Summer Holiday Fun
May 16th, 2019
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The summer holidays can be so much fun, but they do need to be planned well in advance so that your children are kept busy and you can relax, knowing that they are happy and that you can enjoy some fun activities together, creating plenty of happy memories.
There are many different children's activities available that are unfortunately quite expensive and are best kept as extra special treats. Watch out for any special deals and discounted prices which you can and plan to use them as 'the big treat'. A particularly good hunting ground for special offers are the discount websites.
During the summer holidays, your children can carry on learning in a fun way. Buy a scrapbook for each of them and they can create a diary to proudly take into school on the first day of term. They can be as creative as they like and write poems, draw and of course add souvenirs such as bus tickets. You may want to set your children a challenge to learn to swim or to ride their bike without stabilisers and these activities can be built into your weekly timetable – with a small reward if they achieve their goal!
There are many different children's activities available that are unfortunately quite expensive and are best kept as extra special treats. Watch out for any special deals and discounted prices which you can and plan to use them as 'the big treat'. A particularly good hunting ground for special offers are the discount websites.
During the summer holidays, your children can carry on learning in a fun way. Buy a scrapbook for each of them and they can create a diary to proudly take into school on the first day of term. They can be as creative as they like and write poems, draw and of course add souvenirs such as bus tickets. You may want to set your children a challenge to learn to swim or to ride their bike without stabilisers and these activities can be built into your weekly timetable – with a small reward if they achieve their goal!
Often during term time, reading becomes rushed and usually consists of your child's reading homework, why not set aside some reading time, for example, after lunch each day? Children thoroughly enjoy having a story read to them and of course it is the perfect way for you to enjoy all the popular classics including a liberal sprinkling of Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter! For extra fun, you can read outside sitting on a rug in the garden or in the local park.
Get your children to complete simple tasks around the house each morning and explain that this gives you spare time. If you do need some time to complete some work, tell your children that in one hour (maximum time) you will be free to play and you will find any hesitation they had about telling the time will be speedily resolved!
You might well have a budding chef in your midst so why not get them to help you design the weekly menu, explaining in simple terms about nutrition? Most children enjoy cooking so once a week they can help prepare a dish with you. Creating their own pizzas can be fun and even the youngest children can manage this with the ready made pizza bases. Children will spend ages lovingly rolling pastry, but be warned, their idea of a jam tart and yours may be very different!
Get your children to complete simple tasks around the house each morning and explain that this gives you spare time. If you do need some time to complete some work, tell your children that in one hour (maximum time) you will be free to play and you will find any hesitation they had about telling the time will be speedily resolved!
You might well have a budding chef in your midst so why not get them to help you design the weekly menu, explaining in simple terms about nutrition? Most children enjoy cooking so once a week they can help prepare a dish with you. Creating their own pizzas can be fun and even the youngest children can manage this with the ready made pizza bases. Children will spend ages lovingly rolling pastry, but be warned, their idea of a jam tart and yours may be very different!
Craft work is messy but fun and will keep children occupied for ages so why not plan a weekly session and start well in advance collecting scraps of material and coloured foil for some collage work? Another winner is making a pâpier maché pig bank which is done buying building up layers of sticky pâpier maché on a small balloon and when it is totally dry, bursting the balloon inside (There are full directions available online!). There is plenty of laughter when the balloon refuses to be burst with a sharp pin! Corks are cut in half for legs, a curly pipe cleaner added for a tail and a carefully painted body plus slit for pocket money completes a very splendid piggy bank!
If you have a garden or even window boxes where your children can have a go at growing some vegetables, this will prove a winner as there is something very satisfying about picking your own home grown tomato – it will definitely taste extra good! If time isn't on your side, then buy young plants rather than starting with seeds as this will definitely speed
up the process! If you haven't got any space for growing vegetables, mustard and cress on some damp blotting paper is also fun- especially if it is grown in your child's initial!
Talking of food, children love a picnic and taking one to the local park, beach or river will be a popular suggestion. Unfortunately, rain will often threaten to ruin your plans and if this happens, why not enjoy your picnic on a rug in your lounge instead! To make things extra special, you can make a labyrinth to crawl through by pegging sheets together and draping them over cleverly placed chairs and sofas – small children really find this new hidden world exciting! A variation on a theme is to invite some friends and their children to a teddy bears' picnic in your back garden – everybody brings a couple of things to eat and one game – I think the adults definitely have as much fun!
If you have a garden or even window boxes where your children can have a go at growing some vegetables, this will prove a winner as there is something very satisfying about picking your own home grown tomato – it will definitely taste extra good! If time isn't on your side, then buy young plants rather than starting with seeds as this will definitely speed
up the process! If you haven't got any space for growing vegetables, mustard and cress on some damp blotting paper is also fun- especially if it is grown in your child's initial!
Talking of food, children love a picnic and taking one to the local park, beach or river will be a popular suggestion. Unfortunately, rain will often threaten to ruin your plans and if this happens, why not enjoy your picnic on a rug in your lounge instead! To make things extra special, you can make a labyrinth to crawl through by pegging sheets together and draping them over cleverly placed chairs and sofas – small children really find this new hidden world exciting! A variation on a theme is to invite some friends and their children to a teddy bears' picnic in your back garden – everybody brings a couple of things to eat and one game – I think the adults definitely have as much fun!
For older children, camping is a popular activity. If you haven't the time to get away, you can camp in the garden which is as much fun, especially if dinner can be some sausages sizzling on the barbie! If you can spend the night in the tent this will add to fun, but be warned, you will find that your family dog will some how end up with most of the space!
With so many different activities to enjoy with your children, you will find that the weeks fly by and suddenly you will be sorting out school uniform, bags and pencil cases. As they leave for school on the first morning of the autumn term, you will find the house very quiet and the hours dragging and yourself wishing for another school holiday very soon!
With so many different activities to enjoy with your children, you will find that the weeks fly by and suddenly you will be sorting out school uniform, bags and pencil cases. As they leave for school on the first morning of the autumn term, you will find the house very quiet and the hours dragging and yourself wishing for another school holiday very soon!
Angey x
