Summer holidays are here!

Summer holidays are here! Although it’s a time for children to relax and recharge, the learning does not have to stop! Without much effort, opportunities to learn can be found or embedded into activities that can be enjoyed by the entire family.

No need to splurge on expensive toys or holiday programs. Here are some great tips that you can do at home.

Cooking activities:

Keep the meals simple and exciting. Pizza is always a great meal that gets the kids excited. This can be made in to a competition, you be the judge of the best pizza. Making dough from scratch is always fun! It works on motor skills, and any dietary restrictions can be adhered to. A great bonus is that you don’t have to cook dinner! Furthermore, cooking activities create many learning opportunities regarding safety in the kitchen. You can even work reading in to this activity by having the children work from a recipe!

Play dress up:

This is a great activity to get the creative juices flowing! Encouraging your child to imagine and dream is a good way to develop self-confidence and self-expression. This is also a great way to work on play- and social skills. Make props from any material you have lying around home. With creative thinking, something like plastic bags can be made in to any dress-up prop. This also brings fine motor activities in to play. Get the kids involved in making a cool Superhero cape and have a blast running around in the garden.

Picnics:

Have a picnic in your backyard, or go to your local park when you feel like getting out of the house. Get the kids involved in packing the snacks and teach them about the different food groups. Whether you have toddlers, tweens or teens, gross motor activities such as swing ball, cricket or touchers are always fun to play when at the park.

Arts and crafts:

Drawing, painting and colouring are always fun activities! But why not make it more exciting by painting old T-Shirts, drawing or writing with chalk on the driveway or even with whiteboard markers on windows. The fun learning opportunities in arts and crafts activities are endless. Work on fine motor skills, academic concepts such as numbers, letters, shapes, and build on social skills by doing this with friends.

Boardgames:

Get out the Scrabble, Pictionary, Uno, Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders. These games are great for stimulating minds! These activities provide opportunities to work on following rules, sharing and turn taking, builds healthy competition and even practice academic concepts

Ultimately, learning can be fun and a family affair! Have fun with your family this holiday while stimulating and expanding those young minds!