Summer is a really difficult time for children and parents. 5-7 weeks holiday where you have to juggle work and entertaining your children.
We’ve compiled a top 10 list of activities to do on a budget for your children’s mental health during the holiday period. We hope this helps.
- Outdoor Exploration: Encourage children to spend time outdoors exploring nature. This can involve bird watching, plant identification or a scavenger hunt. The National Trust (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/) has numerous resources for outdoor exploration activities.
- Artistic Expression: Art can be a great way for children to express their feelings. Resources such as Artful Parent (https://artfulparent.com/) provide numerous art projects and crafts that are budget-friendly.
- Yoga and Mindfulness: Cosmic Kids Yoga (https://www.cosmickids.com/) offers free, child-friendly yoga and mindfulness activities that can help improve children’s mental health.
- Reading and Storytelling: Regularly reading to and with your children can stimulate their imagination and be a fun, calming activity. The British Council (https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/) has an extensive free library for kids.
- Physical Activity: Regular physical exercise can boost mental health. GoNoodle (https://www.gonoodle.com/) provides numerous free videos with child-friendly workout routines.
- Music and Dance: Encourage children to express themselves through music and dance. Resources, such as Movement and Mindfulness (https://move-to-improve.teachable.com/), offer free resources.
- Cooking and Baking: Teaching children to cook and bake can be fun and therapeutic. BBC Good Food Kids (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-cooking) offers kid-friendly, budget-conscious recipes.
- Online Games: Child-friendly online games that foster creativity and critical thinking can be beneficial. CBeebies (https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies) has games that are free and educational.
- DIY Science Experiments: A fun and budget way to learn can be through DIY science projects. Science Fun for Everyone (https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/) has numerous ideas that can be done with household items.
- Gardening: Growing their own plants can be rewarding and help children feel more connected to nature. RHS (https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools) provides kid-friendly tips on gardening.