Suitable for intermediate and above CEFR B2+
#childrensactivities #kidsactivities #summerholiday #staycation #kidssummer
If your travel plans have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the family holiday you've been looking forward to has been cancelled or lockdown has left you with a reduced income or financial worries, you're not alone! So many families have been affected in the UK and internationally and as a teacher, I understand that keeping children entertained on a budget is no easy task, but you needn't feel like a bad parent if money is tight. This post lists my top ten FREE activities to keep children busy and entertained during your summer staycation.
10. Go on a nature walk
If you've been walking more with the family during lockdown, taking a bag with simple supplies like a camera, some paper, crayons, a magnifying glass and some recycled glass jars can easily turn a quick walk into a whole morning activity that everyone can enjoy.
Stop and investigate different trees and plants, take bark and leaf rubbings and hunt for minibeasts with your magnifying glass, using old glass jars or a clear plastic cup for a closer look. Spending time looking up the name of the creatures, writing a list, taking photos and finding some interesting facts online is a great way to embed a little educational content and it can also extend the activity when you get home.
It is, of course, a good idea to plan a route around your local area that passes a variety of habitats, such as woodland, fields and hedgerows, but you'll be surprised how much you can find in urban habitats too.
9. Take a dip, have a water fight or set up a slip and slide
If its warm outside and you already have a paddling pool or set of water pistols, this one is an absolute must. But have you also considered setting up a slip and slide with things you already have in your house?
Any area of grass will do for this activity but ground with a slight gradient may work even better. All you need is some heavy-duty plastic sheeting and lots of soapy water.
Keep your child's safety in mind. Always use smooth plastic sheeting without any seems and keep pouring water on to avoid painful friction burns. Check the ground for any protruding rocks or stones that could cause injury and build a crash barrier with pool noodles fixed with duct tape, velcro or ground hooks. A couple of yoga mats could be used as liners underneath the plastic sheeting if the ground is very hard, but be sure to secure everything properly to avoid injury.
8. Summer Reading Challenge
Many community libraries run summer reading challenges to keep kids in the habit of reading over the holidays and the best part is that you don't even need to visit the library to take part! Check your library's free eBook and audiobook catalogue to download as much children's literature as possible. Audiobooks are especially great for children that like to be active as they can listen whilst colouring, digging in the garden, playing with Lego or doing some other low-level activity.
7. Fruit picking
There is an abundance of fruit growing by the roadsides at this time of year, take a bag and look out for juicy ripe blackberries, apples, pears and plums to harvest. Turn this into a whole day activity by going to buy ingredients to make jam or a pie. The children could even decorate jam jars to give as gifts.
6. Take a bike ride
When I was a kid I loved going out on my bike! Back then there was a lot more green space and less traffic on the roads, but you can still make good use of country parks, cycle lanes and wide pavements to take your children on a two-wheels adventure. Use a sports watch or mobile phone to map your route and count your miles. You could even create your own map to put up on the fridge where you can stick pictures of famous landmarks to target miles!
5. Camp in the garden
This is an old favourite. Get the old tent out of the garage and let the kids sleep outside for the night. Have a BBQ and breakfast outside (whatever the weather) and play some garden games, like badminton, bowls, rounders or cricket, to bring a few more holiday touches to your home.
4. Put on a fashion, dance, magic or puppet show
Children of all ages love to put on a show. Encourage their creativity and nurture their talents by helping them to put on their own performance. They will love showing off what they've done and they might even teach you something new!
3. Make a stop motion animation video
Kids these days are very tech savvy. If your child is spending too much time watching videos online, encourage them to make their own stop motion animation! All you need to get started is a mobile phone with a camera function.
You can be as creative as you like by painting an old shoebox to create a background or making characters out of plasticine or craft materials, but sticking some googly eyes on a piece of fruit can work just as well!
2. Get cooking
This is a great choice for a rainy day. Most children love making a mess in the kitchen, but with a bit of guidance they can learn an important life skill too. You could support your kids to design a menu, go shopping for the ingredients (don't forget to give them a budget and let them do the maths!) and then make a 3 course dinner to serve the whole family. Not only will they love eating their creations, they will get a real sense of achievement seeing others enjoying what they have made.
1. Set up a mini Olympics
If you've got enough garden space, you can set this up at home, but a local park would be fun too. You can set up several classic events with minimal equipment. Long jump and running require only a stopwatch and a few items to use as markers. You could also do a discuss throw using a frisbee and target shoot with a bucket and a ball or nerf guns. You could also set up mini events using any sports equipment you already have, or throw in some sports day classics, such as the egg and spoon, wheelbarrow and sack race for extra family fun! You might also invite other families to join in if you're in a local park or with your virtual olympics from their own garden and post videos to each other and create a leaderboard so your mini athletes can 'compete' against each other.
If you have kids of different age groups consider handicapping events to avoid arguments.
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