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How to Keep Your Child Entertained This Summer

• Posted by Sophia Lee July 25, 2022 Filed in Family & Home 14 views
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  The summer break is a strange beast – we wait all year to enjoy time together as a family, but when it arrives it isn’t always the joyous occasion we’ve been hoping for. Having everyone at home can lead to arguments, especially when the weather is hot and temperatures frayed. Echoes of ‘I’m bored’ ring out from children who thrive on the routine of school and it’s no surprise that as parents we’re clockwatching and counting down to bedtime. Keeping your children entertained is the key to ensuring your family have a happy summer, and these tips with ideas for all ages and budgets will save your sanity.

  Day Trips

  Taking time away from the house can be good for everyone – a change of environment makes all the difference to people’s mood. Days out don’t have to be expensive. Trips to the park for a game of basketball or an ice cream are fun for all ages, and no one can resist a dip in the pool when the temperature rises.

  For older kids, cinema trips are popular, or if you are near the coast, spend time at the beach enjoying the summer sun. For younger children, making a trip out a reward for good behaviour can be a great incentive, especially if you give them the choice of the activity.

  In The House

  You don’t have to leave your house to have fun this summer. Younger children love being creative so get your craft on with a stash of cheap supplies such as ribbons and pompoms. Older kids might enjoy learning a new craft such as macrame or crochet, especially if they can then sell their products on at yard sales for a little extra pocket money – it encourages entrepreneurial spirit.

  Encourage all children to learn throughout the summer recess by creating challenges for them. Scavenger hunts are fun and encourage lateral thinking or why not stop their school laptop gathering dust by giving them a fun project to complete? If it’s a subject they’re interested in, it won’t feel like education, but they’ll still be honing all the research and technology skills that will benefit them throughout their school life.

  Socialise

  It might sound counterintuitive when you’ve been looking forward to quality time together as a family but spending time apart will enhance your relationships. Meeting up with other people offers new experiences and viewpoints and also gives you plenty of news to share when you are together. Spending time with classmates will help them retain friendships over the summer, which will make the return easier. Seeing extended family is also valuable so mixing with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents can build bonds that model what to expect from a healthy relationship.

  However you spend your summer, try not to get stressed. The days with children at home can feel long, but the years fly by and one day you will look back fondly at the long summers when your kids were small.