Sometimes as parents, we just need five minutes of peace. Never has this been more the case than currently, while we are all trying to stay as sane as we can do while in lockdown with our delightful, highly energetic, and increasingly demanding small people.

So the nation can all breathe a collective sigh while they have a cup of tea, I have put together a cool sanity saving key worker activity for your kids - one that improves fine motor skills, problem solving abilities, and creativity all at the same time. I have some templates for key worker paper dolls, including a coronavirus superhero cape, which your kids can make and then play with, hopefully keeping them entertained for long enough that you can have a bit of well earned me-time.

Materials

I am sharing with you five activity sheets today as part of this activity. There are two plain dolls on one sheet, then two sheets with the scrubs, medical uniforms, masks, and accessories to add to your dolls. In addition, there are two blank sets of scrubs and uniforms so that your children can get creative and make their own designs. Why should scrubs be green or blue? Let’s have rainbows!

To get started on this activity, you don’t need too much equipment at all:

• Scissors,
• Glue (optional),
• Marker pen (optional),
• Colouring pencils or pens (also optional),
• The paper doll templates from this blog post, and a little
• Patience! 
 

How to Make the Key Worker Paper Dolls

1) Cut out both the paper dolls from their single sheet. If your kids are younger, you might have to do this for them. Do be sure that you are supervising them as they will need to be careful with the scissors.

2) Once you have done this, cut out all of the clothes items so you can then assemble them on your paper dolls. If you are doing the blank ones, it is better to colour in your designs before you cut them out, so that if you go over the lines no one will know.

3) Choose one of the dolls - I went for the man - and pick up a medical uniform top and pop it in line over the top of the paper doll, lining it up with the shoulders.

4) Bend the white tabs over the top of the paper doll’s shoulders to hold the top in place.

5) You now have the top for your helper hero medic on. Now do the same to all the other items of clothes that I have provided for you for each of the paper dolls. Starting with the trousers...

6) ...and carrying on until you have added all the clothes to the doll, except the cape, as well as the hair and the mask. Notice there is no nose to the doll, as the mask goes over it. However, if you would prefer your medic without a mask, just add the mouth and the nose yourself to the paper dolls using a marker pen.

7)  Now for the final touches. Put the scrubs and overshoes over the top of the medics’ clothes - just as it happens in real life. For steps 5, 6, and 7 you might want to use glue to keep the clothes attached, but this is up to you. If your children are younger, they may need a little help assembling the doll or applying the glue. 

8) Last, but not least, put the superhero cape over the top of the scrubs, to show just how you feel about our wonderful medics and carers at the moment. After all, they are keeping us going and keeping us all safe.

9) DONE! You have completed your paper doll and are ready to take on the world - or at least your kids can use them to play with. Why not head on over the KiddyCharts, and make the Nightingale Hospital in your next maths lesson?

We do hope you like this activity, and it does indeed give you a few moments to yourself too. Paper dolls were a regular from my childhood, so why not re-introduce them to your kids now? Sometimes simple activities are the absolute best.

If you like this idea, I do have other key worker related activities featured on the KiddyCharts site, so do pop over and take a look. Activities include a free thank you poster for all our key workers, which was designed by my 14-year-old daughter.