AAAH, summer holidays with the kids! It means no early morning wake-ups to get the kids ready for school. But the flip side? Finding ways to keep them busy! Whether you're a home-bound mom or an office-bound mom, it's a struggle either way. In my case, my older one (who is 5 1/2 years old) is past the age of taking naps in the day. At the same time, I'm away at work so I have to think of ways to keep him occupied while he's home. Here I'm sharing a few tips and ideas on how I plan to keep my kiddos busy this summer. (Note: Many of the ideas keep in mind a mom who has to head to the office every day. Also, many of them will be more applicable for kids age 4 and up).
Before I begin...
Thought #1: First of all, be okay with boredom. I definitely believe that it's important for kids to actually be bored for certain periods of time. Boredom allows downtime for your child, gives them time to synthesize their thoughts and learnings, and even breeds creativity. So see the summer break as "downtime" for children without the need to constantly pack in learning all the time.Thought #2: Having said the above thought, children still do need to channel their restless energy into something productive. So I highly recommend making a daily or weekly plan of activities for the kids. This way, you'll be well-organized and feel like the children are engaging in good, happy play!
Alright, now let's get started with these ideas!
1. Assign 4-5 mini-projects for the children to do daily. To motivate them to do it in your absence, agree with them ahead of time that completion of these activities will earn them screen time that day (that strategy always works but if you’re not comfortable, pick some other reward system that works for you). See section below on "Activity Ideas" for some at-home things to do.2. Create an "activity box" with a whole list of things to do. This is something for them to resort to when they have run out of ideas on what to do on their own or if they have completed their mini-projects for the day (as listed in #2).
3. Playdates! It's essential that you plan ahead for some playdates with other moms. Let's face it, other moms are in the same situation as you and would love for their child to have some company. Arrange to send your child to a friend's house and return the favor on a separate day. It's a win-win situation! (Tip: The kids can even refer to the "activity box" for ideas on things to do together).
4. Plan for some outdoor activity everyday. At this age, kids need have plenty of exercise and outdoor time. Plus, it's a good way to tire them out! For every day of the week, plan something that takes them outside - be it swimming, picnic, playground, bike riding, scooter time! This can be done with you around or with the nanny/helper while you're at work.
5. Plan for the kids to do some baking, something they can easily do with the nanny even if you are not around. This can range from rainbow bread painting, making sugar cookies with sprinkles or fruit kebabs (see here), to muffins recipes which are healthy and delicious (see here).
6. Try out science experiments using ingredients and materials easily found at home! I have done a bunch of them with Krishnav and it's been really fun! We've tried the volcano lava explosion, puffy paint food art, secret letter with invisible ink, lava lamp in a bottle, and slime making.
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| Puffy paint 3D art using basic ingredients from your kitchen |
7. Plan a day out for your child along with a couple of his friends. I'm talking about a day at the zoo, a visit to Bounce trampoline park, the National Library, Bedok Forest Adventures, playareas, the ArtScience museum or Science Center (so many options)! Plan ahead with the moms and decide on a date when the kids can have their day out with adult company and supervision. Be sure to pack snacks, water, sunscreen, and other necessary items the night before!
8. Summer camp and summer classes: Admittedly this is the easiest way to keep the kids busy for a big chunk of the day! There are lots of options of summer camps to consider and you can read all about it on the Sassy Mama page. However, these camps do get expensive which is why I have also shared my ideas above for some of the more "home-based, inexpensive" things to do.
I would also recommend the holiday camp and storytelling workshops by Creative Kulture. These classes are run in small group settings and focus on teaching different topics to children (e.g., learning about the solar system, healthy eating and digestive system, etc) through fun arts & crafts. This group also teaches kids about Indian culture and festivals in a colorful, interactive way.
Lastly, you can also look into interesting, one-off workshops for the kids to try. For example, the pottery class for kids at the Goodman Arts Center sounds like a cool experience!
Specifically for office-based moms:
9. Bring your child to the office! If your office allows for you to bring your children to the office, they can easily come for a half-day and spent some time sitting next to you and doing coloring and other quiet activity while you work. Plus, they would love the chance to visit your workplace. I know this isn't possible at all workplaces but it's something to consider.
10. Talk to your manager about flexi hours in the summer. Arrange to leave work earlier so that you can get time with your little ones in the daytime hours. Once they're in bed, you can log back on again to finish your work.
Activity Ideas:
Cognitive skillsPuzzle making
Social skills
Write a letter to your cousin or friend or grandparent - like, a real letter letter! Wouldn't that be fun?
Facetime with your grandparent and say hello!
Vocabulary building and reading/writing skills
Read a book (pick an age-appropriate one) and write down the words you don't know.
Pick a book and write down the sight words that you recognize (it, he, she, and, or, etc...).
Phonics and fun play
Use a camera phone to take pictures of 5-10 items around the house that start with the letter __ (pick a letter of your choice)
Outdoor exploration
Pick 5 different leaves from outside. Then tape them on a piece of paper. On a separate piece of paper, draw them out the same way they look in real life. Note the differences in shape and size.
Use materials from outdoors to build something of your choice (example below of a bow & arrow set that Krishnav made from twigs and leaves)
Observation skills
Use a camera phone to take pictures of 5-10 objects around the house that are round or circle in shape (or some variation of this)
Motor skills
Peel an egg.
Pop bubblewrap!
Use Legos or blocks to build something (a fort, a castle, anything) and tell a story about it.
General Knowledge Building
Draw and color in the flags of different countries
Arts and crafts
Take an empty bottle and put a treasure map inside it. The treasure is some chocolate or candy stashed away somewhere. This is to be played with a group of friends.
Create a book with drawings that illustrate a story (a made-up story or one you already know)
Stock up on arts & crafts supplies like glitter, paint, markers, buttons, pom poms, glue, string, colored paper, playdough, etc. (Daiso and Spotlight are places to check out in Singapore). Then come up with a fun art project to do. You can easily find great examples online but here are some unique ones: making a necklace with colored pasta, making rainbow crayons, and bubble paint project.
Thanks for reading this and hope you found this helpful. Good luck, mommies!
