School holidays can be a boon for parents who are itching to get their homes back. However, it can be a double-edged sword if your child is left with nothing to do but laze around the house all day and worse if he/she is on the device! If they’re not in school, how do you avoid your child getting bored and driving you up the wall? That’s why I put together this list of ideas that will help keep your children occupied during the school holidays. While some of these may not work for everyone — there’s always something different you can do as a parent to keep boredom at bay. From art galleries to cooking classes and organized sports activities, there are plenty of options available for keeping kids busy and happy during school holidays. Read on to discover 8 tips for parents who want to keep their kids from boredom during school holidays…
1. Plan Ahead
This is the first and most important thing you need to do if you want to keep your kids from boredom during school holidays. But is also the toughest to do due to our busy schedule. If your child already has something scheduled for the coming weeks, they’re more likely to stay occupied and engaged.
If you are looking to plan ahead, start by looking at their school calendar and plan out the holidays accordingly. If your child has a week off, plan activities they can do over the weekend and during the weekdays. If they have four weeks off, you can extend the activities to last a little longer. If your child is a bit younger and is in pre-school, this is even more important and may require more planning so as to make sure you have an engaging and fun curriculum planned out for them. For older children, there are always holiday camps or programmes available near you that you can check out and sign up for!
2. Go on a Holiday
If you have the financial means and the time off from work, booking a holiday for your family is a great way to keep the kids from boredom during school holidays. I always love to go on a holiday with my family as this is a great time for family bonding too!
Even a staycation is good enough. If your kids are a little bit older, you can even extend the break from school and make it a little work trip. This will give you a chance to catch up on work and have time for leisure as well. You can plan a short family holiday to a nearby city or a country that is within driving distance. You can also plan a trip abroad if you have the means to do so. If you travel with your children a lot, they are less likely to get bored because they will always have something to look forward to — new places to explore.
3. Visit the Library
Libraries are great places to visit. Your child can get access to books, magazines, and even music. Many libraries also offer programmes for children, like storytime. Your child can visit the library every week, borrow some books and have access to a wide variety of reading material. This keeps boredom at bay for both children and adults. You can even take this a step further by encouraging your kids to pick out books they are interested in and making reading a habit. You can also borrow books for yourself as well, which I always do.
4. Organized Sports Activities
If your child loves sports, there are plenty of organized sporting activities that take place during the school holidays. Depending on the sport, you may have to sign up for your child early. If your child is a bit younger, this is also a great way to keep them occupied and engaged during school holidays. Sports are highly beneficial for the children’s development which helps to build their motor skills and confidence level.
Many sporting leagues have programmes for younger children, teaching them skills and also providing them with an opportunity to socialize with other kids their age. This is also a great way to get your child interested in a sport they can keep participating in as they grow older. Start by checking out your local community centres for those activities.
5. Help Your Child Start a New Hobby or Learn A New Skill
If your child is interested in a particular hobby or skill, this is another great way to keep them busy during the school holidays. If you have the time and the resources, you can help your children learn a new skill or pursue a hobby of their own.
Recently, my daughter is into crocheting and during the one-week holiday, she has set aside a portion of her time each day to work on a mini crocheting project of her own. In fact, we combined our holiday trip with a new hobby together in this pic.
You can look for classes in your city or online that can help children learn a variety of skills. Otherwise, there is always YouTube to search for tutorials to learn from, which we did for our crocheting project. Some skills that children can learn include pottery, painting, drawing, music, dance, theatre, and yoga. There are many creative and artistic skills that children can learn as well. These skills also help children improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. It also teaches them how to be patient and persistent as they may not master the skill the first time they try it. You can also dedicate time to helping your children with homework or any projects they’re working on in the classroom.
6. Go Out for Dinner Together as A Family
This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s important to spend time with your children even when you don’t have anything planned for them. You can go out for dinner together as a family, or make a point to take them out for ice cream after school. This doesn’t have to be a costly affair — you can go to a cheap restaurant or get takeout from a nearby place. This is a great way to spend quality time with your children and help them avoid boredom during school holidays. Plus, it doesn’t cost a lot of money and you can do it as often as you want.
7. Try Out Art Classes and Craft Activities at the Workshop
We love craft activities as these can be great ways for a child to de-stress and engage with their creative side during the school holidays. Some workshops, like pottery or painting, keep the child engaged for hours as they create different pieces of art.
We also tried our hands on customising our own handphone cover. The children were engrossed in the activity for a few solid hours!
Other workshops and classes, like music or dance, are great ways for your child to express themselves through movement and rhythm. These are also great ways for your child to make new friends with other children who also enjoy these activities.
8. Plan a Day Out with Friends or Co-Parents
If your child has friends or a group of co-parents that they’re close to, why not plan a day out with them? This could be a trip to a local museum or theme park. Explore places that interest your child. You can also check out what museums and other day-out places that are nearby. If your child is too young to go out on their own with friends, you can still make it a family affair and invite the other parents over. This is a great way to keep your child from boredom during school holidays.
Conclusion
The first step towards preventing boredom among your kids during school holidays is to make plans. Once you have their activities scheduled, your children will have something to look forward to and their boredom can be kept at bay. You can also help them explore their creative side and make new friends along the way. I hope these 8 tips for parents who want to keep their children from boredom during school holidays are also keeping to stay engaged and happy.
Don’t forget to save this post for your future reference. If you have more ideas to share, do feel free to put them in the comments below!