Time is precious, and so are Holidays!
Holidays are an amazing period – to relax and to get refreshed. We all need breaks from our busy schedules and routines, and so do our children.
After a long and tedious routine of school and exams, children’s excitement and curiosity have already set in for the holidays which are waiting just around the corner. However, sometimes managing children’s free time becomes quite challenging and tough. To think of ways to keep children creatively engaged and active during their holidays to avoid boredom and them wasting time is quite an uphill task for many parents.
But, let me tell you this, getting bored is a good thing for children, and we must allow them the boredom space from time to time. Children not only learn how to manage their free time proactively by exploring ways to handle boredom in an efficient way, but they also develop independence and ownership of their own happiness and well-being.
Let us face it; whether one is an adult or a child, we all have been confronted with boredom at some point of time in our lives. We have almost always looked for ways to tackle it proactively and efficiently and the best part is – that we’ve mostly responded by doing something we genuinely enjoy doing e.g., invested ourselves in learning new things, returning to our favourite hobbies, or enhancing one’s creative skills. This helps in channelizing our energy and time productively.
For young children, urge them to listen to the audio story, “Jason Helps Out“. Children are sure to empathize with Jason and come to understand that they are not alone and will be able to learn how to utilize one’s own free time in doing something new, creative and useful. This story will help them take charge of their free time and respond to boredom with excitement.
One of the best practices that I know of is- to sit with our children and chart out their activities every morning and share the length of time they’re expected to engage with each activity on the list. This will assure them that they’re not on their own and will help them stay on activities/tasks more enthusiastically and happily, looking forward to each day with eager eyes. How to structure one’s own time is also important for them to learn so that they can eventually do it independently.
Returning to the topic, consider these top 12 activities to engage kids and keep their young minds creatively occupied and active during holidays.
Here goes…
- Play games
Fresh air and exercise are essential for children during holidays to be physically fit and healthy, else laziness will make its way in. Encourage them to go out and stretch. Pick their favourite outdoor activity- cycling, skating, swimming, basketball or simply play hide and seek with friends. Visiting nearby parks and having fun with equipment like slides, see-saw, merry-go-round, swings and kids’ gym are other good options.
Similarly, indoor games are fun and exciting to keep them mentally active. Go for playing board games with your children, remind them to solve jigsaw puzzles, or play Name-Place-Animal with siblings or friends by picking random letters of the alphabet.
Some classic childhood games that teach important life skills can be found here.
- Aim for ‘Recreational Reading’ time to inspire the love of reading.
Inculcate the habit of reading and help them make books their life-long friends!
Reading helps them grow mentally, psychologically and emotionally. It improves concentration and imagination power, enhances creativity, and improves language and vocabulary skills. Visit nearby libraries; read aloud book/s of their choice before bedtime –short picture books, graphic novels and comics or even academic books. Remember, every book is worth reading!
- Take a Walk in Nature
Move outdoors and immerse in the beauty of Mother Nature. Nature trips relax the minds and promote observation skills in children.
Choose a garden, riverside or explore the neighbourhood. Accompany your children in the mornings when it is peaceful and quiet all around. Feel the crisp air, walk on the green grass, hug tall trees and observe flowers blooming in the warmth of sunrise. Listen to birds’ melodious songs, and watch for bugs, animals, and flies.
The first thing that I like to do whenever we go out to any new place is, ask my child to list down (orally) 5 or 10 things he saw, heard and noticed around. With this approach, I have seen a child usually zooms in and becomes mindful of the surroundings he/she is in to appreciate the environment a little more. Try this with your little ones too and let me know if it was a helpful tip or not!
Alternatively, plan some evenings with your children to witness a scenic sunset and stargazing in the night sky to have a memorable experience of the natural world.
- Gardening
Gardening is a fun way for children to be innovative and to stay close to nature. Children like digging in the dirt and are happy to mess around in the mud and get all dirty!
Planting is an easy activity – and all you got to do is collect some seedlings, find a small patch of soil in the garden or arrange planters. Next, assist your children in planting some veggies or flowers; encourage them to water those plants every day and to notice how they grow. This activity teaches a part of Science- Plant growth and Photosynthesis.
Also, watering daily develops a sense of responsibility among children, and eating what they are growing gives them immense happiness and satisfaction.
So, keep time for gardening during the holidays. If you want to foster gardening as a lifelong therapeutic me-time with nature, then keep a window for it in your child’s daily planner!
- Sort out old toys and organize the room
The bedroom plays a significant role for a child. It is that favourite and precious space in the whole house, where they dedicate maximum hours of a day. During holidays, if the family outing is not on the list, this part of the house becomes all the more important for children.
So, during vacation, encouraging them to sort old toys and donate what is no longer in use can help promote empathy, creativity and enthusiasm in them. Dusting off the photo frames and bookshelves; moving a table, a couch or a bed; rearranging the wardrobe can help block out distractions. Children feel more joyful and self-regulated when their room has a calm and pleasant ambience.
- Be a Chef and Don the Chef’s Hat
There is something in cooking for all. And children too can try their skills as Chefs. Cooking in the kitchen with adult supervision will teach them the importance of hygiene and nutrition.
Begin with some easy stuff like fruit salad, milkshake, smoothie, fruit juices, making popsicles, cracking an egg or making sandwiches. This activity will boost their confidence once their dish is ready and enjoyed by all.
Dear Parents, keep calm and maintain patience as kitchen mess happens for sure. But children can be enrolled in clearing the clutter too!
- Learn New Skills
Vacations are great opportunities for children to learn new things. Investing this time in learning something new, one that interests and inspires them- like playing an instrument, some form of dance, fine arts, learning a new language or creative writing- can help in tapping their talent and assist them in becoming more innovative and skilled. Access YouTube channels, ‘how-to’ resources and other available online resources without investing more money.
- Go Crafty
One of the excellent ways to spend time during the holidays is doing arts and crafts. It goes well for all ages. Get those drawing sheets, paints, crayons, and sketch pens and turn on your child’s creativity and imagination in the artwork; get engaged with them. Those interested can indulge in jewellery making art using beads, wire and clasps. It gives a proud feeling to wear a piece created by oneself. Other forms of crafting include knitting, nail art, embroidery, papercraft and rock painting. Go Crafty!
- Water play
Water play offers an excellent sensory experience to children and adults alike. It also enhances gross motor skills and sensory exploration. Washing the family car or any vehicle, upcycling a plastic bottle and using it as a sprinkler, playing with water balloons and water guns, going out fishing, and swimming are a few water play therapeutic activities that offer lots of learning opportunities. Inflatable bathtubs are an excellent option to enjoy a calm bath at home or in the backyard.
Water activities are always energetic and entertaining. And it is an excellent way to have fun and stay cool! But avoid wasting water and encourage children to use it consciously!
- Create Vacation Journal and make memories
Children can engage themselves in writing their thoughts, ideas and experiences.
Ask your children to prepare a fancy scrapbook or Daily Journal and design it attractively using colourful stationery, stamps, smileys etc.
Help them express what they want to be, do, and have by making self-portraits. They can add or draw photos of special moments and write notes on them. Let this journal be a lovely memory for the future. Indulging children in such activities develops innovative skills, improves writing skills and brings out the hidden talent too.
- Listen to Audio stories
A well-paced narration and a comforting audio story with a moral message empower the young and impressionable minds in many ways. Make the most out of the opportunities with the audio stories available online during vacation.
If you are wondering where you can encourage your children to listen to empowering yet entertaining audio stories. Well, well, audio stories curated with care, especially for little ones at ‘Storyland’ by ‘She Narrates’ are our recommendation! These are for free! So, make the best use of time with your little ones at ‘Storyland’.
- Spend time with Family
The greatest pleasure of all is spending time with family. Collect those priceless moments and not the things. Go for picnics, camping and road trips. If not far, then opt for some close-by beach or garden. Visit a Zoo or Museum and explore the world.
Visit grandparents and other families and share stories over meals. Invite all cousins and aunts to your house and have a bash night. It is thrilling!
Plan a day for shopping. Watch movies together. If nothing, be at home and have a debating chat over snack time.
And finally!!
With these activities, I trust you’ll be able to chart along a daily schedule during children’s holidays efficiently and keep them engaged with fun-filled activities and add sparkles of joy, learning and entertainment. Capture and cherish the special moments. Activities mentioned above will surely bring contentment; feelings of time well-spent, making children also feel more revived to concentrate better when schools reopen.
Have a happy holiday! Cheers!
