Category: Bit of Fun

You may have taken a holiday with the kids in the beginning of the summer holidays, but afterwards it can be tricky to know how to fill the remaining weeks of the school holidays. Nothing is going to live up to that carnival on the beach in Costa Dorada or the camel safari trip over the sand dunes in Morocco… or even the donkey rides on Skegness beach! At the best of times, returning from an incredible holiday can leave you with the blues. For your kids, the come down began the moment they set foot on the journey home. We went to Parkdean Resorts in Whitley Bay a few weeks back. It was only a cheap family holiday (and it rained the whole time!) but since being home, the whole family keep saying how we wished we were still there. Holiday blues suck. 

So, what can you do to ensure that the rest of August is as full and as rich as your family holiday? Here are some ideas to get your kids back in the holiday spirit.

Immerse Your Kids Into Something New

Variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to your little darlings, getting them trying new things day in, day out means they won’t have any chance of getting bored. Explore local family days out in your area and head off to have a go at a range of activities over the holidays. One day you might be bouncing around a trampoline park, the next you might be taking your car into the dreaded monkey enclosure at a safari park or having a mooch around a local history museum. Your kids will relish the new experiences, and you’ll enjoy getting out and about as well.

It can be tough as a parent to keep a happy face, especially when you feel confined to your own home. The kids get bored, they start to get grumpy and you just end up shouting. It’s not fun for anyone, so try and get out somewhere each day. Even if it is just to the local park for a picnic and a game of football.

Don’t Allow TV And Video Games To Be First Choice

It can be soul destroying to see your little ones, still in their pyjamas, sat in front of the TV playing some caricatured beat ‘em up on the Xbox when it’s twenty-four degrees outside and the sun is shining. Don’t be tempted to ban the gogglebox or the console. It’s up to you to make the sedentary indoor option seem unappealing by hyping up the options for activities outdoors.

If you know your neighbours well and they also have kids that zone out in front of the TV get together and set up something fun like a water fight. Even better, set up a parents versus kids water fight. There is no way that your offspring will refuse such a momentous challenge. Any activity outdoors that will allow you to spend time with your kids, while having fun and getting them active has to be a positive thing.

Get Your Kids Involved In The Planning

The joy of the Internet means that every iota of information is now at your fingertips. You can find out all the free child-friendly activities that are taking place tomorrow within twenty miles of your location within seconds. Encourage your kids to take a look with you at the range of activities that are available. By getting them involved in the planning rather than simply telling them what they will be doing gets your kids more excited and allows them to voice their ideas about what they would like to do and where they would like to go.

Pinterest has become my best friend. I can search age range, and what sort of thing we want to do. Suddenly, on my phone, I have hundreds of ideas for us to work through. Welcome to the 21st century, where there really is no excuse to ever be bored.

The summer holidays have always been a tricky time of year. Each time the end of July swings around, you have designed a well thought out timetable to prevent your kids from getting bored, yet for some reason every year, the schedule isn’t followed, and your cherubs wile away their days in front of the TV. By following these tips, you can make this summer different and see your kids having the most life enhancing summer of their lives.

Being a mum, as you probably know, is tough. You go through months of pregnancy, followed by one of the most overwhelming and amazing experiences a human can go through when you actually bring your child into the world. Then comes the sticky fingers on the TV and car, crushed up crackers on the new carpet, and the dreaded teenage years. Being a mum has some pretty wonderful experiences which make all the hard work worth it…

The Hugs and Kisses

If there’s one thing that makes the trials of motherhood worth it, it’s the sweet expressions of love you’ll get over the years. You’ve got many wonderful birthdays and Mother’s Days ahead of you, but out of all the gifts for mum you can receive, nothing beats the big, sloppy kisses from toddlers and embarrassed pecks on the cheeks from teenagers. All these hugs and kisses remind us that despite all the tantrums and half-hearted attempts at running away from home, our kids need us, love us and appreciate the sacrifices we make for them on a daily basis. The cuddles won’t happen as much as they your kids get older, but these precious expressions of their love are something you’ll have forever.

What They Teach You

Obviously, being a parent means that you’ll be doing a lot of the active teaching that goes on between you and your child. However, there’s a lot that children can teach us as we go through the process of raising them.

As adults, it’s easy for us to get caught up in the feverish rat race we’re all a part of, and overlook all the wonderful things that happen in the here and now. When we have kids, they open our eyes to all the little things that we usually ignore when their faces fill with wonder at something as simple as a leaf or insect, or they come up with imaginative make-believe scenarios off the top of their heads. The lessons our children teach us may not be exactly practical, but they certainly fill our lives with more joy and wonder!

Seeing the Best (and Worst!) of You in Your Child

It’s great to see your own traits coming to light in your children, but it’s even better to know you’re helping raise a better version of yourself, and developing yourself as a person in the process. We’ve all got our faults, and it’s very common for parents to see these in their children, especially when they’re around the ages of 6 to 8 and quickly developing their own little personalities. Whether you’ve got a short fuse, an aversion to hard work, a tendency to lose things or potent gullibility, you’re probably going to see it in your child at some point. It takes all sorts to make a world, but by picking up on your less desirable traits in your mini-me, you’ll help your child, and yourself, to become a more well-rounded person as the years go by.