One of my moms famous pieces of advice to me as a child was “Only boring people get bored”. It certainly worked for me as I never wanted to be boring! Fast forward to now and I find myself using the phrase to my girls and although the children are probably enjoying their much needed time off school far too much (and finding the places I have hidden the chocolate), it is essential to keep their brains well exercised and their body moving, (especially when they come looking to their parents for ideas).

Here are some tricks that I have found to keep the family engaged and enjoying a stress free term time break. 

Set up an imagination station.

Pre holiday - stock up a designated area for messy, creative, an much needed for you alone time play. It can be packed with inexpensive colours and paper, but also lots of household items such as cardboard boxes and empty bottles. These will not normally get used up first by our non Blue Peter generation of kids – the idea is that with scissors and glue you can send them back to their ideas station when the ‘I’m bored’ ever get used. Having basic themes like space, movies, or robots, and sending them away to construct on their own, can give them extra confidence and encourage independent thinking. 

Printables.

Quick, cheap and easy to have pre-prepared. There are lots of free downloadable activities to print and do online. Discover a wave of activities that you would never have thought to design on your own. Giving your child the space to craft and built together reinforces social skills and keeps their mind active on positive endeavors.

Educational Quizzes

Trying to get the children to do even the slightest bit of extra work can be a challenge for parents but with online quizzes that are designed to be educational doesn't mean to say that they can't also be fun. This isn't necessarily a "free" option but with a site such as Education Quizzes, you can play and try certain quizzes free of charge as often as your child (or you) wishes. Subscription costs just £7.50 per month and when a subscription is taken out, every quiz on the site is playable and the student will then have a permanent record of which quizzes were played, when they were played and the scores achieved. I particularly like that they use multiple choice quizzes for revision because apparently they provide the fastest route to success. The quiz format constantly makes you think and concentrate so that the user moves forward quickly and doesn't feel pressurised, which is good for pre-teens with a desire to get through work as quickly as possible!!

Indoor science sessions.

Science activities can be expertly disguised as games by any willing parent and may be as valuable as the science leant in the classroom. Volcanoes are easily manifested with the help of some baking soda and vinegar and scientific gloop, in all sorts of varieties, can be whipped up from common kitchen ingredients. Simply Google ‘kitchen science experiments’ and you will find a wealth of easy ideas online. These activities help to foster skills that your children will need most when they head back to school.

Create a multimedia journalist.

What better way to celebrate time together as a family that to document it – well the good, argument free bits. Whether they decorate a notebook, keep a diary, film a Vlog, make a cartoon or create a photo album, it is a rewarding way for the children to practice their communication skills. Undue thanks will (hopefully) come later down the years, having encouraged them to catalogue their childhood ‘boring’ experiences.

Encourage Entrepreneurship.

Have your children pick out old clothes, toys, and games that they no longer use, that you have been longing for them to grow out of. Make a big deal out of all their efforts and show that it is going towards making some extra cash for everyone. Whether you choose to brave a car boot sale together, or get the children to construct a well thought out Ebay campaign, get them making signs, price tags on items, and thinking about money management skills. It is a great way to end the holiday with a reward for all your hard work in rest and play together.

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