Things To Do In The School Holidays
The six weeks holiday will soon be here. While school kids are probably counting down the days, you and other parents are likely nervous about how you'll keep your children entertained for six weeks straight, especially this year, after your children have spent much more time than usual inside.
While COVID restrictions are easing, international travel may be tricky and costly for a bit longer. And, while a lot more businesses are opening up, providing more entertainment options than have been available for two years, some parents may still understandably be cautious about family days out. Not to mention the great British weather can be extremely hit and miss.
To help, here's a list of school holiday activities for days out and at home. Whatever your budget, there are numerous ways to occupy your and your children's time.
What Do You Do During School Holidays At Home?
Plant A Vegetable Garden
If you're lucky enough to have a garden, planting flowers or vegetables is a fantastic way to keep your children occupied and teach them a new skill. And if you don't have access to a garden, why not plant some herbs for your kitchen windowsill?
You can either order seeds online or start the fun early by taking your children to a garden centre and let them choose their seeds themselves. Alternatively, if you aren't particularly green-fingered, you can pop to your local supermarket, buy some pre-potted plants, and transplant them into your garden.
Plan A Treasure Hunt
This activity is fun and doesn't cost very much to put together. All you'll need is some paper, a felt-tip, some tea bags to stain the paper, and some treasure to be found - which can be something as simple as chocolate coins or retro sweets.
Then, design a map based on your home for your little ones to follow. Alternatively, you can plan a scavenger hunt whereby you write clues on individual pieces of paper and hide them. One clue leads to another until the treasure is found.
Get Baking
This is an excellent activity for those days where the British weather isn't on your side. You can buy packets of cupcakes, brownies, cakes or cookies, but you may find that buying the ingredients can be more cost-effective as you can make multiple batches. You mustn't take your eyes off your children, though, to prevent burns or cuts.
Sing Karaoke
An activity that is fun come rain or shine is, of course, karaoke!
Once you've bought a kid's karaoke machine in your child's favourite colour and picked up additional mics to prevent any squabbles, you can sing all your favourite songs in your living room or set it up in your garden to sing in the sunshine. You can even sign up for our subscription service for access to hundreds of songs.
Build A Home Cinema
Like karaoke, this is another activity that is relaxing once everything is organised. All you have to do is set up blankets, and cushions, and maybe a teddy or two if your children are younger in the living room. You can even put everything on the floor to make things more unique. Then, pop some popcorn or buy snacks and pick your favourite film or films.
Why not go one step further and invest in a projector to mimic 'the big screen', or have your children create their own tickets to be exchanged on entry into the living room?
Where Do You Go During School Holidays?
Organise A Special Day
This is an entertaining activity that doesn't cost the earth. Get other families involved and meet up at your local park to hold your sports day. Think of potato sack races or egg and spoon races for a bit of nostalgia, or have the children race, do long jumps or throw rings. You can even buy a trophy or sports medals online to hand out at the end.
Visit Cadbury World
This is a great option for rainy days. Located in Bournville, near Birmingham, your children can learn all about the manufacturing process, the history of England's most popular chocolate brand, ride a 4D roller coaster or Cadabra, travel back in time to the Aztec jungle and much more.
Go To A Farm
A visit to your local farm can be a fun day out for the family, and some even offer free admission, making it an enjoyable and cost-effective way to spend your time. A quick Google search will help you find a local farm, and all it might cost is the petrol money.
Travel To A Theme Park
This is a more expensive day out, but it will undoubtedly make for a memorable experience. From Drayton Manor, Thorpe Park, to Alton Towers, there are tons of rides for younger children and teens. With a little bit of research, you can usually find some fantastic deals to help you save the pennies too.
Go Swimming
This is an option that you can enjoy however many times you like throughout the summer holidays. You can either visit your local leisure centre or go to a water park. There are even some places that have outdoor inflatable playgrounds on water or outside surfing that offer lessons.
Whatever the hobbies and interests of your children, or their age, there are plenty of things to do during your school holidays to prevent boredom from setting in. The best part is that there are options for all budgets, so you don't have to break the bank to keep everyone happy and entertained.
