Many families look forward to the school summer holidays all year round. Parents get the opportunity to get away on holiday, while kids enjoy a much-needed break from studying. But as the weeks go by with less regular routines, you might need to get creative to keep the boredom from setting in.
Thankfully there are plenty of activities out there that can occupy time as well as helping young minds develop. They don’t need to be overly serious or educational either – studies have found various benefits to play, from problem solving to creativity and social skills.
Here are five fun ways to keep your children entertained this summer.
Develop coding skills
If your child is already into playing video games and watching YouTube videos, learning about what goes on in the background is the next logical step. Set them up with a low-cost Raspberry Pi kit and see what computing projects they can create.
You could even set the foundations for something greater in the process. Coding and programming skills are among the most sought after on the UK job market right now.
Conduct science experiments
The events of the past year have shown everyone how important scientists are to society. There’s no need to limit science experiments for kids to the classroom or at home, as various household items can reveal scientific secrets.
See what project ideas you can find online – ideally, they won’t involve turning your home into a disaster zone!
See what project ideas you can find online – ideally, they won’t involve turning your home into a disaster zone!
Try a new sport
In a summer dominated first by Euro 2020 and then the Tokyo Olympics, now is the perfect time for young people to try new sports and emulate their heroes.
Perhaps they might want to have a go at diving, cycling or basketball. Or if you want your kids to burn as much energy as possible, how about the triathlon?
Get into gardening
Gardening product sales have boomed in the past year while interest in allotments has soared. If you’re lucky enough to have outdoor space to relax in, why not put it to work and grow some fruit and vegetables?
Planting and harvesting food helps to teach children about where it comes from, and could encourage them to get involved with cooking it too. You can also check inflatable bounce house for sale and set them up for your kids in your garden.
Learn a new language
Did you know that it’s easier to learn new languages as a child than as an adult? It’s also more fun than it used to be thanks to a range of great apps that allow you to learn along together.
Be it French, Spanish or something else, you’ll be exposing them to different people and cultures as well as a new vocabulary.
The summer holidays can be rewarding in lots of ways. Try one of these new activities with your children and see how much you both get out of it.