When the holidays come around, it can be difficult to please and keep the entire family busy.
Finding things to do with the children and paying for it all can be quite a headache if you are unprepared. Thankfully, it is a lot simpler than you might have originally thought.
Whether you decide to make it an educational break, which I am sure the children will hate you for, or you decide to take them on vacation, there is plenty that can be done. You should always keep their mind active during holidays so they do not return to school unprepared, you can use an unscramble words solver, or just have them pick up and start reading a good old book. This can help exercise their mind.
Whatever you do, keep them engaged, for your sanity, and theirs.
Some Ideas to Keep the Family Occupied
- Take the family swimming: There are loads of places you can take them; the beach, the swimming pool, a local bath, or a lake! It can get stuffy during the summer holidays so what better way to cool off than by going swimming! Oftentimes, during the summer holidays there will be events for children at swimming pools with bubbles, DJs, and snacks, so do check out what is happening in your local area.
- Keep it simple, do a jigsaw: when in doubt, jigsaw it out. Jigsaws can keep the whole family entertained for the better part of an entire day, possibly more depending on its size. It is good teamwork for your entire family, just make sure you have all of the pieces. Any kind of puzzle is great for exercising the brain.
- Take your family to the movies… At home! Why do you not try renting or streaming some of your children’s favorite flicks, load up on treats, create a fort out of pillows, cut the lights, and have fun!
- Head out to the woods and take a picnic: I feel it is important to cultivate a love for nature in your children from an early age, what better way than to take them out to the woods, lay out a blanket, and have a Teddy Bear’s picnic?
- Geocaching: Geocaching is the family activity of the future; it can be really exciting and almost magical. You can download the application and find hidden treasure trails scattered around your local area – you have to make sure if you take something that you leave something behind, that is the only rule.
- Why don’t you put on an old-fashioned sock-puppet show? Oftentimes the simplest of activities can be the most fun; take them back to a time before television!
- Plant some trees in the garden! Why not make use of the children and have them tend to your garden for you? You can teach them about nature, about the ecosystem, and get some free labor! Just kidding!
- A family bike ride: there are loads of possible places you can go to, and plentiful opportunities to teach about nature again! Bike rides can be great fun. Do not forget to bring a packed lunch! And, if you do not have bikes, you can rent some!
- Go to the Zoo: trips to the zoo can be fantastic! There is nothing quite like seeing a Lion or a Tiger in the flesh; head down to your local Zoo and make the most of the exotic animals!
- Go to a… petting Zoo! Why not take a trip to a Petting Zoo? Often petting Zoos are on farmland and support the upkeep of the farm. A petting zoo can be great fun for all of the family, and who does not like stroking a cute baby Lamb?
- Take your family to the library: really, the library is a house of mystical wonder! You can find a book about anything, learn, and lose yourself, and the kids, in worlds of imagination!
Whatever You Do, Try, and Make Learning Fun!
Just because you are taking a break and your children are off school, it does not mean it cannot be educational. Education is so important to your children growing into rational sane-minded adults. You should always offer an educational option whenever having fun with your children; whether you teach them the names of animals, types of trees, or anything else that can be beneficial to later life.
If you instill a love for education in your children at an early age, there is no limit to what they can succeed. It is your responsibility as a parent to create a zone of educational fun. It is not school, it is the holidays, so don’t make them sit down with textbooks and pens but try and have as much fun as you can!
