100 ideas to prevent boredom in the Summer holidays

As parents, we spend most of the year looking forward to the Summer holidays. And yet, dreading them in equal measure. The positive is six weeks spending time with our beloved offspring. The negative is six weeks spending time with our beloved offspring. So, with the help of my four and six year old, here are 100 ideas to keep children busy this Summer. We might write each one on a piece of paper and pick one at random when the girls are bored. They’ll enjoy some more than others!

At home – indoor summer holidays play

1. Make Christmas cards. I know, it seems ridiculous but soon, the children will be back to school and it will be time to write your cards. I love letting the girls make cards for family but always run out of time. So, those bored moments in the Summer holidays are the perfect time to do it. I’ve done a bit of research and found some great Christmas card ideas on Red Ted Art.

2. Build a bedsheet den

3. Make your own reusable wrapping paper

4. Make pompoms

5. Make a time capsule to bury in the garden

6. Build a lego model

7. Make a bird feeder or buy a bird house to decorate. We loved decorating this little bird house from Boxwild. It came with a bird feeder and seeds too, perfect for hanging outside when it comes to Autumn and Winter.

8. Watch a favourite film

9. Watch a film you’ve never seen

10. Make lunch together

At home – outdoor play

11. Play tag

12. Play on the trampoline

13. Play in a playhouse

14. Invite friends round to play in the garden

15. Have a water fight

16. Paint stones. If you haven’t heard about rock hunting, Jenny from Monkey and Mouse blog has written a fab post about the rock hunting craze. It’s a great way for children to learn about giving things to others as well as practicing their art skills.

17. Play in the paddling pool

18. Set up an obstacle course race

19. Have running races in the garden

20. Skipping with a rope

Helping out around the house

21. Sorting out washing

22. Loading the dishwasher

23. Tidying their room

24. Make lunch. We love the Gruffalo recipe book and the girls were delighted when we made fox sandwiches!

25. Pack a picnic

26. Choose an old toy to donate to charity

27. Vacuum

28. Sort through clothes and donate ones they’ve grown out of to charity

29. Find all the books they’re too old for and donate to charity

30. Dusting

Helping outside

31. Weeding

32. Plant quick-growing seeds that they can eat before the end of the holiday such as cress

33. Plant vegetables that they will be able to eat this Winter. We love the Rocket Gardens Winter pack which makes it really easy.

34. Plant a fruit tree

35. Water the plants

36. Tidy up garden toys

37. Take cuttings from plants to grow elsewhere or give away as presents

38. Wash the car

39. Clean their bikes

40. Find any outdoor toys they no longer use to donate to charity

Places to visit – outdoors

41. National Trust outdoor locations. This is a brilliant post about National Trust properties around the UK, with recommendations for family days out in various locations.

42. English Heritage outdoor locations

43. Local sports field

44. Local athletics track

45. Local riding school for a lesson or trek

46. A theme park

47. Find an open space to fly a kite

48. Local park

49. Rock climbing (with an organised group)

50. Local formal gardens

Places to visit – indoors

51. A local castle

52. National Trust indoor locations

53. English Heritage indoor locations

54. Local swimming pool. This is a great time to encourage reluctant swimmers. Here are some tips for building water confidence in younger children.

55. Ice skating

56. Indoor shopping centre

57. Velodrome

58. Cinema

59. Soft play

60. Go out for lunch

Free and low cost outdoor fun

61. Build a den

62. Roll down a hill

63. Grass sledging

64. Go for a run

65. Go for a bike ride

66. Swim or paddle in a safe lake or stream. You can read about the benefits of open water swimming and it’s a great activity to do as a family.

67. Geocaching

68. Nature treasure hunt – make a list of things to find and race to find them first

69. Go to the beach

70. Climb a tree

Free and low cost indoor fun

71. Library

72. Free museums

73. Tourist information centre – a great place to go to find out what’s going on in your local area. Some of them even incorporate a museum or display about your local area. You can find your local tourist information centre here.

74. Hide and seek

75. Hiding treasure (chocolate treats) for each other to find

76. Free events in local shopping centres

77. Free art galleries

78. Local cafe with play area

79. Take a train ride

80. Visit family

Keeping up with learning

81. Read a book

82. Keep a diary

83. Write a story

84. Complete the Summer Reading Challenge. This is a free event run by UK libraries to encourage children to keep up with their reading over the Summer.

85. Research next year’s project topic

86. Play educational games on the tablet or computer

87. Make a board game based on one of your school subjects and play it together

88. Draw a picture to keep up fine motor skills

89. Recite all the times tables you know

90. Read signs when you’re out and about

Getting ready to go back to school

91. Buying school uniform

92. Reading school books

93. Catching up with school holiday homework

94. Practice musical instruments

95. Catch up with school friends

96. Learn key skills like tying shoe laces or recognising their name

97. Practice the school run if you’ll be doing it for the first time

98. Do a science project. You can find an incredible list of possible science projects here, we’ll definitely be having a go at one of them this Summer.

99. Buy next year’s stationery

100. Make a new school bag or pencil case