There are many fun things to do when at home with the kids over the holidays!
But as a busy working parent, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed at the mere thought of the school holidays. With so much to catch up on and chores to get done around the house, finding fun things to when at home with the kids can feel like a huge challenge!
So if you’re feeling lost about how on earth you’ll be able to keep the kids creatively engaged at home, without losing your mind in the process, then this blog post is for you!
Here’s a short list of fun (and simple) things you could do when at home with the kids during the school holidays:
1. Do arts & crafts together!
Kids love messy play but this excitement is not often shared by busy parents who begin to have dreaded nightmares of colourful walls of painted artwork, play dough filled sofas and rainbow, crayon-infused carpets at just the thought of messy play!
But doing arts and crafts together is still a fun way to get messy with your kids without the clean-up nightmares.
Arts and crafts are a great way to keep kids entertained for hours! You could do something as simple as colouring in a colouring book, get doodling together with the Doodle Dozen or you could make your own crafts together like felt flowers, paper characters, or origami animals out of paper. Kids love to colour and draw pictures. Make sure you have plenty of paper, colouring pencils, and crayons available for them to use.
2. Build a fort
This is the perfect project for a rainy day. There are so many different ways you can build your fort. You can use chairs, blankets, cardboard, or anything else you have around the house.
The possibilities are endless! Arrange the chairs to be the walls of your fort, cover with blankets and enter your fort for the perfect imaginary escape!
3. Lego challenge
Lego can spark creativity and imagination in children and adults alike. They come in all shapes and sizes and it doesn't cost much to get started with them either!
Get some of your old Legos out of storage or order some new ones - we guarantee you'll have a blast building with them!
Pro tip: Make sure the kids tidy up those Legos afterwards as there is nothing worse than stepping on one of these while hoovering! Ouch!
4. Bake together!
Baking together is a great way to spend time with your kids. It is a fun and interactive activity that will help them learn new skills, develop their creativity and strengthen family relationships.
We love making carrot cupcakes, banana bread, or chocolate brownies together!
And especially at Christmas time, we enjoy making our amazing Christmas cookies, yummmm!
5. Play a game!
Board games are a great way to spend time with the family. If you don't have a lot of time, you could just try some imaginative play with their toys on the floor!
You can also play with your children by taking turns being the leader of the game and making up new rules on the fly.
Card games are also a good way to spend time with your children and teach them skills like strategy and planning. They can be played with friends or family members. Uno is one of our family favourites!
6. Get reading together!
Reading aloud and talking about books together is a great way to foster a love of reading in children.
Have your child read a book to you, then discuss the story. Or you could read the book together and talk about what you think happened in the story.
You could also take a trip to your local library and stock up on some new books for the holidays!
If you're looking for something new and exciting to read with your kids, check out our very own Doodle Dozen picture books, they are a delight for kids aged 4-8 years.
You can order your own copies here without even leaving the house!
Conclusion
Some of the best ways to keep children entertained at home all day long involve a creative activity. These activities can be as simple as colouring and drawing or as complex as building with Lego. Games are also great ways to have simple fun indoors together.
It is important for parents to know what their children enjoy so they can be more creative with the activities they provide them. But remember, kids are incredibly creative and just need access to the tools and resources to inspire their own creativity. Check out our Doodle Dozen books if your family’s favourite creative past time involves doodling! And if you are looking for some FREE doodling activities for the kids, check out our FREE downloadable colouring sheets or our FREE how to draw animals beginner's guide below!
Until next time, keep dreaming, keep believing and keep doodling!
Your doodling pals,
Doodle Dozen