Collaborative Post
The long six-week (and sometimes more) summer holiday is something that kids look forward to for months before it arrives. Parents, on the other hand, will be in different minds about it. It’s great to have the children around more and spend time with them, but it’s hard to keep them occupied for all that time, especially if you have to work as well.
However, there are a variety of different ways you can make the summer holidays fun, no matter what your budget or timetable. Read on for some advice so you can stop worrying and start looking forward to the break as much as the kids do.
Summer Camp
Something that can really be a boon during the sum holidays is a summer camp. When you send your kids to children’s activity camps, they’ll be occupied at all times. They’ll play games, learn new skills, eat well, exercise, and make new friends. Even the shyest child can’t fail to have fun at such a place, and if you choose a sleepaway camp, you don’t even have to drop them off and pick them up every day.
The benefit of this is that you can focus on your work while the kids are happy elsewhere, having a fantastic time. When they get back, you’ll be up to date with everything, so you can take some time off to be with them and have fun. Everyone will be happy and the holidays will become a lot shorter too!
Find Some Water
If there is one thing that all kids love, it’s water. Whether it’s a pond, a stream, a lake, or the sea, work out where the best areas of water are close to you, and schedule in some time there. Even if it’s just a couple of hours every few days, this is something the little ones will look forward to immensely, and they will wear themselves out having fun, helping you when it comes to bedtime (which can be notoriously tricky during the school summer holidays because the nights are lighter and because children might not be as active – they’re just not as tired).
You won’t need a lot of equipment for these days or afternoons out, either. Some Wellington boots, a fishing net, swimming costumes, a towel, spare clothes (just in case), and of course, some snacks and drinks are really all you need.
Go To The Local Library
If you’re worried that your children will fall back a little when they don’t have any formal education for such a long time, why not visit your library? You can make this a weekly activity and take your time over it too.
Give your kids special library book bags to carry their haul to and from the library (this is particularly important if you’re walking, but handy if you’re driving or taking the bus as well, as it means not losing or damaging the library books), and this will make it even more special.
Let them choose any books they want and pick some for yourself as well – it’s always good for children to see adults reading as this will help them want to read more too. When you get home, make an event out of storytime. You could set up a den in the living room or you could take a blanket outside if the weather is nice, for example. For younger children, you can read to them. Older ones can read to you. And more independent children can read silently while you do the same. This is a great way to make reading fun, bond with your children, and enhance their reading skills, ready for their return to school in September.
Visit A Museum
Until you really start looking, you might be surprised at just how many museums there are close to where you live. They might be small, they might be unusual, they might be dedicated to subjects you know nothing about, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth visiting, and when it comes to a good day out that doesn’t cost very much (something else that can be important during the summer holidays, as it can get very expensive with lots of day trips), they can be invaluable.
Make a list of the museums that you can easily get to, and get your kids involved as well. Let them choose where you go, and then schedule it in for them. You might even teach your children some useful life lessons by showing them how to manage their time and make sure they can do everything they want to.
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