There’s no escaping it, the six weeks holiday is here and in full swing! There is so much pressure on us as parents during this time to occupy the children and ensure they are having a fabulous time. This can mean we aren’t! We have some smashing Summer Holiday ideas for you, that you can do at home with the kids!
Make A Bug Hotel
This is a fun activity that takes very little money, but can be a lot of fun. Bug Hotels are great for the garden, giving little critters a home and attracting them meaning you reap the rewards with healthier plants. This is also a fantastic activity you can do inside or outdoors. It will keep you and the kids busy, as well as creating something amazing through recycling, for the bugs and insects that visit you! Good for your mental health and the environment.
You can make a bug hotel out of pretty much anything that is natural.
- Collect sticks, random pieces of wood, bark, pine cones and twine. Then design the hotel for your bugs to live in.
- Ladybirds and solitary bees like little cubicles to snuggle into. You can buy hollow sticks, or use cinnamon sticks and tie them together.
- Spiders and woodlice will crawl into any little dark space so long as it is dry. Tie bundles of twigs together or organise odd pieces of wood.
- You could use an old birdhouse to make your bug hotel, a wooden box, or even buy a kit.
- If you make a big one, then other little creatures may visit your garden, providing it is low to the ground, like hedgehogs!
Make Chalk Designs
Any creative activity can be fulfilling. and chalk designs are no different. This can be so much fun and give you all hours of enjoyment. Lifting your moods and getting you outside even if you are stuck at home.
All you need is chalk and a pavement, a wall even a Wendy House will do. The best part of this activity is that when you’ve used up the space you can wash it off with water and start over!
Create A Game
Get those brains going and come up with an exciting new game.
- It could be a physical obstacle course with trivia questions that need to be answered as you compete.
- Perhaps you’d like a game where you have to find objects, images or even colours before the other team? We created an ‘eye spy’ Doodle Search Game which you can download and play. The rules are simple, one person calls out and object on the page and everyone has to find one in the quickest time possible. You can make your own rules too, if you’d like!
Have a Treasure Hunt
Super fun, a treasure hunt has so many variations and you could include a treasure prize!
- Draw a map to be followed around your home and garden, that leads you to the treasure. Dress up as pirates and create a wooden plank!
- Use clues as your map. Hide the clues, each one leading to the next until the booty is discovered.
- A series of challenges that lead to a hidden cash of goodies. To get each clue you have to perform a task. Find three green items, hop on one foot for a minute or draw an elephant. Write your clues out something like this…
‘To find ye next clue, ye better be ready, hop in a circle and find ye brown teddy.’
Not our finest work, but you get the idea!
Build Something From Almost Nothing
This, possibly our favourite, harnesses the imagination of your youngsters and gets them really thinking. Set a challenge, to use things around the home, empty boxes, toilet roll tubes or craft supplies. The challenge could be to design a vehicle that a dinosaur could drive, create a way to make a ball get from A to B, make musical instruments fit for a king or queen.
The possibilities with this one are endless, as are the opportunities for laughter and fun.
We hope you enjoyed our summer holiday ideas. What fun things do you do with the kids during the holidays? Share your ideas with us over on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and Twitter. Check out our Children’s section for more fun and frolics.
