ENTERTAIN THE KIDS DURING MAY HALF TERM

It’s almost time for the schools to break up for the half term again, which means you’ll have your children all to yourself for a week! While it will obviously be lovely to have them around during the day, it raises the question of how to keep them happy while still working—unlike our kids; we don’t get breaks! Luckily, a lot of workplaces will let you bring work home so someone can be in the house with the little ones, so all you need to do is find things for them to do around the house while you’re on the clock. These activities need to be engaging, so they can focus for long periods of time without coming back to you, and of course they must be fun and rewarding too—otherwise they simply won’t do them! It isn’t always easy finding the perfect activity, but we’ve compiled a list to provide you with some inspiration ready for the half term.

In The Garden

to get back out there. Well, why not get the kids on board and get them to help with the gardening? It’s a productive pastime which will positively impact your children as much as your outdoor space—there is plenty of scientific evidence to suggest that exposure to soil and plants promotes many health benefits. Just make sure that you’re happy for your young ones to be handling plants and soil, and keep an eye on them if need be.

Planting pots

Typically household chores are not a fan favourite amongst our kids, but with a little encouragement, you might be able to get them helping out

Your children will love designing and planting their own plant pot displays! Once you’ve shown them how to carefully place a plant in a pot, you can leave them to it and see what amazing floral and leafy pieces they have come up with! Once they’re finished, it can then be their responsibility to keep it happy and healthy, which is an important skill for when they have a garden or houseplants of their own.

Their own patch

Now the weather has mostly brightened up, we’re sure a lot of you have been looking out at the garden and thinking it’s time

If you have enough space in the garden, it’s a great idea to dedicate a small area to each of your children and let them do what they like! Giving them the freedom to use a space how they see fit is good practice for later in life, and it will also add some nice diversity to your garden! You could all go to a nearby garden centre and let them pick out their favourite bedding plants, which is a nice half term activity in itself if you have the time. We have seen a few people do this over the years, and the results are so varied! Rigid colour schemes, fruit bushes, rewilding… whatever your children come up with, we’re sure it’ll keep them busy and satisfied!

Hobbies And Creativity

There’s no end to the number of activities the little ones can do inside the house, either! Whether it’s an established hobby or their first dabble with something new, finding the right thing can result in hours of quiet time that everyone in the house can enjoy.

Reading

One idea we’ve had is to set a reading challenge for the half term. You could help your child pick out a book that is appropriate—or even challenging—for their age, and see if they can finish it before going back to school. It would be perfect for both kids who haven’t read much and those who love books, however don’t force the matter—if they don’t want to, that’s okay.

Painting

How hands-off this will be for you depends on the age of your children, but we remember spending ages painting during school holidays. We would be given a huge sheet of paper and told to paint whatever we liked, and it always kept us entertained for hours. Older children can be trusted to be sensible and clean without your supervision, but it’s definitely best to keep the younger ones in check yourself—decorating the walls is not a fun half term activity!

Help Around The House

Now, typically household chores are not a fan favourite amongst our kids, but with a little encouragement, you might be able to get them helping out with cleaning and tidying this half term. There are a number of ways to get them motivated, depending on their age. Younger children might feel satisfied with a reward chart or gold star system, which can end with them getting some nice treats as a result of helping with the housework.

If they’re older, why not offer to hook up their favourite music to the speakers while they help you out? It’ll make them have a nicer time, and will show that their interests and tastes are recognised and encouraged.