10 Ways to Entertain Kids During the Holidays
The school holidays can be a blessing or a bind depending on your perspective; for a working parent it can be difficult to take extended leave or to organise quality child-minding for an extensive period of time. However, if you have the time to simply kick back and enjoy your children it could be the perfect opportunity to relax and reconnect with your offspring.
Arranging some new activities is always a great way to avoid any boredom. There are endless different things that you could organise, most of which could turn the holidays into a wonderful adventure for all of you.
Obviously, some activities are more weather reliant than others so I have put together a few really cool ideas to get you started on your adventures, both indoors and out:
- Check out websites and promotional literature for ORGANISED ACTIVITIES in your local area – sometimes there are specific activities set up to keep the kids amused during school breaks. These can range from:
- Arts and crafts days
- Museums
- Sports activities
- Decide on a particular day of the week and make that day a THEME day every week. Everyone has to dress up in an outfit and do activities according to that theme, even meals can be themed. Perhaps a good deal of imagination will be needed but kids generally don’t really lack that!
Here are a few ideas:
- Pirates – Make a pretend boat and don your pirate hat and hand hook.
- Prince and princesses – A castle theme with a tea party and simple games.
- Fairies – Wings and Wands are obligatory.
- Dinosaurs – A jungle with dinosaur races etc.
- Have an old fashioned SPORTS DAY complete with wacky races and little prizes. The following are a few basic suggestions:
- Egg and Spoon
- Sack Race
- Obstacle Race
- Skipping
- Beanbag throwing
- Hopping through hoops.
- Write a PLAY together and then act it out for the wider family members (grandparents etc). It can easily be based on an existing one but with added extras. Making the set, props and costumes could keep you all occupied for days. Soft toys and dolls make great extras. The following are easily organised:
- Peter Pan
- Jack and the beanstalk
- Goldilocks and the three bears
- The owl and the pussycat
- Have a MINI-BEASTS day – you can do a little internet research to find out anything you may find in your area and make up little booklets for the children to fill in. Here are some suggestions of things to include in the booklet:
- Does it fly, swim, run or hop?
- How many legs/wings does it have?
- What colour is it?
- Draw a picture and colour it in.
- Write something about each creature’s habitat.
- Make a DEN and camp out – you can do this inside or out, using an actual tent or just the dining/patio table. If you do this outside you could have a cook-out with home-made pizza or burgers and a real small fire. If you do it inside, have a picnic with mini sandwiches and cakes. Why not actually all sleep in the den and sing camp songs or take it in turns to tell stories before bedtime?
- Spend a day at the BEACH/FOREST/PARKLAND if there is one nearby – Make up an eye-spy chart for things to watch out for:
- Shells
- Pretty or interesting stones
- Molluscs
- Leaves
- Different flowers/trees
- Animals
- Create a FLOWER/VEGETABLE garden if you have space. Even pots on a balcony can work. Buy seeds for fast-growing items or buy a few very small plants to grow on. Decorate the pots or make garden ornaments out of twigs, stones, feathers, etc. to enhance the area.
- Devise a TREASURE HUNT complete with a map and clues. This can take place inside or out and be as simple or as complicated as required by the age group participating. All you need to do is hide some small items, draw a basic map and write some clues. You will be able to find some further instruction here https://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Amazing-Treasure-Hunt-for-Kids
- Have a CRAFT DAY with plenty of different crafts.
- Save up coloured wrappers, buttons, feathers, scraps of fabric and wool
- Visit a craft store and purchase plenty of paints, pens, paper and anything else interesting.
- Alternatively, you could teach your children a craft that you already know how to do, such as crochet or origami.
There are lots and lots of ideas available with just a little searching on the internet. You may find you have a budding artist on your hands.
There are so many different ways to amuse children; many will literally play with a cardboard box rather than an expensive all singing and dancing electronic gadget. The secret to entertaining them and keeping their attention is to plan things that are age appropriate and then do them together. Pretty much anything that you can think of to make the day fun and fulfilling can also double as an educational opportunity without anyone even noticing. Hopefully, you can find some starting points in my list and then build on that. Happy holidays!
