Summer is coming (in Australia) and we’ve just finished the latest holidays here. During this time we have been busy scheming up fun stuff to do as a family so what better to write about that the things we’ve been getting up to. Living in Sydney, I know I’m blessed with beautiful scenery, wonderful beaches, great weather and so many fantastic (and cheap) things at my doorstep. But for the sake of this post, I’m going to try and keep things relatively generic so that the ideas should be applicable wherever you are.
If your child is anything like ours, then you probably know what I’m talking about when I say that kids seem to have boundless resources of energy… and channeling that into fun activities is just as important for your sanity as it is theirs! Well, never fear, as I’m going to share with you the things we have done or thought of doing to keep the “I’m bored” shouts from entering your household.
Here are some of the free (or nearly free) things that we had fun with:
Have a picnic at the park. This is so easy to do and the options are endless. Find somewhere picturesque (near a lake or a river is always nice), take along some outdoor toys (a football and a Frisbee are our favourites), and some food… and you’ve everything you need for a great day out.
Go to the beach. An obvious one, I guess, but a winner every time for us! Seriously, though, pack a bucket, spade, sandwiches and your swimmers and you can’t help but have fun. A ball, a kite, and a Frisbee are going for company too.
Explore local museums and art galleries. Quite often, these cost nothing to enter and there’s always something of its kind close by. You can be extra inventive and design “fact finding missions” for your kids once you are there.
Go to local fairs or car-boot sales. Do a bit of research on the internet and find out what’s going on near you and spend the morning exploring one. You can make it into a full bargain hunt by giving your child $5-$10 and seeing what they come back with! Most car boots open early in the morning, and they’re a good way for children to spend a couple of hours.
Visit the national parks. Another easy one to do that takes minimal planning and can easily fill a day (or two).
Here are some “stay-at-home” fun activities for the family:
Build a cubby. Our kid adores making a cubby house during the day (and then usually wants to sleep in it at night). It’s like camping, but indoors. You can every doing a sing song (don’t light a fire in the house though!) and toast marshmallows over your cooker.
Plant something together. Even if you have no garden, you can have so much fun collecting recyclable pots, decorating them, filling them with potting mix and planting seeds. My advice is to do this at the beginning of the holidays and choose something fast growing so that the kids can water them and watch them grow over the holidays.
Kids Bedroom Make-over. Every kids room needs a sort out once in a while and a new ‘look’. School holidays are the perfect opportunity. Search the op shops and internet for cheap ways to update their room. www.designdazzle.com is a great starting point for gorgeous ideas and links to other sites but even just moving things around is great fun to do with kids.
Have a house party. Invite some of the friends over and get them to bring one plate/dish of food (unless you don’t mind doing all the catering!). If you are sat at home, at a lose end, wondering what to do… the chances are some of your friends are doing exactly the same! So give them a call and you can all sit around wondering what to do together (whilst the kids trash the house in the background) J
Put on a fashion show. Our little one loves dressing up. And dressing up in mum’s clothes is a dream come true for her! So get them to put on a fashion show for you (and join in if you are game). Remember to take a healthy dose of humour with you.
Build paper mache pieces. Honestly, this is one of the most versatile crafts around! It’s so easy (and cheap to make the paste) and you can create almost anything. The best part is you probably have everything you need to create your paper mache masterpieces laying around your home right now. The kids will love this one. www.papiermache.co.uk
Cook and bake at home. The holiday season may also be the perfect time for you to unleash your inner chef. Plan some recipes that you have always wanted to try and cap it off by daring yourself to bake even just a simple yet yummy chocolate cake.
So there you go, plenty of easy things to plan and do, which aren’t going to cost much (if anything) and that are bound to be fun for everyone. The trick is to keep an open mind and be creative.
A lot of these things can be thought of and done on the day, but sometimes a bit of preparation can always help. For example, I like to get the family involved in the decision making, but it helps if I come to the table with a list of 4 or 5 ideas that everyone can then “buy into”.
I hope you too can find as much fun engaging in these activities as we do.
Happy parenting!
