Both parents and children look forward to the holidays. Everybody feels the need to relax and recharge their batteries.
In case children are forced to spend all their time at home while adults earn money, it is necessary to provide them with an interesting and useful pastime. This way they will not stay at home bored with the feeling of a wasted time of holidays.
It is always a good idea to use professional help at the daycare centers like Little Scholars. This way the team of experienced teachers provides your kid with high-quality care and education.
Otherwise, it’s a good idea to make a schedule that includes all the required and optional activities you can do. Ask your child what he or she would like to do and take the kid’s wishes into consideration.
It is important to mention that you should not take every free minute of children’s time. Thinking through every detail of what to do and where to go with your kids on holidays is quite tiresome and unnecessary. Sometimes the apparent inaction is even useful, and a bored child will soon find a useful activity.
What to do with kids at home?
We have all experienced situations in which, for one reason or another, we cannot leave the house with a child. Sometimes it happens because of Covid restrictions, sometimes simply because of the bad weather outside, or other reasons. So what to do with kids on holidays at home?
- Board games. If you don’t like children’s games, but want to spend your free time with children, take a closer look at board games and puzzles. Board games develop logic and reaction speed, reveal basic behavioral strategies, and simply allow family members to have fun. If you want to encourage the competitive spirit, you can write the results of the games on a table every day, promising a reward to the winner.
- Puzzles. Collecting puzzles contributes to the development of attention, logical thinking, and is also considered a good substitute for meditation since the person is fully focused on one action.
- DIY toys. Many toys sold in stores can be made by hand. For example, slime can be made from shampoo, starch, and oil. Fans of sewing can make stuffed animals out of old clothes. Artistic kids can make paper dolls with outfits for them.
- Cooking. Gingerbread, cinnamon buns, or dumplings with filling – cooking unusual and favorite food together helps to gain new skills and have fun. There is also a chance that one day the kid will surprise you by baking his own cake to wake you up.
Where to go on holidays with kids?
- Family trip. Plan a route for beginners. It can be a hiking trip with backpacks for a few nights in tents, and dinner around a campfire. Or maybe a trip to a modern campsite in your car with all the comfortable facilities. Choose the option that will bring you joy and pleasure.
- Cycling trips with picnics. An alternative to hiking are day trips by bike with snacks. You can make it really memorable: take a blanket, snacks, fruit, a large thermos of tea, maps, or diagrams and hit the road. Plan your route in advance, take everything you need with you, and don’t forget to be in a good mood!
- Travel by car. On your day off, you can take car trips to the nearest cities. For example, if you live in New York City, you can go to Greenport or Kingston to visit some historical landmarks and beautiful places. Trips can be one day or overnight in a hotel. You can go to museums, have lunch, and dinner in cafes, buy magnets and souvenirs. Explore the most interesting sights and look for the kinds of entertainment that are of interest to your child. Also, you may combine city tours with a short history lecture.
- Excursions to the museums. Nowadays you can find a huge number of museums where you do not need to hold your parents by hand and kids are not afraid to touch something. In such museums, open exhibits show physical phenomena in an entertaining way. They are designed to encourage an interest in science from an early age. What is electricity, how did Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions work, how does the human body work, what are optical illusions? Kids can find the answers in these museums.
- Explore the places of interest in your city. It often happens that we go on a trip and admire the sights, but there is no time to get acquainted with memorable places in our hometown. It is the simplest way to find what to do with kids on school holidays. You may do a little research on famous people who lived in your city, which parks and historical buildings you haven’t visited yet, etc. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
- Treasure map. Invent a game like a scavenger hunt that can be extended throughout the holidays! A small “treasure” can be a bonus for each part of the card. And at the end, a real pirate chest will be waiting for you. Such a game for the whole period of holidays will turn into a real adventure, and your family will remember it for a long time.
- Treehouse. Or just a secret place for your child to play at. The main thing is to do it together and create a cozy space for the kid.
Additional activities for kids on holidays
Sometimes you may think that the stay-at-home activities are not enough. In this case, you may consider some educational classes at the daycare centers like Little Scholars.
In order for the child to keep up with the pace of studying it is better to constantly revise and replenish educational knowledge. This does not mean that the little student should sit with textbooks all day.
The caregivers know what to do with kids on school holidays to keep them entertained. Some of the additional activities may include:
- Painting – develops not only the fine motor skills of the child but is necessary for creative development, perception of color, and shape. Kids will learn how to create meaningful paintings instead of doodles. It is important to give the child the opportunity to do what he or she wants without limits. Individual approach is highly important to encourage a child’s creativity.
- Dancing – allows you to release blocked energy, relaxes muscles, improves body muscles, and helps to neutralize negative emotions. With the help of trained professionals, it is not only a fun activity but also a chance to learn some new dancing techniques at a very early stage.
- Music classes – the more musical genres you offer your child, the better. It is a great chance to expand the taste for music by listening to African, Celtic, classical music like a waltz, tango, rumba, and others. Also, playing soothing music before bed to calm the baby’s nervous system.
- Workshops – are also aimed at learning something new. They are designed to encourage the children’s interest in learning something new. The workshops reveal the kid’s talents and capabilities. They are very useful in deciding whether or not to continue with a course that the kid enjoys.
Kids are great learners, researchers, and explorers. The world around them is full of something new and interesting. Our main goal is to accompany them in the learning journey and help them discover their personalities.