Boredom be gone: JK Rowling launches Harry Potter at Home to entertain children at home

The initiative features activity kits, crafting videos and free audiobooks to make staying at home a little more magical

You can turn your home into Hogwarts with new activities and creative ideas as part of Harry Potter at Home. IMDb

If staying in with your family is beginning to feel a little bit like a sentence on Azkaban, fresh help is at hand.

JK Rowling has announced the launch of a new initiative as part of her Harry Potter wizarding world, which aims to help parents and teachers keep children entertained while staying home.

Harry Potter at Home is a new digital hub that forms part of the magical franchise, bringing together activity packs, crafting videos, quizzes, puzzles and more to keep young – and older, we don't judge – minds occupied.

Audiobook provider Audible is also offering free downloads of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The book will be available for free in six languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese.

"The whole Wizarding World family is working together to make the hub a truly inspiring place that celebrates reading for pleasure, especially when introducing children to Harry and his friends for the first time," the Harry Potter at Home website says.

"We’ll be updating the activities, quizzes, articles and everything else regularly to create an ever-evolving collection of new resources that are easy for parents, teachers and carers of children to find and access."

Publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic are also part of the new launch, which offers all activities for both Potter newbies and long-time fans free of charge.

Activities already available for download include word searches, crosswords and trivia quizzes.

"During the strange times we now find ourselves in, we want to welcome you back to Hogwarts, where you will find a friendly retreat for you, your family and those you are caring for," the website adds.

Schools around the world, including those in the UAE, are currently closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19, with students continuing their education with distance learning.

British author Rowling previously announced she was easing copyright restrictions on her beloved series, allowing teachers to post videos of themselves reading from the books for students.

The successful wizarding franchise has sold more than 500 million books across the world, and was turned into eight blockbuster movies starring Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.