{"id":5658,"date":"2019-07-23T21:36:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T21:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/?p=5658"},"modified":"2025-01-17T13:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T13:18:16","slug":"summer-holiday-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/summer-holiday-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Holiday Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In term time, children have a constant bombardment of homework, things to do and remember whilst at school, so for six weeks I think they need a break. The holidays are a time for children to re-charge their batteries, have quality time with friends and family and experience different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I\u2019m all for them keeping their brains ticking over and learning during the holidays. Enter the Summer Holiday Challenges. These are simple ideas for things to do, which stimulate, encourage creativity, teach a new skill or provide an experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are our Summer Holiday Challenges\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Go for a walk in the woods<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n
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Get back to nature, go on walks, identify flora and fauna (you could even get an i-SPY book on wild flowers<\/a> and see how many you can spot). We\u2019re huge fans of the National Trust<\/a>. Visits to NT venues always stimulate a lot of discussion and they usually have a lot of activities on during the school holidays. However, local woods will do just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go for a journey on public transport      <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We walk or go by car for most journeys so a trip on public transport can be a bit of a novelty. Get children to check timetables, help plan the journey, purchase the tickets and then check the progress of the journey on maps. Keep the tickets to include in a scrap book or journal of the summer holidays. Check out Zip Oyster Cards<\/a>, which provide free or heavily discounted London travel for children 5-10 & 11-15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sew some salad or vegetable seeds to harvest in autumn   <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Buy some seeds that are suitable for planting in the summer months and \u2013 crucially – are easy to grow. Let your children prepare the ground, sew them, label them and care for them. They\u2019ll enjoy harvesting them, and are usually more open to eating\/trying things they\u2019ve grown themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit a museum<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"Summer
London Transport Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are so many free museums to visit. They might not all be on the scale of the British Museum, but you\u2019re bound to find something that\u2019s of interest and they usually have activities specifically for children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do something to help nature<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Planting some wild
flowers for bees<\/a>, helping with recycling, feeding garden birds and picking up litter are just a few ideas. Its a great opportunity to talk about nature and learn more about the ecosystem.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create an instrument with household items<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

From matchbox or cereal box guitars to homemade drums, maracas and even carrot recorders; anything that makes a noise is usually a winner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join the summer reading challenge at your local library <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n
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The Summer Reading Challenge<\/a>, organised by the Reading Agency, is a great way to encourage reading over the summer holidays. It doesn\u2019t have to be just \u2018reading books\u2019, it can be information books, comic books or even a joke book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign up today for the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge at your local library. This year\u2019s theme is Marvellous Makers, so get creating, get reading and get stuck in!
https:\/\/summerreadingchallenge.org.uk\/ <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make a pavement chalk masterpiece<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Get the chalks out and get creative. Perhaps take inspiration from Bert\u2019s drawings in Mary Poppins! It\u2019ll all wash away when it next rains so take a photo of your art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join the Big Butterfly count <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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The Big Butterfly Count begins on Friday, 12th July 2024 and will run until Sunday, 4th August, 2024. You can download the identification chart and find out more details here: https:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/the-big-butterfly-count-2024\/<\/a> Simply count and identify butterflies for 15 minutes during bright weather at a park, your garden, fields, forests or anywhere else butterflies hang out. You can take part multiple times. Not only is it a nice activity, but your data helps assess the health of our environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build a den <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Who doesn\u2019t enjoy building a den? If the weather is rubbish, build a fortress inside. If the weather is good, get outside and use nature to build your den. Den building is one of the National Trust\u2019s 50 things to do before you\u2019re 11\u00be and they have some good tips: https:\/\/www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/50-things-to-do<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press some flowers or\nleaves<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Find some flowers and leaves to press (make sure they\u2019re flowers you are allowed to pick). You don\u2019t have to buy a flower press<\/a>; a very heavy book will work fine. Just place the leaves and flowers between two pieces of kitchen towel before putting them inside the book. Patience is required as it’ll take at least two weeks for them to be properly pressed. The pressings can be used to make cards, bookmarks, art or to decorate something.      <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organise a family\ngames night <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Dust off the board\ngames, find the matching pairs set, get Kerplunk<\/a>\nand Hungry\nHippos<\/a> out and even improvise with homemade targets\/target golf. It doesn\u2019t\nhave to be a three-hour game of Monopoly; it can be a host of simpler games\/games\nfor younger children played in quick succession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Summer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Write a letter or a\npostcard to someone <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In this digital era\npeople are putting pen to paper less often. It\u2019s always lovely to receive some \u2018nice\u2019\npost so get scribbling. Just ask someone how they\u2019re doing, tell them what you\u2019ve\nbeen up to; they\u2019ll really appreciate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try a new food <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Get them to be adventurous and try a new food or dish. If you\u2019re on holiday in another country, it\u2019s a great opportunity for kids to try something different. It doesn\u2019t matter if they don\u2019t like it, just encourage them to give it a go!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try a free maths app<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Find a maths app together that they can play. A few you could try include: DoodleMaths<\/a>, King of Maths and Pet Bingo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find a recipe and make a shopping list of ingredients<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Get children involved in the meal planning<\/a>. This gives them the opportunity to make decisions about what they\u2019d like to eat and also shows them the process of getting food to the table! For some inspiration check out my post: Family Meal Inspiration for 2019 <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn to count to ten in another language <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Get the kids learning a few words of another language, it could come in handy! There are plenty of online resources and books from your library that can help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spot and identify birds visiting your garden<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re big fans of our feathered friends. We have the i-SPY Birds<\/a> books to help identify visitors to our garden and make a bit of a challenge out of it (check out other i-Spy books here<\/a>. They\u2019re great boredom busters). The RSPB also has a section with lots of information, games and activities: https:\/\/www.rspb.org.uk\/helping-nature\/what-you-can-do\/activities<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare a simple meal for the family <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n
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\"Summer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help choose something age appropriate that your child can make independently. They\u2019ll love doing it and will be proud of themselves. They will also be more inclined to eat it! My children are big fans of Matilda and The Ramsay Bunch: Tilly\u2019s Kitchen Takeover<\/a>. There are lots of simple recipes and sweet treats in there.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to play a\ncard game <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

This could be a game that\u2019s new to all of you or one to teach your child. Some of our favourite ones are Beat your Neighbour, Knock and Pig. Solo card games are also good to learn as are any of the Rummy variants. When my daughter was eight, we taught her how to play Crib. She loves it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s some inspiration: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Five Card Games for the Family<\/a><\/blockquote>