If you have children of school age, as soon as the nice weather hits you start to look forward to the fun, long, sunny days of the holidays. As much as these can seem the perfect opportunity to take a break from the early morning school runs and evening routines filled with homework, ironing uniform and packed lunches depending on your children’s interests it can be a very long and busy few weeks!
Keeping your children amused can seem a struggle. Planning outings to cover the whole summer holidays it can be easy to run out of ideas within the first couple of weeks and also budget. Having the sunshine can be helpful but still, the traditional picnic at the park or day spent at the beach will save you any entry fees but will be easy to forget the spiraling costs for food, drinks and traveling and of course the odd cheeky ice cream.
With the weather off to a glorious start this summer, we have some holiday fun suggestions for you that won’t break the bank.
Find a sporting hobby
It has already been a summer of sport with the excitement of the World Cup 2018, Wimbledon and the European Athletics Championship so why not try to broaden sporting opportunities available to your child. Have a look online for local groups and clubs or even talk to friends and see what interests your children might share to join clubs together.
From local football, cricket and netball teams who will have extra time training in the holidays it can be a great time to get started with a new club. Make the effort to go along to watch matches and it could soon be your child you are watching.
Research clubs such dancing, gymnastics, athletics, and tennis – You might find many of these clubs offering fun days and workshops during the holidays which again will build your child’s interests and might form into a regular hobby and it’s always great to keep your children active finding a sport they enjoy.
This can also be a great opportunity to look at your child’s ability with swimming – having the time to look into intensive courses this could be the perfect chance for them to start learning or to build up to the higher levels.
Get into Nature
Getting your kids outside amongst nature can be a great way to fill a day, Do some research into woodlands and nature areas near you as lots will already offer walking trails which might have activities and at various spots on your journey which you can track.
Another great way to get your children outside is to arrange your kids a treasure hunt. This might be something you can find already being run in your area but if not there are a variety of books and packages you can find online which will help you create the perfect event, providing the details you will need of locations near you and clues.
Or why not combine the efforts of your fellow parent friends to devise the perfect treasure hunt based on your local area. You can find the help you need online and can tailor this completely to your own children interests with themed clues. It can be a great day for the children and parents of all ages.
Look into your local History
Many people may overlook the possibilities and fun that can be had by exploring your local museum. With some offering free entry or discounted family passes through the holidays it can be a great way to delve into history and broaden your children’s horizons. They will enjoy seeing old trinkets and treasures of old and build on their historical knowledge already building from school.
Or why not take this to the next level and research any re-enactment groups running events in your area? This can be a day of fun with your children dressing up for battle or learning necessities of how to cook. This will be a day of role play the whole family can enjoy.
The perfect playground
Living in your local area, you might think you have already visited every park possible but why not broaden your options this holidays. Search for popular parks online or ask other parents what options they have surrounding them. Local playgrounds will be situated in parks that could offer water playground facilities as well as possibilities of being close to a river and with the increase with cafes and toilet facilities provided with the hot weather and a picnic you could be in for a whole day of fun.
With days at the public park and playgrounds becoming more popular the restoration, maintenance and safety of these areas are becoming of higher priority. There’s plenty of information available on the legalhelpline.co.uk website regarding what to do if your child has been injured in a public park.
On your Bike
Between you and your family you might all own bikes, but when was the last time you all went out together? If this isn’t something you do regularly it’s time to get your bikes out from the shed and go for a family bike ride. After a little exploring you might find you have local bike tracks available to you, or why not find a local park, river or perhaps family members to be the destination of your route.
This can be another great activity to enjoy as a family whilst also building your children’s confidence of outdoor cycling. And if you don’t already own bikes it certainly doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy brand new bikes – With local options and apps enhancing the availability to rent bikes which will also have all insurances covered it can be a great way to get outside this summer. However, if you can afford the initial cost of a bike why not look into purchasing second-hand bikes available in your area with the added bonus of the restoration also becoming another summer project.
