Are you looking for ways to entertain the children during vacation time? Holidays are a wonderful opportunity to bond with your kids, but they can also become stressful when boredom sets in and squabbles start. With a little planning and a few simple resources on hand, you can keep everyone busy, amused, and having a great time.
Putting a bit of thought into your holiday activities in advance means less mischief and more fun. Here are some tried-and-tested ideas to help you prepare for vacation time with your children.
Create Your Own Games
If your child loves being creative, encourage them to make their own games — whether that’s a version of one they already know, or something entirely new they’ve invented themselves.
Why not make your own colouring sheets or a simple colouring book? With some basic supplies like glue, scissors, and crayons or colouring pencils, kids can put together fun games like pin the tail on the donkey, snakes and ladders, or a word and number search.
Being creative this way keeps children occupied for longer than you’d expect — they’ll enjoy preparing the materials for the game almost as much as playing it afterwards.
Make Your Own Garden Assault Course
One of the best ways to get kids outdoors and active is an assault course, and building one in your garden is easier than you might think.
Use pieces of wood, buckets, garden chairs, and boxes — basically anything the kids can jump over, crawl under, or walk around. They can also challenge each other to complete the course on a scooter, skateboard, bicycle, or simply by running. Make use of what you already have around the house to create a brilliant outdoor adventure for your children.
Build a Tent!
Looking for an exciting way to get the kids working together during the holidays? Build a tent or a den! This works well indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather.
Use blankets and sheets, or sticks, branches, and waterproof covers — whatever you have to hand. Once the tent is up, pack a picnic for them to bring inside. You won’t see them again for hours!
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Organise a Treasure Hunt
This one takes a little preparation, but if it goes well, you’ll have the kids squealing with delight for hours.
Create a treasure map with clues leading to a hidden “treasure” somewhere in the garden. It doesn’t need to be anything expensive — even a small treat feels exciting when children have to follow a trail of clues to find it. A few sweets or lollipops along the way make the journey even sweeter. If the weather’s not on your side, simply move the hunt indoors.
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Get the Kids Cooking or Baking
This one’s always a hit — children love getting messy in the kitchen! Plan a cooking or baking day and involve them right from the start.
Let them choose a few recipes from ingredients you already have, or that they can help shop for. Encourage them to read through the recipe and decide what they’d like to make themselves.
They may need a hand with some of the trickier steps, but the goal is to involve them in every stage — including the washing up afterwards! The whole process will take longer than doing it yourself, but you can be sure they’ll have great fun along the way.
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Cultivate a Garden Patch
Showing your children how nature works can be a fun and genuinely educational activity for vacation time. Give each child their own small patch to plant and look after.
Depending on their age and the time of year, help them choose flowers, herbs, fruit, or vegetables — something quick-growing that will give them a real sense of achievement. Your children will be happy and relaxed getting their hands dirty in the soil, and their patch might even attract some wildlife to enjoy along the way.
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Have Swimming & Splashing Fun
If you’re planning a day out or a trip away, look out for places to go swimming or splashing about — kids burn off an incredible amount of energy playing in water.
Whether it’s the sea, a lake, the local pool, or a waterpark, an afternoon of swimming will leave them tired out and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
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Try a few of these ideas and you’ll be well on your way to a happy, memorable vacation — with the kids fully engaged in new activities and games, and a lot less time spent bored or under your feet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I keep children entertained during the holidays without spending much money?
Most of the best activities cost little to nothing — building a den, running a treasure hunt, or setting up a garden assault course all use things you likely already have at home, like blankets, boxes, and garden furniture.
What can I do with children on a rainy day during vacation time?
Move activities indoors: build a den with blankets and cushions, organise an indoor treasure hunt, get creative with homemade games and colouring, or set the kids up in the kitchen for some baking.
How do I keep siblings from fighting out of boredom during the holidays?
Give them a shared project to work on together — a tent to build, an obstacle course to design, or a treasure hunt to solve. Working towards a common goal tends to bring siblings together rather than pit them against each other.
What are good outdoor activities for kids during vacation time?
A garden assault course, a treasure hunt, gardening, and swimming are all great ways to get children outside and active during the holidays.
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- 10 Mega Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids
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- Top Tips to Get Your Children Into Gardening
- Water Safety Tips
Looking for more ways to fill the days? Browse our full collection of things to do with kids for even more ideas, whatever the weather.
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