The summer holidays are now upon us– two short words that will either fill you with joy, or utter dread. If it’s the latter we know it’s nothing to do with you not wanting to spend time with your little treasures, more simply a case of what on earth do you do with them to keep them entertained whilst school’s closed?
The reality is six weeks is not long; however, it can feel like a lifetime if you’re meandering your way through it and hoping for the best. Not only that, but the pressure can be on to try and fill every day with something fun. It’s even worse when fun seems to cost a fortune.
Check out our *** tips for getting through the next month and a bit without a nervous breakdown, or threat of bankruptcy.
The Six P’s
Proper preparation prevents pretty poor performance (or something like that). As things stand you still have some time to go. You have a few weeks to get your head round what’s about to happen, so why not take the time to investigate any activities that are taking place near you over the coming weeks?
You might be somewhat hostage to the weather, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pencil in a trip to the beach or a picnic in the local park. Neither of these have to cost a fortune, and are definitely an opportunity for some good old fashioned (internet-free) fun.
Check out some crafting activities you can do indoors for when the inevitable rain storm strikes. Buy supplies in now, things like paints, paper, glue and sequins (what child doesn’t love a bit of sparkle?) as a crafty emergency supplies cupboard.
The mystery jar
If planning out an entire schedule for your children’s entertainment just isn’t your bag (and let’s face it, it is a LOT of hard work) then why not create a mystery jar? If your children are old enough ask them to write down six (or more) things they would like to do, from days out to films they might want to watch, books to read or walks they want to go on.
Put all the suggestions in a jar, and each day pull one out. You decide whether that is the activity for the current day or the following day. When you have more than one child this can be a great way of avoiding arguments over who gets to pick what happens next.
Learn to play
The summer holidays can be a great time to reconnect with your kids (assuming you’re not still trying to struggle through a normal working week, of course). Whilst they spend six weeks unwinding, why don’t you join them, and rediscover the joy of playing?
Have a sack race or water fight, build a den or make mud pies in the garden. Even if they’re computer obsessed, why don’t you get involved and ask them to show you their favourite games? There is so much you can do together, and one of the best ways to get them to buy in to it is to have them determine what the activity is.
We would love to hear what you have planned over the summer holidays.
