With July marking the start of the long awaited six week summer holiday in the UK, we thought it useful, to share some tips on how to keep your child entertained throughout this time! They may start off the summer holidays all excited but not so long after you hear the all too familiar phrase ‘I’m bored’ with these tips were about to share, you’ll be more than ready!
Of course we love to get creative and encourage family bonding at Bennu, so we have a list of activities centred around this! We have tried our best to keep them fun, free or to a very low budget and engaging. Lets get started!
Sock Puppets
This is so easy but fun. to make. Gather some old socks, attach different bobbles etc for the eyes/nose and have some puppet fun! You can make a whole cast of characters and get your child/children to create a puppet show that they later perform for you. This will get their creative storytelling juices flowing meanwhile whist they are practising it buys you some time to get things done around the house or have some chill time to yourself..every parents delight! Small facial objects not suitable for children under 3
Tip: Before the end of the school year teachers will usually start to clear out their cupboards. Ask your child’s school if they have any spare arts/crafts bits they can give you to take home. This will save you money and also expand your home arts/crafts selection.
Chocolate Cornflake Nests
This is a classic. Super easy and delicious! The kids will love this and you’ll be able to cheer them on to eat a few more veggies for a cornflake cake…
All you need to do is:
- 150g of cornflakes or rice krispies
- 100g of melted milk chocolate
- Mix them together in a bowl, put them into fairy cake cases and leave them to set in the fridge for an hour…Vwala!
Tip: Make sure to check for traces of nuts in any chocolate especially if you are looking after someone’s child with a nut allergy.
Do the Garden
If you have a garden why not get your kids and their friends involved in turning it around. This gets them outdoors but is also a great group activity for some family bonding. It can be a whole days worth of activity, keeping everyone occupied and they’ll probably be exhausted by the end of it, leaving you extra time in the evening to relax. Whist your at it, why not plant some new seeds and encourage your child to watch them grow throughout the year?
Local Library Reading Challenge
Most boroughs run reading challenges throughout the summer holidays. Whereby there are a selection of books to choose from and the more you read the higher up you go in completing the challenge, and they may just throw in a few prizes. This is an absolute win as it encourages your child to read more and its completely free!
If your library does not run a challenge, we suggest you can make up your own by borrowing books from the library and setting different rewards each time your child finishes a chapter.
Movie Day/Night
You can’t go wrong with this one! Get some snacks in and get to watching some films together. These are often part of the beautiful memories and days that children remember most years to come. This is a great one also for a rainy day. Just be sure to keep the age certificate right for your child’s age.
Borough Summer School Schemes
Many boroughs run summer schemes throughout the six week holiday, made up of all kinds of activities from drama, music, painting, mathematics, ICT and much more for various ages. Not only is it fun and your child will get to interact and make new friends, some actives are free! Ask your children school or call up you local council or website to enquire for more information.
Tip: Sign your child up asap as places quickly fill up and are on a first come first served bases!
What are some of your favourite activities to do with your children and keep them entertained? Comment below and let us know!
*If you or your child are experiencing any mental difficulty during the summer time please to not hesitate to contact one of our specialised therapists by getting in contact here. If your case is urgent please contact the Samaritans 24 hour helpline. Useful links are also listed below.
Take care of yourself and have a wonderful summer holiday!
BENNU
Useful links
https://www.samaritans.org
https://www.mind.org.uk
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/
*Not all images are our own, all credit to the original designers
