What can we do today?

[Fruitteatime]

I am out of inspiration for what to do with my 3 year old and 8 year old today. We got back on Saturday from 10 days away seeing family and they had two days playing at home before two days of forest school. We are going on holiday on Saturday so trying to save money for activities there particularly as it might rain (I'm also not sure what we are going to do in a holiday home with those two ages if it does rain!).

Given the above I don't think they need to do something as such, I'm just not sure how to occupy them in the heat with limited money, no access to a car and a garden that will be in full sun until around 3 or 4pm. 3 year old gets frustrated if someone isn't playing with him, although the older one is happy to sit and read or play video games. What are your children doing today?

Indoor hide and seek. Sit and colour together, water play. Get them to help make their own lunch, and wash up. Treasure hut - something red, something soft, shiny, round, big heavy, 4 yellow things etc . Bake biscuits and decorate.

Jigsaws? Simple board games? Make an indoor tent and camp ?

Sorry - play doctors with stuffed toys or play shops? Dressing up? Play dough? (You can make your own).

Get them to make tents/shade in the garden with bed sheets. Picnic in their tent, use any empty bottles/plastic storage containers to do water play in the garden, give them paintbrushes and let them paint each other and the fences/walls/floors with water.

Thank you, I love all these ideas, particularly the make your own lunch and wash up we probably won't bake today though, I don't think I can cope with the oven on. To be fair they are quite good at making their own entertainment, the problem is the three year old screaming and crying every 5 minutes if not able to get his own way and if his sister chooses to have a break from playing and read a book, so it's helpful to have some suggestions of things he could do without her like a puzzle or play dough.

My 2 LOVE making their own lunch and washing up (for now!) They also enjoy helping dust. 🤣

Could they help get their things ready to pack to go on holiday?
Or sort out old toys and clothes they've grown out of.

Go and visit a friend or relative, build a fort in the lounge with sheets and cushions, make ice pop ups with old yoghurt cartons. Reenact a book (mine used to love reenacting Bear Hunt), hide and seek - or you hide soft toys round the house and they have to hunt for them.

So far they've played for two hours with the Lego I dumped on the floor and now they are going on a quest. I think a cool bath will be a plan for this afternoon after some painting of playdough. Though I feel terrible for not taking them outside. We have a shared garden but I can't send them out there alone due to the location of it, and there's nothing to attach sheets too, plus part of it forms the roof of the car ports below and was resurfaced recently which means we get covered in black every time we use it. There's not much grass out there unfortunately and no shade at all until much later.

I have tried leaving the house- definitely do not try it! Do you have any games you can play at home? Alternatively, put ac on in your car, driver to the nearest supermarket and linger around the ice cream aisle, subtly opening the freezer and airing your armpits in the ensuing ice blast.

We visited the library first thing and are now having a day of reading and films. Far too hot to be out and about today.

Games are tedious with a three year old- we have quite a collection but he understandably can't manage the interesting ones.

We have watched half a film and spent about an hour painting so far this afternoon. I think a bath needs to be next on the agenda. I should have said no access to the car today but I think we will use it tomorrow to head out early and make sure we are back here by lunch for packing for the holiday. Then we have to figure out how to entertain four of us in a small cottage in England in blaring heat for the first few days and then potential thunderstorms. Any tips for that much appreciated, I'm not sure we can face soft play and deliberately picked a holiday that we could spend lots of time outside given the layout of our communal garden.