We are well into the Summer holidays. The time of year the kids love as they have weeks of fun and no school. Parents are filled with joy and also dread. As parents we dream on idyllic days of fun, when in reality it is usually I am bored or I am hungry. Hopefully, my little guide on how to survive the Summer holidays with the kids. Will help everyone have fun
Table of Contents
Create A Loose Routine
I am a firm believer that children need routine. It helps them process their days. Plus also lets parents have that time they need as well. Remember this is a loose routine so can be broken
Kids thrive on structure — even in summer.
- Set general times for waking up, meals, screen time, play, and rest.
- Use a whiteboard or weekly chart so kids know what to expect. Let the kids help plan the day
- Have a bedtime routine – Bath and pj’s then starting to unwind from the day
Plan A Weekly Theme
Kids will love a weekly theme, and will love coming up with theme week ideas. Plus a great way to stop the I am bored comments. Each week can be a different adventure.
- Nature Week: nature walks, picnics, bug hunts – collect leaves and twigs for arts and crafts
- Water Week: sprinklers, DIY water balloons, beach day- collect shells and pebbles
- Creative Week: crafts, painting, mini “art show” at home
- Science Week: kitchen experiments, museum trips, volcano baking soda fun
Have An “I’m Bored” Box
As parents we all know that no matter what we do, you will always get I’m bored. Just because you are sitting down having a much needed cuppa, or getting on with some housework. Be prepared by having an I’m bored box. Fill the box with quick and easy activities –
- Puzzle books, LEGO challenges, colouring pages
- Flashcards or trivia games
- Slips of paper with fun prompts like “Make a fort” or “Invent a board game”
Keep Snacks And Meals Simple
The constant I am hungry or can I have something to eat is none stop during school holidays. Be prepared and have a snack drawer in the fridge or cupboard.
The kitchen can feel like a 24/7 diner in summer.
- Prep grab-and-go snacks – ie fruit, carrot batons, pepper slices, cheese cubes – I had these in tubs in the fridge so my kids could help themselves along with a dip of choice
- Let older kids help make lunch – make sausage rolls or homemade rolls for lunch
- Make a weekly meal/snack board to reduce constant questions – this will also let them have a bit of time management
Mix Free And Paid Activities
Summer fun doesn’t have to be expensive. We often feel that we should be filling every single day with fun outings. This simply is not do-able.
- Visit the library – they run a Summer reading challenge
- Explore free local events or splash parks – there are so many free and fun activities for families
- Use a “bucket list” jar to pull out new ideas each week
Build in Quiet Time (for Everyone)
We all know how tiring it can be, on home days with the kids. Everyone will benefit for a bit of quiet time.
- Set a “quiet hour” after lunch where everyone reads, puzzles, or relaxes
- You need rest too — take it guilt-free
Lower The Bar & Embrace The Mess
Forget the perfect family pictures on social media, that makes you wonder what you are doing wrong. These are set up or literally taken with a 1 minute window. Stop stressing about the washing up from breakfast, or that pile of washing that needs sorting.
- Focus on connection, not perfection – it can wait another day
- Some days are made for PJ mornings and frozen pizza
Conclusion
You don’t have to entertain your kids 24/7 to have a great summer. With a little planning, a lot of flexibility, and realistic expectations, you can survive the school holidays with your sanity intact.
Lower the bar and embrace the mess. Yes! We all need this sometimes. Making memories is far more important being perfectly tidy all the time. This was a fun list!
I know it is hard I look around at times and think about the mess but it is still there tomorrow a bit of mess and chaos never hurt anyone
There are so many good ideas in this post! We always have a bunch of snacks for the holidays – it seems like kids are bottomless pits. The idea of a themed week is fantastic!
Snacks are alwasy the one thing you need to stock up on, I always take loads when visiting my grandkids. The themed weeks make holidays more exciting
I am not looking forward to this when our little ones becomes old enough to have a six week summer break. We’ll have to split some of it between grandparents etc, but some great tips to survive the holidays, thanks. x
As long as they have something planned even if it is just a picnic they are happy but I am glad those days are over for me and I just get the fun with the grandkids now
It makes sense to plan themes in advance as my kids do love to know what is coming up and what they have to look forward to. Mixing free and paid activities can help with costs to make it all a bit more affordable.
It does help to have things planned in advance as this helps them as much as you. There are so many free activities as well which does help
Great post and I love how you are defining boundaries that the parent sets the tempo and the ideas you give are sound and sensible. For example pre paring snacks is a must do for sure xx
Sadly some parents let the kids rule and this is not good for all involved. Parents should be parents but also letting the kids get involved with planning
I love the ideas of Theme Weeks,it’s a fun way to enjoy the 6 weeks
It breaks up the weeks and everyone can be involved in choosing themes
Great ideas here and I agree that children still need some sort of routine. The weather sometimes dictates what you can do. We are lucky living close to lovely beaches and on fine days we love to go to one of them
You are lucky to be near a beach that would be my dream place to live
Great ideas
remember the parent is in control not the kids ( sometimes hard to see defining line )
I totally agree I do know some who let the kids dictate but also others who are doing their jobs as parents
I love the idea of having themed week as it has so many opportunity to be creative!
Themed weeks will keep each week fun and exciting
Ooh! My sister has three boys and finds this blog post helpful. I will definitely share it with her.
I hope I have given some ideas to keep the summer break more fun and exciting
I think the thing I often struggle with is the constant asking for food. I will definitely have to up my snack game over the holidays.
I used to say to mine how did you cope in school with not being able to eat what felt like every 5 minutes
These are really helpful tips for parents. it’s a challeging time especially if no vacations are booked!
It can be a struggle if you have no breaks away, but these are simple and easy ways to make the holidays fun
I LOVE the idea of a weekly theme! My kids have always been very active, and they get bored easily when they don’t have any direction.
That is the trouble they do get bored very easily and having a themed week will keep it exciting and not just the same each day/week
This is great. This is like a guide as if kids were at summer camp. So organized and ready for anything. I’ll definitely utilize this when my son is older.
It is just being prepared and one step in front of the I am bored. Also so much fun
I love the idea of an “I am bored” box, I gotta make mine huge because that is the only thing I keep on hearing in our road trips lol…Thank you so much for the info.
Road trips are a nightmare with kids on board, with the are we nearly there. I used to pack a little bag for mine with snacks and drinks and things to do or play a game along the way