The school holidays are upon us and with the summer, comes six weeks of entertaining the kids. Everyone is struggling right now. We’re all feeling the pinch of higher bills and more expensive food. As great as it would be to take the children out every day on exciting adventures, the reality is that most of us can’t afford it. Even a drive to the beach is beyond some means as the cost of petrol has gone through the roof! Let’s have a look at some fun and free summer holiday activities at home.
Enjoy Your Outdoor Space
Long hours of daylight and plenty of sunshine means spending time outside. However much outside space you have, make the most of it. Maybe you can spend a day tidying it all up as a family. Pull up those weeds, great rid of broken toys, and make that space useable. Then you can all enjoy it. Kick a football around, and get the paddling pool out. Make sure there is some shade for everyone so hide from the blazing sun. You can have picnics in your garden, enjoy BBQs together and even have a fire pit as the sun sets. There is nothing quite like toasting marshmallows! How about camping in your garden? Get that old tent out of the loft and have a night under canvas. Extra posh as you have your own toilet inside to use!
Movie Marathons
Summer holiday activities at home ideas continue with your old DVDs. If the weather takes a turn, or you just fancy pulling the curtains and making the front room into a cinema, movie marathons are great family fun! Maybe educate them with some 80s classics or start going through all the Marvel films from the very beginning. Children of all ages love the Pixar films and there are lots of movies available if you have one of the streaming sites. A bag of popcorn can go a long way and you can enjoy laughing, screaming and crying together.
Make Chores Fun
Even though it’s the summer, there are still chores to do. The food shopping needs doing, the washing needs putting out, the dishwasher needs loading and the house needs cleaning. Try and make those chores fun. Kids can help around the house and as much as they might complain, if you make it fun, or have a promise of something a bit more exciting once the chores have been completed, they will get involved. If they can tidy their own rooms and clear up after themselves, that will help you be less tired and busy, so you’ll be able to have more time with them.
What Is Going On In Your Town?
Staying at home to do things is great but what else is going on in your town? You might want to avoid cafes and shops because suddenly you’ve spent £20 you didn’t want to spend. Check what your local council has going on. So many of them have events throughout the summer that you can take your kids along to. These could include sports activities in the park or even geocaching around the town. Your local library will probably be open and have things to get involved with. Maybe a Lego club or a coding workshop. Of course, if you are a member, you can take out some new books and have fun reading – the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series will keep kids entertained for hours! Some churches have free holiday clubs you can sign your children up to. There are often free museums in towns and you can always have fun trying out all the parks in your town.
The school holidays don’t need to cost an arm and a leg. It’s hard enough getting the money together for a new uniform for September if your kids have outgrown their shoes or put their knees through their trousers. Enjoy some free summer holiday activities at home and see what else is happening nearby. You might be dreaming of far-off lands and crystal clear waters, but time spent with your loved ones is far better than all of that!
