How to Keep Kids Entertained at Home During the Holidays
It can be a real struggle to keep kids entertained at home during the school holidays, particularly for working parents.
While some kids might be content to sit in front of the television or play games for hours on end, this isn’t good for their physical or mental health. Research has also found that to maintain academic skills, students need to keep practicing them while school is out.
These ideas will keep your kids happy, healthy and engaged over the break.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
There are many things you can do to make sure kids stay active these holidays. It can be as simple as taking a trip to your local park and having a picnic. Encourage your child to play sports in the backyard and join in the fun. All you need is some basic equipment.
Younger kids love obstacle courses, and you can build your own right in your backyard or have a treasure hunt. You can even set up a tent in your own yard and let your child invite some friends over to spend a night under the stars.
Introduce Kids to Culture
Many museums and art galleries now offer virtual tours which allow kids to experience the best of the world’s culture online. This is an excellent way for kids to learn about art, science and history without leaving home.
Immersive tours are often designed with children in mind. The British Museum offers a Museum of the World tour. Kids can browse through different exhibits, including a real-life mummy, while listening to the backstory for each piece. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an entire section devoted to children called MetKids which is worth checking out.
Encourage Creativity and Imagination
Kids never grow tired of stories, and the holidays are a perfect time to nurture a love of reading. In addition to enjoying books, encourage your child to write and illustrate their own stories. They can take it a step further by turning their stories into plays or short films.
Other creative activities include playing dress-up, making puppets, sun-catchers, jewellery, bird feeders, bath bombs and murals. There are many excellent craft websites with instructions for how to make these things from everyday items. Simply providing some cardboard, coloured pencils and textas, glitter and glue is usually enough to get kids creative juices flowing.
Turn Chores into Fun
Helping out with ordinary chores can be very enriching and enjoyable for kids. Cooking is an excellent way for kids to contribute to the household. Ask your child to find some simple recipes they’d like to try and write a shopping list of ingredients. By assisting with preparation, they will learn about following instructions, measuring and being organised.
Many kids love getting their hands dirty, and gardening is another area they can help. You can teach your child how to water, weed and prune, or let them choose some plants of their own to take care of. To really get them inspired, build a wormery together for composting.
Make a Positive Difference
Introduce your child to the joy of helping others in the holidays by finding ways they can contribute to the community. This may involve assisting neighbours with chores such as sweeping and raking leaves or donating toys and other items to charity.
They can also or raise money for a meaningful cause. Encourage your child to research causes they want to support. When they feel strongly about an issue they are more likely to be engaged and enthusiastic.
Keep your child entertained and mentally stimulated these holidays.