A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Entertained Over the Summer

A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Entertained Over the Summer

The summer holidays can be a stressful period of the year for parents. The kids are out of school for six weeks and getting increasingly bored by the day, and whether you’re balancing a job with parenthood or you’re a stay-at-home parent, finding ways to keep them entertained can be a challenge.

With these tips, you’ll not only have ways to stave off boredom for your little ones, but they’ll also enjoy a host of benefits too, from making new friends to learning skills and maintaining their learning in readiness for going back to school.

• Take educational trips

Away from a school setting, kids can quickly lose their desire to learn and their ability to take in facts and information. But it’s important that they maintain that mindset in preparing for heading back to school in September. Informational trips can help keep them interested in different topics and keeps them learning in a fun and creative way. Plus, they’re activities that you can enjoy as a family.

From museums and art galleries to the zoo, nature walks or even your local library, there are various places you can take kids for a great day out that will feed their mind and inspire creativity. And it doesn’t need to be an expensive experience – why not plan games around the zoo to find different animals from different countries, or a scavenger hunt in the museum? Or take part in virtual school trips around the world.

• Sign up for holiday clubs

Sign your kids up for holiday clubs, which provide a fun and affordable environment for kids to meet other children their age and take part in a range of activities. The schedule of activities is planned to support the interests of the children and there are plenty to explore and take part in, catering to different ages and hobbies.

From cooking and sports to arts and crafts and science, it’s a great opportunity for kids to make new friends and stay busy, while giving parents chance to catch up on their work and household tasks. The benefit of holiday clubs is that there are options dotted all over the country, so you’re sure to find one that’s local to you and easily accessible.

• Get outdoors

Staying at home might be the easier, more convenient option, but kids can soon go a little stir-crazy if they’re not able to let loose outside, which also makes it harder for you as parents. The solution is to find activities and excursions that take place outdoors that will help them get rid of some of that pent up energy and enjoy the sunshine.

Instead of them sitting in front of the TV or a computer screen all day, plan some outdoor activities such as bike riding, roller skating or spending time at the beach. If the weather isn’t great, a few hours at the local swimming pool can be a great compromise that gets them burning off some energy and keeps them active over their summer break.

• Learn a new skill

Just because they’re on their summer holidays doesn’t mean they must take six weeks off from learning new things. In fact, the summer break can be a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn something new that will spark new interests and keep them occupied over the course of their time off. They may even find that they identify a passion for something new in the process. Keeping kids entertained over the summer with a new hobby is a great idea!

Maybe they can use this time to take up a creative skill such as drawing or painting, or maybe they’re more hands on and would enjoy a practical hobby such as model building. Science experiments are always a fun project for little ones that will teach them new things while also being entertaining, or you can get them involved with a gardening project if you have outdoor space.

Final thoughts

Finding activities and projects for keeping kids entertained over the summer break can be hard, especially if you’re juggling work alongside childcare. These activities and experiences are a great way to not only keep kids occupied and away from the TV screen for hours at a time, but they’ll also learn new skills and meet other kids.

Guest Article.