low in sugar
Create a piece of marketing to advertise your new cereal (e.g. a poster, social media post or TV advert).
Extension: work out how much it would cost to make and decide on a price for your cereal.

Consider the problem: Your local town or city is keen to build a new landmark to celebrate a local hero.
1. Do research to identify someone to celebrate. Why is this person worth celebrating?
2. Use junk modelling to build a miniature statue of this person.
Extension: Write a summary of why you chose this person to celebrate.

Research a recent news story. This could be about a person, event or place.
Prepare an at-home news broadcast to share with your family.
Write a script or notes to remember what you want to say.
Practise speaking clearly and using informative language.

Listen to a new song, paying particular attention to the lyrics (words) in the chorus.
Listen carefully twice and then try to write down the lyrics by singing the song in your head.
Extension: what is the song about? What is the main message behind the song?

Work with other people in your household to build a model of a local landmark.
1. Agree on a landmark to build and discuss how you will build it.
2. Divide up the work so everyone has something to do.
3. Build your landmark using junk modelling materials (e.g. yoghurt pots, cereal boxes).
Extension: set yourself a time limit. Halfway through the build, reflect on your progress and reallocate roles.

Ask people in your family about their strengths and talents.
Create a poster to celebrate the strengths and talents in your family.
Extension: Analyse people's strengths, based on your knowledge of them, and add an additional strength per person. Share this with them - do they agree with your analysis?

Set yourself a challenge to help a charity or local cause.
For example, you might aim to raise a certain amount of money, or spread awareness about an important issue.

Extension: think carefully about who you could involve in achieving your plan. Set yourself milestones to ensure you reach your goal.

Reflect on a time when you faced a setback.
For example, you might have been injured during a sports tournament.
Create a poem or piece of art to show how you felt at the time.
Extension: write about how you overcame the setback.

Create a storyboard for the next blockbuster movie.
You might base your ideas on your favourite film/characters, or think of a brand new idea.
Include images and writing to detail the main events in the movie.
Extension: use different creative tools to develop your ideas. For example, you could create a mind map or listening to music as a creative stimulus.

Consider the problem: How can we improve the environment?
1. Research to find out more about this problem.
2. Create 3 solutions.
3. Write or sketch to show how your proposed solutions might help solve the problem.
Extension: write a hypothesis for one of your proposed solutions, including how you would go about testing it.

Connect with someone in your family or wider network.
Agree on a topical article, report or book that you will both read.
Then, spend 30 minutes discussing your perspectives on what you have read.
Extension: choose an area of the topic you disagree on and extend the conversation into a debate.

Challenge yourself to listen actively to someone speaking.
It could be a poem performed by someone else, a news item or an interview.
Then tell someone else what it was about.
Extension: reflect on the perspective taken by the speaker. What is their view on the topic of their speech?

Research a culture that is different from your own.
Create a poster or blog post celebrating what you have learnt.
Your research could cover:
- people and events throughout history
- food, art and popular culture
Extension: explore diversity in your own networks. Do you connect with people whose experiences might be different from your own?

Reflect on something you are talented at. For example, cooking, singing or being super organised.
Create a lesson plan to teach this talent to a younger friend or family member.
Your plan should include:
- a learning objective (what they will have learnt by the end of the lesson)
- a list of activities to do in the lesson.
Extension: build in a reflection opportunity to support the learner to self-assess.

Start a skill exchange with a friend or member of your family.
Choose something you can teach and learn.
For example, you might teach a parent to play a video game, and they might teach you to cook a meal.
Extension: Make a plan for your progress and what you would like to achieve each day/week.

Identify 3 things you are grateful for today, things that have brightened your day.
They can be small things or big things.
Create a poster or piece of artwork to share these positive things with those around you.
Extension: use this as an opportunity to spread positivity throughout your network. For example, you could post your artwork on social media and encourage others to do the same with things they are grateful for.

Think of your favourite movie or story.
Can you come up with a better title or an alternate ending?
Share your ideas through writing, drawing or role play.
Extension: seek out a range of stimuli to inspire your ideas (e.g. pictures or music).

Consider the problem: A local café is currently closed due to social distancing restrictions.
- How could they continue to run their business and make money?
- How might they change the way they serve customers? For example, they might do a home delivery service.
Create a poster to show your solution to this problem.
Extension: Write a business plan including new resources needed, staffing requirements and calculations to show how the café could make a profit.

Imagine you have applied to do your dream job.
What skills would make you good at this job?
What would you need to work on to improve your chances of getting this job in the future?
Ask a family member or friend to interview you, imagining they are an employer looking to hire someone into this role.
How can you speak clearly and use appropriate language, tone and expression to persuade them to hire you?
Extension: ask your interviewer to pose challenging questions. How can you respond positively to challenges?

Choose a new recipe to try with someone in your household.
Ask your partner to act as 'head chef'.
As they read out instructions, listen carefully and try to follow them accurately.
Questions can be asked to clarify but no peeking at pictures or videos.
Extension: interview other people in your household about the meal. Did they like it? Do they have any feedback to improve it?

Working with a family member, can you complete an A-Z Scavenger Hunt of Household items together.
Decide which letter items you are each responsible for to complete the task.  
Extension - challenge a friend/family to compete against you in a 'virtual' competition.  
Who can do it the fastest? You could challenge your teacher/class mates and share your results.

Ring a friend or family member who might be finding it difficult in these times.
Find out how they are feeling and share how you are feeling.
Work together to share ideas of how to stay motivated.
Extension: lead a coaching-style conversation to support the other person to reflect on how they could improve their mindset.

Set yourself a challenge to get more productive around the home.
For example, you might aim to hang out clothes washing in a certain time, or challenge yourself to create a new household rota.

Extension: think carefully about who you could involve in achieving your plan. Set yourself milestones to ensure you reach your goal.

Do something to spread positivity in your local area today.
For example, you could:
- Bake something to leave on your neighbour's doorstep
- Share pictures in your window
- Write a letter to a neighbour
- Create a chalk mural on the pavement outside your home

Choose a messy cupboard or area in your home.
Imagine what it would look like if it was tidier.
Generate ideas for how it could be organised more effectively.
Put your ideas into action and improve the area.
Extension: get different perspectives from other people in your home. How can you use these perspectives to improve your ideas?

Read a story or watch a film.
Pause when a character experiences a problem.
Write and/or draw how you would solve this problem, if you were the character.
Continuing reading or watching: how did the character solve the problem?

Imagine you are campaigning to be your country's leading politician.
How would you make the country a better place to live?
What laws would you introduce?
Create a campaign poster and speech to persuade family members to 'vote' for you.
Extension: ask your audience to pose challenging questions at the end of your speech. How can you respond positively to challenges?

Choose someone in your household, or a friend on the phone, to interview about their dream career.
Prepare by writing a list of questions (e.g. What do you like about your current job? What is your dream career and why?).
During the interview, demonstrate active listening and make a note of their answers.
Extension: interview two people and critically compare their perspectives.

Work with your family to create a meal.
Have a group discussion to decide what you will make.
Assign each person a different role in the kitchen (e.g. chopping vegetables, stirring the sauce, frying the protein).
Work together to make the meal!

Extension: as you eat the meal together, reflect as a group on how well you worked together.

Partner with someone at home or a friend over the phone.
Think about 5 things you each do really well: your strengths.
Share your ideas with one another.
Can you help each other identify a further 5 strengths to add to your own lists?
Complete 3 tasks at home to apply your strengths.

Reflect on your home learning so far.
What have you found easy to do?  
What has been more of a challenge?
Think of at least 4 different ideas which might help keep you motivated to get your home learning work done.
Your ideas could help your class mates with their home learning too - share these with your teacher to share with the rest of the class.

Extension: seek out constructive criticism from a family member or peer. How can they help you improve your approach to home learning?