The summer holidays can be long, tiresome and expensive for anybody with children. Six weeks of unpredictable weather with little faces looking to you to entertain them every day. The key is to find activities which are fun but give your youngsters the opportunity to revisit and progress them, giving days of fun from each idea!
1) Grow your own greens. Even if you don’t have a large garden, salad vegetables and beans are perfect for children to start tending and grow as they can be readily planted in pots and left on your garden tables, wall or patios. At the start of the summer holidays, show them how to plant their own ‘allotment’ and teach them the importance of looking after them, watering them and keeping an eye on the weather. They will love returning to them each day and no doubt get great satisfaction from the fresh produce at the end of the holidays.
2) Learn how to skate. Roller-skates can be picked up at boot fairs, online and even on free recycling sites and are a great source of exercise for kids. They will appreciate the time you spend helping them to achieve their first ‘skate’ and it will make both of you smile when they can do it on their own. Once they can skate independently, this gives more chances of days out for the future too.
3) Visit a top local attraction or do an engaging local activity right in your hometown. If you live in a seaside town, when was the last time you visited the seaside, went rock-pooling or ate a donut on the beach? If you live in a city, have you been to the recommended attractions or walked the city walks? Start the day by pretending you are away on holiday and get your kids to look through leaflets and websites to find new places to go and learn how to fall in love your hometown all over again.
4) Get creative and teach the kids to knit, sew, paint, draw or build! Even if you as a person are not particularly arty or creative, most children love the chance to try something new and to have something at the end that they know they have made themselves. There are lots of ‘messy’ ideas too which are great for doing in the garden to save too much clearing up inside; paper mache, collages, mosaics, clay models, finger painting and so many more.
5) Get cooking! Particularly great for those famous rainy days, whether you are baking cakes or making a hearty soup, cooking is a great skill and one that even fewer children are learning these days. Even if you have some very young children, they can still assist with adding finishing touches such as decorations for the icing on your cakes and adding colorful candy sprinkles and yes of course, the eating part as well!