New skills for kids to master in the holidays

[twoastars]

Now DDs are of the age to be interested enough to commit to learning and mastering new skills i'm trying to come up with a few new things to solve the I'M BORED problem over the holidays that will be useful and time well spent.

Are there any ideas you have of things your DC have spent time practicing and working towards and can realistically master or get pretty good at by the end of the summer (age 7-10)?

They have suggested:

Hair tutorials - French plait & bun
Baking a cake/cookies independently
Drawing characters & faces
Learning to play a couple of songs on the keyboard

juggling?

cycling with one hand confidently so when they cycle on the road they can signal properly

My DC are 7 and 10, they’re going to give learning coding a go!

11 year old is determined to master laundry and ironing. I have not suggested this but I have absolutely zero objections.

Unfortunately so far after 2 days she's yet to find out which door in the kitchen the washing machine is behind.

Calligraphy

Can they tie shoelaces?

Ooh this is good! I like the tying shoe laces one!

These are great. 10yo can tie shoelaces but 8yo could definitely learn that now

Knitting or sewing?

A simple soft toy cut from two pieces of an old top, sew them together, turn inside out and stuff (sacrifice an old toy for stuffing) and add eyes, sew on mouth etc

Map reading?

We're doing knitting. YouTube tutorials make it easy to get started on a simple project (scarf) and it can be picked up / put down to fill a few minutes here and there. I'm not sure if we'll actually get anything finished but it doesn't cost too much (we are lucky in that we already had the stuff), must be good for hand eye coordination / fine motor skills and keeps them busy for a while with no mess.

Dd is also keen on making a doll's house like she saw in an old book - using wallpaper and scraps to decorate, make furniture, tin foil pond, cardboard furniture etc. Use a cardboard box for the shell of the house

Sewing.
finger knitting
pom Pom animals
design some characters for a book/story
stop motion animation with play dough or Lego
macrame
rubix cube
making cakes/fairy buns
hula hooping
poi or diablo
telling the time
learn a language
roller skating or skate boarding
cartwheels and headstands
decorate a dolls house or make one from you tube tutorials with cardboard

geocaching
logic puzzles/sudoku
magic tricks on you tube

Not maybe what you think of as a skill but there are lots of good yoga tutorials online.

I learnt to burp the alphabet one summer holiday but that might not be the skill you aspire to.

Ditto whistling.

Touch typing? There’s a BBC kids game that is quite good.

Shuffling cards.

Wheelies (can’t do these). Pushing bike accurately with one hand on saddle (taught myself to do this as an adult solely because it looks cool).

Keepy uppy.

Great idea for a thread

Making bookmarks
Yoyo tricks
Cats' Cradle
Doing science experiments using household objects. Absolutely Epic Science Experiments by Ivy Finnegan is good if you can get a copy from the library.
Origami
Write to the king at Buckingham Palace. They will get a response.
Collages

Sewing buttons on and cleaning shoes. Basic first aid. Cooking a few simple meals. Taking plant cuttings. Learn to crochet or knot. Use a sewing machine.

So many good ideas here. Youngest is desperate to whistle, oldest loves the sudoku idea and sewing and middle really needs to master telling the time! I'd love to do Cats Cradle again

Loads of easy clothes sewing projects too - a cylinder of fabric from an adult t shirt cut below the arms and sew on elastic to be a shirt, eg, or the same thing from a pillow case.

Tie dye might be a good one too, or applique

Chess, draughts, dominoes, recorder, card games, pool (if you have a hall near by)

My DD (7) has decided to try and master roller skating. We're on day two with lots of bumps and bruises but she is persevering and hopes to make progress over the summer hols

Blue Peter badge

Sorry, that book of Science experiments is by Anna Clayborne and Anne Rooney.

Can they use chop sticks? Tie a tie?

Yes I've said.... Put washing on.
Cook a basic meal.

Bake cake.