To be dreading the summer holidays

A 6 year old might like geocaching. Download the app. It’s good fun for adults too. I can’t wait till my dgc are old enough so I can do it with them.

There is no way you're a shit parent. If you were you wouldn't be worrying.

Why don't you try involving him in doing stuff with you? So - writing a shopping list then going to the supermarket together. Or packing up stuff for a charity shop and dropping it off. Or going on a nature walk, photographing stuff then coming home and looking things up online.

I know it depends on the child but my dd is similar age and she loves things like that.

If you have any left over wall paper cut off two pieces longer than his body then tape them together side by side.
Place the wallpaper on the floor, white side up. Get him to lie on it and draw round his outline. Repeat as he changes pose.
You’ll end up with something that looks roughly like Vitruvian Man. Colour in each section differently then display it in his bedroom.

Take him places where other children play and he'll soon join in. My two often make friends with new children at the local park/ splash pool. If you get chatting with their parents, you can make friends, too.

You're in Cornwall!!

Do you drive? (If not can you investigate thoroughly the summer bus routes)

I'd love a whole summer school holiday in Cornwall, just so many beautiful places & interesting places!!

you're not 'a shit mum' but despite what you've said, I think you're trying too hard to 'play with him/keep him entertained' you should do some of your work for half days & let him learn to find his own enjoyment in boredom!

( if we ever complained of being bored my parents would offer a few suggestions, but if we said it again, they would say 'great I have plenty of jobs you can do - you wouldn't see us for dust😂😂 but I did enjoy doing some ' jobs' with them, kids don't see them as 'jobs'

Are u near the beach

https://fis.cornwall.gov.uk/synergyweb/CornwallFIS/
Every local authority has a Family Information Service ( FIS) Ask them about free and liw cost activities. Hope you find some activities that make the summer a bit easier. A previous poster mentioned HAF for children entitled to free school meals.

I always appreciate a weekly routine, eg, day trip once a week, friend round once a week, cook something once a week, watch a movie once a week, slobby day once a week. Go through all the craft kits, games etc you have at home and do one of those a week (I’m sorting those out tomorrow!).

What’s with all the shitty ‘do you not work OP?’ 🙄. Literally the poster has confirmed they flex their work in the holiday. RTFT already before defaulting to bitch mode.

The key to the summer holidays in this house is pre-planning. Grab the calendar and plot in play dates/any other plans. Then check Facebook for free library events, church holiday groups etc. There’s usually stuff on but it takes time to find. Ask other parents to recommend local activities too. You never know until you ask. Get your son to make some suggestions too. Once the calendar stops looking so blank then it’ll be less intimidating.

This is one of those “grass is always greener” situations. I’d really love to have the whole six weeks off with my kids - they’re older now but would have at any stage.

I had one full summer off with DD when she was five as I was on mat leave and that was great. We did stay with family for a bit more than you’ve said though.

We did lots of play dates and picnics in the park I remember - which was how DS weaned himself on cheese sandwiches and picnic fruit.

Can you afford to go away at all? (Sorry if you’ve already answered that)

Pre 6 week holidays anxiety not pregnant 🙈😂

I get it Op!
I have two primary school age children and ima single mum.
I absolutely adore them to bits and I love my life with them, but if I get pregnant 6 week holidays anxiety!
I think for me it's not just keeping them entertained... it's the money. There so many things I'd love to do but can't as I can't afford it. And then I feel guilty and then I feel bad about myself and then the days feel long.
My children aren't interest in crafting and if I left them to entertain their selves they would just be nagging for the iPad all day!
It is tough OP, you're not alone! ❤️

@EmptyBoxesss you are not a bad parent at all, you are obviously a great parent who is thinking of how to occupy her dc. And honestly it’s probably the age where having an only child starts to get tricky . My youngest child is 8 and is bored to tears without their siblings around so now he’s easier having a few kids ! Children really want to play with other kids, the vast majority anyway. I’d try and arrange play dates and lots of them ! Some kids aren’t great at playing on their own, my dcs loves beaches , collecting rocks , loved playgrounds etc (and a great place to meet other kids).
I do enjoy summer with my kids but that’s because I’m off and find work and juggling school very hard and it’s hard work organising uniforms etc . I’m in a country with way longer holidays that the uk too! But summer can feel v long and expensive too.

The i-spy books are great for keeping children occupied when out and about.

I make a bingo board for mine to complete over the summer, so that I can remind them they have that every time they get bored. They get some money once it’s completed. It is mostly independent tasks, read a chapter book, do a puzzle, make a comic book, make a fort, create an obstacle course etc… and I add in some things I can do with them, like a science experiment, baking, bike ride etc… seems to work really well 😃 (although they are still bored at times 🤣)

I always spent time in the school holidays at the church holiday camp Didn’t really want to go but glad I did as so much to do and make friends Children need to be more active and independent

Haven't read the thread, does your son get free school meals?

Slow down a bit so the things you are doing with him take longer. You can take a picnic to your local park, or even the end of your own garden. Get your DS to help with making the picnic. Lots of things you do around the house will take longer if he is 'helping' but that's fine because you have plenty of time. Walk, cycle or use public transport to make even a short journey into a day trip. Even at 6 years old some children aren't so good at independent play, build the time up gradually.

When mine were smaller we always did something in the morning (even if it was just cycle/scoot to the shop for an ice cream!) then after lunch it was always quiet time for a couple of hours.
This involved reading or a film or playing quietly in their room which then leaves everyone refreshed, happy and ready to do something else.
We usually stayed at home in the afternoons and they loved tent in the garden, trampoline or crafts/den building with the dining chairs if it’s wet!

Do you not work OP?

I work four days so our plan is to put the DC in holidays clubs for 3 days a week, I will be home with them one day and then the fifth day DH or I or both of us will be off. If I were not working I'd still use holiday club if I could afford it.

Otherwise I would have an arrangement with friends to have their DC or they have ours or do things together. There are a few of us who live on the same street and have DC in the same class so I would offer to have theirs one day in the week and ask if they'd have mine.

You’re not a shit parent. The fact you care enough to be looking for ideas shows you’re a good mum.
Looking after an active, young child is hard work. I have a very ‘busy’ son so I totally understand.

Things that work for us:

• Walking everywhere (within reason). It kills some time and wears him out. He likes to play games as we walk (e.g. making up stories about the people who live in the houses we walk past, colour ‘treasure hunt’- just choosing a colour and then trying to spot things, I-spy etc).
• Arts and crafts. I have a big box of bits and pieces (Amazon/The Works sell them quite cheaply) and I get him to make something. It doesn’t actually matter what it looks like, but he often wants to make something that he then plays with (we’ve just made a Paw Patrol tower out of a couple of shoe boxes).
• If you can find a water table then my son will play with it for hours (although he is a bit younger).
• Car boot sales and charity shops are a good activity to hunt for some new toys/books. You can usually find something for less than a few pounds and he’ll play with something new for a while (the hunt also uses up a few hours). When he’s done with then it goes back to the charity shop.
• Walks in the wood/beach. He loves looking for different plants/insects. You can get fairly cheap books to give a list of things to identify.
• Keep an eye out for things that are on locally- dog/horse shows, fetes, country fairs etc. Lots are fairly cheap and a nice way to spend an afternoon.
• Do day trips to other parks/beaches with a picnic lunch. I think someone mentioned it above but it works so well for us- my son loves playing somewhere different.
• Google forest schools in your area. Lots have a summer holiday program with some fairly affordable sessions.
• Gardening (even if it’s just little pots for the house- he likes to choose some plants and pots from the garden centre/supermarket/fetes).
• Baking or getting him to help with cooking.
• Going to the library to choose books.

This. I bloody love the school holidays but I certainly don't spend every minute entertaining them.

My kids learned in lockdown that they need to build a train track down the stairs, or a den, or really anything.

I do have two which helps but they are four years apart. We do a lot of walking to the coop (it is rural and a nice walk) or to the play park, taking picnics out but not much of it big or entertaining.

I think, if you enjoy his company then just do a lot of things you would normally do and he can tag along. Some of my fondest memories with my kids were when we were just pottering at home. We might have been clearing out wardrobes or toy boxes to take stuff to charity shops, we cooked all meals together, we watered plants and hoovered. We just did everything together that I would have done on my own.

Another thing we did was look at google maps and I would get them to pick out a point (any point) within a 2-3 miles of home and then we drew a map to that point. They then scooted and I walked to whatever place they had decided and we would buy a drink or ice cream on the way. It was surprisingly fun actually.

Maybe the comment about not having links with other school parents threw them off. It made me think she worked full time in term time.