How to Keep the Kids Entertained During School Holidays
Every weekend, every school holiday can spark a sense of dread in parents as they try to figure out how they're going to keep their kids entertained for so long. After all, there are many hours in a day, and boredom can creep in at any moment. If you're looking for ways to bust boredom in your home, look no further. Here are a few fun and time-consuming things you can do with the kids during school holidays:
Check your local rec centre
You might think you already know about all the activities available to kids in your area, but local rec centres, churches, or even restaurants often add holiday clubs to their programme. Check in with your local community centre to see if they have anything on offer for kids during the holidays.
Bubble painting
If it's a rainy day and you need to find indoor activities, painting is a great way to spend time. But why not ramp it up a notch by doing bubble painting? Essentially, you add washing liquid to water-based paints in a cup, use a straw to create bubbles, and place paper over the cup to create bubble patterns. When the sun's out, use your homemade bubbles in a bubble sword outside!
Teach them to cook
Let's be honest, you're not going to be able to take them out to eat every single day. Instead, why not teach them to cook a meal? If you let them stir, use cookie cutters, mix, and bake, they're going to be happy. Plus, leftovers can be stored for midnight snacks.
Start a project
Renovate their room, build a treehouse, do a beach clean-up, or help out at a bird sanctuary or the SPCA. Make them feel like they're part of a bigger project. Feeling useful and needed is a great antidote to boredom.
Make an obstacle course
Old pieces of wood, storage boxes, buckets, basins, kids' chairs – gather anything that can be jumped over, slid under, or walked around and place them around the garden in your own obstacle course. Time each child to see who can do it the fastest.
Give them a camera and set them free
Gift your child with a camera and watch them spend their days taking retro polaroid photos and watching them develop right in front of their eyes.
Make a movie
Let the kids use your cellphone to record a movie using their action figures and dolls. When they've shot it all, you can use easy editing software to cut it together and have your own screening.
Create your own crystal geodes
Geodes are small rock cavities lined with crystals or minerals. These crystal eggs are super easy and fun to make at home using Epsom salt and water. The salt particles fuse together because the water is so saturated, forming crystals as the water evaporates.