This is a collaborative post.
Are your children off school and you are stuck for ideas on things to do? While it is great fun when your children are off school for the holidays, it can also leave you wondering what to do with them without breaking the bank. While you might do some big days out here and there, if you’re spending lots on tickets to attractions every day it can soon leave you broke. The good thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do something excessive all the time – you can have great fun by just using some imagination and having a think. In this article we’ve put together some top things you can do with your children at home when they’re off school. Keep on reading to get inspired!
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Have a home sports day
One of the most fun things you can do as a family to get your kids active, to blow off some steam and have a great time is throw a home sports day. You can set this up in your garden or a green space nearby and it can bring you all together and encourage a bit of team spirit too! You can set up games such as a three-legged race, an egg and spoon race, an obstacle course and more. You can set up a food and drinks station or have a picnic to reward you all for your hard work. You could make up some certificates, get medals and have a little leaderboard to keep track of what you’ve all achieved.
Do some arts and crafts
Arts and crafts are a fantastic way of keeping your kids entertained and involve such a broad spectrum of things to do. You can set up a painting table where they can go crazy with colours (it’s a good idea to opt for watercolours so they wash off of clothes and get something protective to put over their clothes!) You can do specific projects such as picking a fiction book and designing a cereal based on it – there are a plethora of cereal box book report template ideas you can find online to do this with. You could collect items around the house which you then make a collage from, or look into doing things with clay. Why not make some salt dough, then you can cook your creations before painting them as a cute keepsake.
Go on a nature treasure hunt
If you are lucky enough to live near woodland or a nature reserve, why not head out on a nature treasure hunt? You can put together a list of things you want your children to find such as an acorn, a fruit tree, a dog etc. and then give this to them to find. You could have a prize for when they’ve ticked all the things off their list which can add that extra incentive for them to enjoy. A nature walk is a brilliant way for them to use their eyes and brains to tick things off, as well as have them burn off some much-needed energy and hopefully have them sleep better during the night! Always a plus when you want a bit of a lie-in during the summer holidays!
Do a big toy sort out
Another activity you can do when your children are off school is to sort out their toys. This can be a job that needs doing anyway, but by doing it with them it can be good fun and a way to also have a clear out and make some more space. You can get them to sort them into piles of what they want to keep and what they want to donate or recycle. This can teach them about the importance of sorting through their things, how good it can be to give items a new home and also help them be more responsible with tidying up. You could give them a reward such as being able to go and pick a new toy if they donate a certain amount for example. This can give an incentive but also allow you to clear out space in your home which is always needed when you have a family home!
Make Dens
Making dens at home is something we have all done at one point in our childhood. Think back to how much fun it was getting your duvet, pillows and pillow sheets and pegging them together to make a base in the living room or your bedroom. Have a competition on who can make the biggest and best den as well as who can make the smallest and most effective one. Depending on where it is in the house, you can keep it up and enjoy it for a few days during their break. They could even have a sleepover in the den if it’s a safe space for them to nap in, or you could set up a picnic!
Have a home movie day
Home movie days are ideal when it’s not nice outside and you want to save yourself some money – the school holidays can be expensive! Pick a film on one of your TV subscription channels (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus or Now TV), buy some snacks from the shop and bring your duvet out for you all to snuggle in and enjoy the film. If your budget allows it, you could treat everyone to a takeaway as this is often cheaper than eating out. You could get creative with things like making movie tickets, adding posters to the wall and taking it in turns to pick the films you play.
Spend time cooking with each other
Another fun activity that you can do together is cook. You are going to need dinner anyway, so you can kill two birds with one stone with this one. Find out what your children are craving for dinner that evening and make it together. Not only will this be educational for your children, but they will also enjoy the meal more, knowing they made it as well. If cooking isn’t something they fancy, baking is another option – all children like sweet treats! For easy children’s recipes, YouTube is a great place to look as there are many creators on there that specialise in easy, children’s recipes that you can cook together.
We hope our six tips above have given you plenty to think about when it comes to things to do when your children are at home and when they are off school. Our biggest tip for you is to start making plans and getting ideas together, long before they break up for half term. When half term comes along, it can be a lot harder trying to think of things on the day, than if you have already planned things far in advance. Plus, the further in advance, the less it will potentially cost you. For example, if you know you are going to be doing some arts and crafts at one point during the break, have the pens, paints and papers ordered and ready.
What fun things do you like to do with your children that you think other people will enjoy doing? Will you be trying any of the suggestions in our guide above? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below. We look forward to hearing from you.