Nanny to Mommy

With the summer holidays fast approaching, it has many of us thinking of what we will do with the time. With the children off school, it can feel a challenge knowing what to do to keep them entertained, happy and not spend a small fortune in the pursuit of doing so. If you are looking for some fun and unique ideas for what you can do with them while staying in, ensuring it’s far from dull, we have put together some ideas below that they are sure to love! Keep reading to find out our five fun days of ideas to do with your children...

If your kids are into sports, or if they have a lot of energy that you want to get out before their bedtime in the evening, why not throw a sports day in the garden? You can do things such as a 3-legged race, an egg and spoon race and a long jump. You could print out certificates and get little prizes to celebrate their wins. You could always invite some of their cousins or friends to come and join in if perhaps they don’t have any siblings to do it with. Alternatively, you could join in and compete against them! It’s great fun and is sure to tire them out before bed!

Baking is a really fun thing to do with your children and will help them to learn some skills as well as have fun. You can teach them things such as how to weigh ingredients as well as how to cook them and let them enjoy picking some recipes to make. From easy homemade rhubarb crisp to apple pie or even savory dinners, it’s all a great learning journey for them. Why not take them to the shops with you where they can help you to pick out the ingredients and decide what they want to make? Ensure you teach them all about kitchen safety such as how to keep your clothes protected, to stay away from heat and how to handle things such as knives and scissors sensibly. Make sure they help with the cleaning up and that you give them responsibilities as you go.

A home cinema night is another great way to spend some time together as a family without having to fork out a small fortune in order to do so. You can get a projector if you really want to take it up a notch, otherwise you could just use your regular TV. You can order things online to go with your movie theater night, such as popcorn buckets and large bottles to put slushy drinks in. You could order some banners to hang on the wall and either buy fake cinema tickets or get your kids to make some. This will make the experience that little bit more fun! Why not do a movie night a week and rotate around different film choices?

Art and craft is great fun no matter your age and there are endless things that you can make and create. Be sure to check out the array of craft blogs that are online and look for things to do together. You could create salt dough which is like play dough, but you bake it and then can paint it and have it as an ornament. You could do paintings, make collages or experiment with paper mache. Speak to your child and find out what they want to do and see how you can accommodate this. Remember, just as with baking, it’s important to teach them to clean up and how to use their equipment safely and sensibly in order to not get hurt.

These are just a few fun ideas of things you can do with your children when you are at home. The summer holidays can feel like a long time to keep them amused, but it’s important to remember you don’t need to shell out a lot in order to keep the kids happy, it can take something as simple as spending a day together doing something messy that is free and they will love just as much if not more. What are some ideas you have had for things to do with the kids this summer? Are you going to try any of the above? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.