What are you/have you got extra of in preparation for the holidays if you have primary aged children?

[whychangethehabitofalifetime]

We're not going on holiday this year. I have a 3 and 5 year old. So it's going to be a few planned days out and play dates but mostly home entertainment with me for six weeks.

So far I've:

• Restocked my first aid box with antiseptic cream, plasters and waspeeze
• Got a load of crafting materials/colouring books/water painting books/stickers etc and started saving cardboard for junk modelling
• Restocked my baking cupboard and bought a few easy baking kits
• Added a load of snacks and treats like ice creams to the online shop due next week

Any other ideas? It's a long time to keep two young ones entertained. We've got play equipment in the garden so if we have some nice weather we can use that and have the paddling pool out and we will be visiting local parks too but I think, after the last year, if I have to give on one more 'nature walk' I might lose the plot

You are more organised than me :) I'm working all holiday and I still have to figure out what I'm doing with DS1 for 2 weeks (DS2 is going to nursery throughout)

What are your DCs bedrooms like? We're giving the DC a new room this summer as our project. Atm we share with the 18m old and DS1 has the small room. We are going to go into the small room and the boys are going to share the big room.

You’ve given me the motivation to sort out a few bits. I’ve just ordered a Tuff tray and will order some sand to go in it. Maybe some more playdough. Some lego sets. Depends how much money you have to throw at it!

I do a sort out like poster above. So we sort out toys and books and take to charity shop. Then we choose something new from
The charity shop.
Try out new parks so I buy multipacks of drinks and snacks to save on buying food when out all of the time.
Bought new sticker books.
Look in charity shops for cheap games to play.
I’ve started buying little treats here and there to use for rainy days like craft packs, bun cases, paint etc.
Paper bags are great to buy as I use them for an indoor picnic treat, bags for a nature hunt or treasure hunt of some kind.
I need to sort out all unused craft kits and make sure we do them!

The charity shop idea is fantastic thanks we've definitely for a lot of more babyish toys that we could sort and donate and they could then choose something new each from there whilst we're donating. I have felt a bit bad about 'buying' all of my entertainment so far so that will also be a win on the being more eco front.

Have also just ordered some cheap water pistols...

Pinterest has a lot of lists of how to entertain kids during holidays : from making slime to treasure hunts there are hundreds of ideas.

and it's ok if they watch a tv. even every day. you can limit it as you wish, but a film a day is totally fine

Bubble mix? Or is that for younger kids, mine are grown up now but remember how they loved the bubbles.

Snacks, medicine and ensured we have enough food in should we need to isolate. Hopefully won’t have too as keeping contacts as low as possible.

Look up free events in your area. My local council has organized play events and the local parks and woods are also advertising activities too.

Water activities are great and cheap if it's hot. Sprinklers, water guns, watering cans etc Do you have a paddling pool?

I’ve been to the range to buy a load of their cheap craft sets for a “boredom box” so I can send them that way if they tell me they’re bored!

Booze

Mine are 7, 5 and 2 and I’ve done nothing different/extra! We’ll just play in the garden/go to the park/go for walks/go to nearby free places/local events.

Lots of bubble mix. Just ordered 6l today as it always get spilled. Chalk if you have a patio outside they can draw on.

Paddling pool

Chalk - let them draw all over any drive/paving

If it's hot, get them outside washing cars and wheelie bins.

I've put a 24 pack of juice cartons, individually wrapped, spare cloths, waterproofs and nappies for toddler in various cubby holes around the car. It means 90% of the time we just need to get in the car and go, without having to worry about packing a bag every time we leave the house.

At that age I stocked up on

paint and the big rolls of paper you get in IKEA and cheap baby wipes to clean up.

Bubbles solution (avoid bubble machines - blowing their own bubbles is very calming, and keeps them busy for ages longer than a machine)

Play sand

Crayons and colouring pages (one page issued at a time. Ditto for sticker sheets)

Masking tape (excellent for junk modelling, indoor hopscotch, lazer mazes)

Cardboard boxes (endless possibilities)

Sun cream, hats

Paddling pool - (also got use out of garden hose and sprinkler, bucket and paint brushes (for painting the outside of the house with water), sponges for washing windows and cars)

Shovels and spades (I don’t recommend burying coins in the garden for them to find treasure unless you want them digging for years afterwards), small trowels for gardening.

Lollymoulds for fruit juice. Also frozen yogurt tubes are great.

Play dough (or ingredients to make) with selection of cutters and toys.

Popcorn

I used to set up an activity on the play table in the morning and leave them at it while I got on with the morning jobs, and prepped dinner, packed lunch and a platter of veg snacks. Then, we’d head out for an activity (park/swimming/library/shop/playground) and have a picnic lunch (in the car if the weather was rotten). Back for quiet time (kept this up as a replacement for naps as long as I could) and then another activity - bit more hands on from me (although the less you have to do for them the better) Platter of veg came out while dinner was cooking to stave off whining. Not a foolproof routine and it was utterly brain numbing but we all survived.

Printer paper and ink. Mine won’t do activity books but they love it if I print something, especially colouring pages and word searches.

I’ve signed them up for a free junior swim card at the swimming pool so we can swim once or twice a week.

Felt tips. They love to draw and colour.

We will also go to the library once a week to get new books.

I have 4 dc under 6 and have replenished the chunky chalks for outdoor scribbling, bought a few new colouring books, a dot to dot, and word search books for the older 3. Also stocked up on Budget pasta tubes for threading, colouring pens and pencils, a bracelet bead kit for my older two, been saving the boxes, tubes etc for craft projects, inside and out. Also purchased some clay as Ds6 wants to make lots of volcanoes. Spare inner tubes fir their bikes as lots of bike rides planned. Coloured some rice for the tuff tray and Ds4 who is 2 ( older ones will love it too). Also signed the Ds6 & dd5 & dd2 to some of their sports summer camps as they did so little since last year most of them are running additional stuff ( normally closed for the holidays). Also made a plan for days out, afternoons out some free, some cheap and a few more expensive ones. Also stocked up on the ice lollies and Gin for me.

@Karwomannghia

Booze

My type of mum