Keeping Kids Entertained with a Kids Holiday Activity Planner, Whatever The Weather.

 

With Easter not far away, have some activities planned to keep the kids entertained, whatever the weather.

 

Firstly, here are five ways to help keep the peace, so you all get along:

 

1) Behaviour and attitudes

Everybody will Share, and take equal turns. No fighting or squabbling. Stick the rules you have agreed to on the fridge. Nip any bickering in the bud before it starts using this agreed list of dos and don’ts.

 

2. Give them activity fuel

Children can experience highs, and lows in energy levels! Give them healthy mid-morning and mid afternoon snacks and stick to regular mealtimes (breakfast, lunch and dinner) whatever activities you are involved with to keep their energy and interest up. Sticking to normal mealtime routines will help keep their energy and mood levels in balance.

 

3. Change of scenery

Should they tire of being indoors, are getting bored, or are getting cold out of doors, then do change the activity and even the location. The signs that they are not happy will be winging, squabbling or lethargy. Take action as soon as any of these signs appear.

 

4. Get friends or relatives to pop in

Arrange for a friend or a popular relative to call round or accompany you on your outings. This new face will help keep them engaged and in focus. Mood and concentration dynamics will instantly change for the better. It can also take the pressure off of you for a while!

 

5. Have a surprise bubble bath session

Run a bath, top up with foamy bubble bath and get them in the water for a fun splash about session with their favourite bath toys.  It will surprise them, calm them down and give them a refreshing half hour before you move on to a main activity.

 

Kids Activity ideas – Inspiration for your Planner:

Choose from the selection of ideas below to fill up your planner with fun things to do:

 

Indoor activities, Outdoor activities;

 

1) Indoors, on a very low budget.

 

Board games.

Dig out your favourite games or if you or they are bored with what you already have then get new ones cheaply from charity shops, or swap with other families and friends.

 

Painting.

Get them to draw and then paint their favourite animals, their house, even family members. Water colours are fun and clean up easily and is on nearly every child’s favourite do-list. This style of painting cleans up easily and costs very little to get started, requiring just paper, paint, brushes and water.  Encourage them to paint from memory.

 

Colouring books.

Get felt tip pens and have a colouring-in session. There are some many differing illustrated colouring to choose from to suit all age ranges, from simple line drawings to complex patterns. This is another children’s favourite pastime. Many adults are beginning to love it too, and is a publishing growth market…why should the children have all the fun?

 

Go swimming.

Don’t forget their flotation armbands! If possible take their rings and soft balls to make it more interesting. Learning to float and then swim is a vital life lesson as well as a valuable way to get active and fit. If it’s within your budget sign them up for swimming lessons, or even diving lessons. Be prepared for some really hungry and thirsty kids when you get out and dressed!

 

Read a fun personalized story book together

Here at MyMagicName headquarters, we know how much more children engage with personalised children’s book and helps them read at a very young age while also being fun. We have created a beautiful personalised book for children that is like no other as each illustration and rhyming story uses the letters of your child’s name, so every book is totally unique. Clever Huh! Preview you book now at My Magic Name Personalised Children’s Book.

 

Study Family Photos.

Dig out photos albums or scrapbooks of when they were babies or very small toddlers. Children are fascinated by reviewing their past, especially in pictures. Talk about what happened in the photos and where they were taken, and all of those featured in the pictures.

 

Morning/Afternoon Disco Session.

Children love dance and music. Here is an opportunity to get out their favourite CDs or even just tune into the radio or TV music station. Singing and dance video visuals will give the best results as you and the children can try to copy the dancers on screen.

 

Watch their favourite TV shows, cartoons.

Without overdoing the time they spend just sitting inactive staring at a screen you can spend an hour or two a day watching their favourite children’s shows or cartoons. Ideally break up each viewing session with some real activity session and come back to the TV later. You can record their chosen programme on play it to them later.

 

Go to the indoor children’s play centre.

Very popular with all children and this activity can keep them occupied for hours at a time. Where possible take your own drinks and snacks to minimise the cost. However, some centres will not allow this, so be careful you don’t break their in house eating rules.

 

Kids Afternoon Tea Party

Give out party invitations to your children’s friends. Then make some paper hats, and use coloured card to make plates. Make mini sandwiches and tasty snacks, and healthy fruit drinks. For entertainment you could organise a pass the parcel game, musical chairs, or eye-spy, do Jig-saw puzzles, and play hopscotch if you have access to the garden. Hide and seek and treasure hunt will also prove popular.

 

Indoor Bowling / Skittles

You can either purchase a cheap plastic indoor bowling kit, or make your own as outlined here. Use 10, or less, full water bottles, with tightly screwed on tops, at the far end of your hall or living space. Mark a bowl from line with some masking tape on the floor and use a soft rubber ball to bowl with.  Use a sheet of paper to record the group’s scores, and even give a small prize or treat to the winner. Scoring rules of how to allocate spares and strikes can be found by Googling – Ten Pin Bowling Scoring Rules.

 

2 Outdoors, low outlay activities

Blowing bubbles party

This can be done inside the home, the garden or even in the park. You do not necessarily need to buy lots of bubble blowers and bubble liquid as you can even make your own bubble blowing kits. You just need a plate and straw for each player, some dishwashing soap and water. Place a coin sized drop of dish soap on the plate. Pour a little water onto the plate and gently mix with the soap. When the kids place the straw in the suds and blow very gently a mass of bubbles will start to form. To make this competitive, see who blows the biggest, or longest-lasting, bubble. If your budget stretches to it you can buy the bubble kits at the store, and this lends itself to more creative and spectacular bubbles creation. There will be lots of shrieks of enjoyment and fun will be had by all…including you the adult!

 

Biking outing

If you and your kids and their friends have bikes, then here’s an opportunity to get mobile and enjoy some fresh air. You can cycle out directly from your home, or take the gang and the bikes to a cycling trail by car. Take some energy bars or even a picnic and fruit juice or water for stops on route to recharge your batteries. If you cycle by farmland there will be opportunities to see cows, horses and sheep. If the trail is beside a river or canal then you will see wild life and maybe even fish. There will be many opportunities to discuss what you see on route with the children, so do encourage them to ask lots of questions about what they see whilst cycling along with you. Do insist that all wear a cycling helmet!

 

Go to the park with your dog.

If you have a dog then you can all go to play with it and get some valuable exercise and fun over the park. Wear warm clothes, hats and gloves. Take balls and Frisbees…get your kids running around and chasing the dog, throwing the ball and Frisbee. Your dog will love it too! Make sure you keep your dog on the lead where directed, and do ensure you clean up after it to keep the park in pristine condition.

 

Get down on the farm

Children love animals, especially if they are newly born, like chicks, ducklings and baby lambs. Fortunately most of the farms aimed at children and families are open all year round and a spring holiday is a great time to visit one or several. Some allow the children to feed them at feeding times and even to cuddle a fluffy baby lamb. This is a great opportunity to teach children where eggs come from and how cheese and butter are made. You can take sandwiches and fruity drinks to eat

 

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