The coronavirus lockdown has been a difficult and stressful time for everyone. Here at Licketyspit, we’re doing everything we can to support families in our Children & Families Network and beyond to use our rich imaginations, creativity and empathy to get through this time.

Although many schools and nurseries have re-opened, we’re all still experiencing restrictions to our normal lives, which can affect our mental wellbeing. The most important thing at the moment is to look after ourselves and each other. Playing is a brilliant way to relax and feel like ourselves again – and we’ve been encouraging and supporting this in all the ways you can see below! Remember, in our imaginations, we can be anyone, do anything, go anywhere!

This is the inspiration, then there’s loads we can still do together even if we can’t be in the same space. And on our own, offline, too. Reading, writing, making, dancing, singing, drawing, and especially, PLAYING!

What we’re doing during the lockdown…

⭐Big Porridge and Play – Online!
At the start of lockdown, we took our imaginative play sessions online. In specific locations across Glasgow we offer weekly community sessions, which are smaller and there is more of a chance to chat to us. Then every Saturday morning, we offer an open session which anyone is welcome to join! Email Ruby on cfn@licketyspit.com or call 07413 800 342 to join.

⭐Lickety Playcard games and songs 
The Lickety Playcards are a series of colourfully illustrated A5 cards giving families ideas for a range of games and songs to use during play, from the Funky Chicken to Grandma, Grandma. They’re great for acting as a springboard for children to make up performances, stories, songs, poems or characters. We’ve got some to offer for free to eligible families – find out more.

⭐Digital tablets for refugees, migrants or asylum seeker families to join Big Porridge & Play Online
We know not everyone can get online as easily as they would like to, and we have been campaigning and working with other organisations to try and change this. Everyone has the right to equal digital access, and it is more important than ever that we can all get online. And so, we were thrilled to receive funding to supply a number of tablets, SIM cards and data to families who wanted to join our Big Porridge & Play online sessions, but who had obstacles to internet access. If you’d like to join and think you may be eligible, please get in touch with Ruby at cfn@licketyspit.com or 07413 800 342. Read more about our tablets funding. 

⭐Tell us what you want!
Most importantly, Licketyspit wants to support you, so please tell us what you would like. More stories, songs, live sessions, craft ideas, recipes? Our survey can also be found below.

We’ve made some videos to help explain the Coronavirus Lockdown situation to children. They include lots of fun ideas and demonstrations of ways to play at home too!

Children’s Voices: Over To You!

Over To You! Across the lockdown, we’ve also been asking members of our Children and Families Network to share the creative and imaginative things they’ve got up to. Below are just some of the wonderful responses we’ve been sent in! We’ve been overwhelmed by the inventiveness and resilience shown by the children as they played, created and imagined at home 🥰  🎉 🎈

We’ve received:

⭐  creative responses to the difficult situation, such as poems and drawings
⭐  arts, crafts and videos inspired by our series of Activity Films
⭐  drawings inspired by the adventures we have during our Big Porridge and Play Online sessions

If you’d like to send your own photo or video, or if you’d like to join the Children and Families Network, please email cfn@licketyspit.com.

We loved this fantastic acrostic poem, sent in by Emmanuel and Boetemma (mum). It’s so inventive! And we were very happy to have a poem written about all the things we do at Licketyspit! 🥰

Find more in…

Cooking with Taz

Exploring with Jack

Making with Iona

Erin’s Lockdown Poem

Lickety Leader Erin (7) sent us this poem, inspired by the lockdown. With all the discussion between adults about schools opening, it’s been important that we hear the voices of children too!

One of our Lickety Leaders, Ethan, wrote us this poem sharing his thoughts about the lockdown. It’s so important to listen to what children are telling us! ❤️

Zainab, Taiwe and Ope explain what ‘hospitality’ means to them

Our Lickety Playcards are a selection of colourfully illustrated A5 cards containing a carefully-selected, tried-and-tested collection of games, rhymes, songs and imaginary play activities. They’re also brilliant for acting as a springboard for all sorts of other creative things – drawing, writing, group stories, songs, and, as Zainab (15), Taiwo (12) and Ope (9) have demonstrated, making up new performances! Thank you! 👏 👏. 👏

Licketyspit Digital Survey

At Licketyspit, we know not everyone has equal access to digital devices like laptops, iPads and smartphones, and not everyone has the same access to Wifi or data at home. This is more important than ever when so much more is happening online while we can’t go out as much at the moment. We’ve been making some videos, trying out live online play sessions, releasing audio stories – but we’d love to know what you like the most, how you use the internet and what platforms you would prefer to use to engage with the Children & Families Network and our online activities.

Thank you VERY MUCH for answering these questions!

A ‘Have Your Say Through Play’ consultation

Have Your Say Through Play Consultation

A thank you to participants from the Scottish Government