After months of having the kids at home and home schooling, just the thought of keeping them entertained during the summer holidays may be a little exhausting. Here’s a list of activities to help keep them occupied:
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See friends!
With lockdown restrictions easing, it’s a great opportunity to plan lots of playdates with friends. Kids will love seeing and running around with their friends again.
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Enjoy a family bike ride.
Many people spent more time being active outside during lockdown and the summer holidays are a perfect time to keep this up, especially if we get some nice, warm weather.
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Become an artist for the day.
Unleash your child’s artistic talent by taking them to the local park and getting them to draw what they see around them.
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Get creative in the kitchen.
Pick out some recipes to make that the kids will love helping with, and especially eating afterwards! Make colourful pizzas, rainbow fruit salads or blend up some tasty smoothies.
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Build a den.
Children have great imaginations. Use empty cardboard boxes to build a fort, den or pirate ship in the garden, or cushions and chairs inside if the weather is bad. They have hours of fun making up stories and playing inside them.
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Camp in the garden.
Pitch a tent in the garden, take some snacks, and stargaze. Children will love the adventure.
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Have a water fight.
On a hot day, there’s no better way to cool down. Everyone loves a water fight and the kids will enjoy doing something they’re not normally allowed to!
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Set up an assault course.
Create things to jump over, climb under and go round. Make it a race and see how quickly they can get round the course.
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Set up a treasure hunt.
Gather some objects and hide them around the house or garden. Depending on the age of your children, you could make a treasure map or make it harder will riddle clues.
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Make a dance routine.
Children love to dance. Give them a song and let them go away and create a dance routine to show you later.
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Visit a local farm.
Farms often put on lots of family fun activities over the summer holidays and kids always love to see cute baby animals.
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Visit a museum.
Museums are a great way to keep learning over the summer and many have interactive exhibitions to keep children entertained. There are plenty of museums that offer free entry in London!
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Pick your own.
Visit your local fruit farm and hand pick strawberries, cherries, blueberries and raspberries to take home and enjoy.
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Explore local woodlands.
There will be plenty of wildlife and plant life for the kids to spot.
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Get creative with chalk.
A simple way to keep the kids entertained is to provide them with coloured chalk and let them create masterpieces on the patio or driveway.
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Chill.
On some days (hopefully!) children will just be happy to spend time at home, reading, watching a film or playing games.
The Oak-Tree Group of Schools consists of Braeside in Buckhurst Hill, Coopersale Hall in Epping, Normanhurst in North Chingford and Oaklands in Loughton.
