Activities for Summer Holidays

Looking for ideas on how to keep the kids occupied during the summer holidays? Here are some of our top tips for how to make the most of the summer break.

The Great Outdoors:
British summers can be a tricky time for parents. Even the most rigorous plans fall victim to the somewhat unreliable weather. Consequently, making the most of what our countryside has to offer can be a challenge and having a backup plan is always a good idea. From taking part in wildlife surveys to making insect hotels, there are a host of things you can do to promote a child’s relationship with the natural world, often without looking much further than your front door.

Creature Comforts:
Almost any outdoor space can be used to provide much-needed shelter for some kind of animal or insect. Organisations such as the RSPB, The Woodland Trust and The Wildlife Trusts have plenty of ideas on how you and your child can help, complete with plans on how to build your very own critter accommodation — using mostly found and recycled materials, too: the perfect summer project.

RSPB
The Woodland Trust
The Wildlife Trusts

Wild Challenge:
A call to be wild! Complete tasks and earn bronze, silver and gold awards for your efforts. Aimed at keeping children engaged with the natural world all year round, the RSPB’s Wild Challenge includes activities like measuring the weather, building bird boxes and counting wildflowers. Create an account on the RSPB website to take part and achieve that gold place.

Keeping Tabs:
Wildlife surveys are vital work, but they’re also a good way of teaching youngsters about nature and the need for conservation. Children of any age can help, along with the added incentive of contributing to important research. The Big Butterfly Count, for example, runs from Friday 15th July to Sunday 7th August and all you need is a sunny spot and 15 spare minutes. Download the ID chart or app from the website and start recording what you see: butterfly-conservation.org

Family-Orientated Activities:
Once the school year is done and the concentration of exams has passed, it can feel as though a bit of quality time with our nearest and dearest is well overdue. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for the whole unit.

The Bristol Museum & Art Gallery:
From Banksy to the Bristol Dinosaur, the range of collections on display here will be more than enough to keep the whole family entertained. You can book your place in advance or just turn up on the day, but the website recommends booking ahead if you intend to see one of the more popular exhibitions, like the current ‘Grayson’s Art Club’. Check the website for the full range of attractions they have on offer: bristolmuseums.org.uk

National Play Day:
From humble origins in 1987, Playday went national in 1991 and has since grown to become one of Europe’s largest celebrations of children’s play, with over 850 events held nationwide last year. It takes place on Wednesday 3rd August. Either plan your own activities or take a look at the website for local events: playday.org.uk

Creativity is Key:
Creative expression helps with so many things, not least in keeping the dreaded summer brain-slump at bay. It has been shown to support cognitive growth and improve focus. Whether it’s writing a letter, drawing a picture or joining a local choir, there are countless ways to encourage creative expression in children.

Summer Reading Challenge:
Presented by The Reading Agency, the Summer Reading Challenge is designed to keep children engaged with literature when they’re not at school. Either online or via participating public libraries, children set themselves tasks researching a given theme, which this year is ‘Gadgeteers’. Special rewards are given after they finish each book and a certificate is given to all who complete the challenge. It launches on Saturday 9th July in participating libraries in England and Wales. Find out more here: summerreadingchallenge.org.uk

Keeping Active:
According to Public Health England, in research published in 2019, 95% of children enjoy physical activity or sport with their parent or guardian, yet just 20% of boys and 14% of girls meet the criteria to be considered ‘active’, which for the UK Chief Medical Officers is 60 minutes of activity of moderate intensity. An hour seems like a lot, but it needn’t be done in one go, and the main thing is that it should be fun, so here goes…

10 Minute Shake Up:
The NHS has teamed up with Disney to bring short bursts of fun that can be played alongside some of the most popular creations of the studio. There are a variety of options for playing solo or part of a group. A branch of the ‘better health, healthier families’ initiative, which also includes plenty of other ideas to help families eat well and move more: nhs.uk/healthier-families/activities/10-minute-shake-up

Yoga:
Yoga has become increasingly popular across the globe with people of all age groups. In a post-pandemic world, it is easy to see why something known for its positive effect on stress and anxiety would gain the attention it has. With so much content out there — from free YouTube videos to premium subscription-based services — there has never been a better time to get started.

Grab it While You Can:
An active time needn’t be the result of careful planning and, given the hit-and-miss nature of British summers, it’s important to make the most of the opportunities you have. Handy tip: use the environment you are in to provide the entertainment. Nice day on the beach? Pick a pebble and see who can find the closest match in a set time frame. Walking in the woodland? How many trees can you touch in 5 minutes; bonus points for naming the types of tree.

Other educational resources:
There are plenty of resources online which can be used to support your child’s learning outside of the school term – Futurumcareers.com provides an excellent resource with several free activity sheets, academic articles for a range of ages and science articles for students.

While it is tempting to see the summer break as just a time to wind down from the pressures of the academic year, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that extracurricular activity is important for the cognitive, social and psychological development and well-being of all children, be it in the classroom or out in the wider world. Hopefully, these tips might provide some inspiration to keep the summer active, healthy and fun.