The school holidays have started, and with a few more weeks before the new school term, many parents and children find themselves struggling with their mental health.
It can be great for children to be off school, to be with family and friends and for parents to have quality time with their children. However, it can also be a real challenge for parents to have their children 24/7 at home and for children to not have their usual routines.
There are lots of things that parents can do to help get through the 6 week holiday period, and to look after their own mental health including;
Having plans for each day
Sharing out the responsibility for the children with other family, friends
Build a routine that works for you, and for your children including meal times and bed times
Making time for you without the children, whether meeting a friend for lunch, going to the gym or for a walk, practicing mindfulness or other holistic / beauty treatments
Create some family rules so everyone is clear on each others expectations and needs, including screen time rules (TV / phones / PlayStation or other gaming consoles)
Create menu's for mealtimes to help organise the meals and also shopping lists
Planning time outside each day (we did during Covid!) - fresh air and the outdoors is great for our mental health and for burning off excess energy
Therapy Centre Services supports children, young people and adults with their mental health and talking during times of difficulty can really help. Having a list of ideas of activities can also help families to get through the holiday period so we thought we would share 80 ideas with you;
Go on a picnic
Organise a scavenger hunt (or print one from the internet
Go on a bike ride
Create a home cinema, watching a favourite film with popcorn and drink
Go Geocaching
Make an indoor / outdoor obstacle course
Arrange a camping night out in the garden
Do some bubble painting (with paint, straws and washing up liquid)
Have a pizza making contest
Organise a children's 'come dine with me' lunch
Go on an organised nature trail
Find a pen pal and write a letter
Organise a 'theme day' around a film or tv show, dress up and have some fun!
Organise a 'pamper day'
Go on an 'alphabet walk' finding one thing for each letter of the alphabet
Learn a new skill; knitting, knot tying, crochet or magic tricks
Organise a 'silent disco' in the garden
Organise a tea party, inviting friends to bring some food to contribute towards the party
Make, and fly a kite
Organise a #trashtag event in teams, see who can pick up the most litter
Learn how to make soaps or candles
Make a birdfeeder for the garden and keep a bird log as you watch them come to eat the food
Arrange a garden sports day, including a sack race, egg and spoon race and ball tossing competition
Organise a 'photo shoot' and take photos at home or in different locations to create a photo album of memories
Plant some seeds in the garden for flowers or vegetables and watch them grow
Get a roll of wallpaper and start researching your family tree
Arrange an indoor / outdoor bowling afternoon with friends
Do some rock / stone painting
Organise a karaoke at home
Start a children's book club, choose a book and then come together to discuss it
Create a 'time capsule' of things that remind you of this year, to open next year to reflect back on
Go on a 'colour' journey finding an item for each colour on a paint colour chart from your local DIY shop
Learn about a different country, choose a country, learn 3 words in their language, cook some food from their country and listen to some music
Organise a pirate party at home
Do a virtual escape room online
Organise a summer fete in the back garden with friends and families, maybe donating money to a local charity
Organise a Bingo night
Organise a nature scavenger hunt, so children can find different insects, animals and other natural items
Find a local 'sculpture hunt' - a great way to spend the day
Organise a section of the garden and create a rockery, herb garden or vegetable garden
Organise a car wash for family / friends
Create a collage from family photos then get it framed
Create a marble run using toilet rolls and anything else you can find around the house
Make a jigsaw from a family photo (visit Wiki how to find instructions)
Join the Hobbycraft children's craft club
Watch a West End Show (https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/national-theatre-online)
Visit a free museum for the day
Challenge the family to complete a Joe Wicks HIIT workout every day for a week
Have a fun afternoon doodling (look on YouTube for some fun ideas)
Learn some origami or balloon modelling
Do a park run
Hand make some Christmas cards (you'll be surprised how quickly December will come around)
Visit a local nature reservice and see how many different insects / animals you can find
Go rockpooling
Go fruit picking and then make a nice pudding when you get home
Have a water balloon fight
Go stargazing and see how many different constellations you can find
Try your hand at pottery
Go for a day out at your local Steam Railway
Go for a walk with Alpacas (visit Google to find your nearest centre)
Try and escape a maze
Learn computer programming (https://blockly.games/bird?lang=en)
Visit the National Geographic (kids) for fun activities
Make a wellbeing box - put in tools / resources to help during difficult days
Visit an Arboretum
Plan a day out with the Woodland Trust (https;://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk)
Build a scarecrow
Go on a boat trip down the river
Have a face painting afternoon
Make a gingerbread house
Make a decoder wheel and make up cryptic messages
Set up an indoor obstacle course
Play balloon volleyball
Make something out of paper mache (visit YouTube for some fun ideas)
Learn some magic tricks and put on a magic show
Set up and play a game of indoor basketball
Go out and take photos of places of interest and create your own mini tourist guide
Learn how to flower press using wax paper
Make a bug hotel for the garden
Have a 'build a tower' competition - the highest tower with the most number of individual household items wins!
Looking after yours, and your children's mental health during the school holiday's is really important. If you struggling or need some help or support please contact www.therapycentreservices.com to book an appointment with a Counsellor on our team who will be able to help and support you.
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