Summer of Family Fun

Many kids have broken up from school for the summer time. Whether you are a parent or have no children at all, this time of the year needs a bit of preparation. If you haven't got any kids you want to get booking up your holiday to go away before they are off school, or to ensure you get a space on a flight if you are travelling when they are off. If you have children then how are you going to entertain them for 6 weeks?! Here are some great ideas so that you can plan ahead and make sure that there are some fun things planned. 

Crafts

Whatever age your kids are they love to get messy and creative. There will be a number of kids clubs which provide these types of activities; however you can make your own versions at home and get to spend time with your kids too. You could set up stations to use glitter, paints, crayons and more so you can make different things such as greetings cards, bookmarks, origami animals and other things just using simple items such as card and pencils. These things don’t cost much to buy and you will probably already have them in lying around in drawers at home.

Cycling

If the weather is cloudy or sunny it could be a lovely day to go out cycling. If your kids are at the stage where they are ready to learn to ride a bike you could take the opportunity to try to teach them. Cycling is a really fun sport and there is a great deal of cycle paths so you can enjoy a trip out with your kids safely. Once each of you own a bike and a helmet, they should last a number of years, so you can enjoy a great number of bike rides (until they become too old and speed off past you!). 

White Water Rafting

If your kids are aged 10 and over and enjoy sports, you could step up on the excitement factor from cycling and take them white water rafting. You can visit centres such as the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre where they will get to feel the force of rapids and navigate down the river. This is a great idea for a kids birthday party too, whether they invite their friends or you make it a family event, it will be a fantastic day out. 

Film night

After a day of excitement with the activities above, a night of relaxing and some fun films to watch will be just what you all need. You could pick out a few favourites and narrow them down to films that everyone will enjoy. Block out all of the light and grab big bowls of popcorn to create your very own cinema. If there is a day with awful weather, which is to be expected, then this would be a great activity in the day time too. If you are planning on watching a number of classic film favourites then you could put together a quiz for everyone to complete at the end to see who paid the most attention to the screen! 

Image credit:  mskogly on Flickr