Summer holidays - how many days do you “do nothing”?!

[Wingingit11]

As above really.

How many days eg a week do your kids potter around the house without seeing others /doing any proper activity ?

most of them. I am working most of the time.

I plan one paid thing a week (usually a lunch out included) and two free activities that just span a morning or afternoon. They can choose to not do then if they don't want to. I love the quality time it gives me with them outside the home, away from distractions.
Other than that we just go to the park or ride bikes if they want or stay home.

What's a scheme? Like a playscheme?

I wouldn't want mine "playing out" really . I didnt do that and wouldn't be keen on mine hanging around outside. We see a kid on a scooter who just rides around d lonely every day that looks like she might have been chucked out and groups of teens that hang around and cause trouble at the park. I do t know why anyone would aspire to that!

When mine were under 11 we were out most days but it was often to a park or somewhere different to play. Or to a friends house if we met up just to have coffee and let the kids play.

Now they're older were less active which probably isn't a good thing but I have some health limitations I didn't used to have. They will do music camp for a week and I'll take them to meet up with friends but they will chill a bit and probably bake/cook.

*What's a scheme? Like a playscheme?(

I assume housing scheme, like housing estate?

So I'm interested in this. I REALLY want my DC to have time being bored. I also remember podding about at home, drawing, reading etc, very fondly.

However the screens!! The screens! My children after about half an hour are desperate to turn on the ipad or game on a computer and if I don't actively stop them, then weather the tantrum and engage with what else to do, they would do that all day every day.

We have no big garden (unlike when I was 10). we have no village around which they can cycle (unlike when I was 10). The oldest can go to the shop and buy sweets and a magazine- so that's one half hour dealt with.

We have to either get a nanny, book camps etc- or be on holiday ourselves and take them out or play with them or have playdates.

Is there anyone who really work from home and has 9-11 year olds in the house, they don't watch screen all day, and doesn't need childcare? For more than the odd day? If so I would love some tips.

Most of them. Frankly I can't afford to do much in the way of days out and my 12 year old would prefer to stay home anyway and my 5 year old is happy whatever we do so for most of the summer (we're on week 8 of the holidays now) we've chilled out at home or at most gone for a bike ride down the road and back or a swim at the lake down the road or just played out in the garden (I made a balance course out of old planks and pallets). Think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of proper days out we've had, and we had one night away this week.

Same here.

I don't know if it's something we have done wrong but my kids are awful if we try to stay at home all day. We basically never do unless one is ill.

Always at least a walk to the local playground.

I’m going to go against the grain and say that I hated the doing nothing days - it was unspeakably boring to spend 5 days out of 7 ‘pottering about’ for weeks on end.

I would have loved to have gone to camp. I just hated being at home all the time, and still do, to this day. I plan something every weekend - Saturday & Sunday - or it feels like the weekend has been completely wasted. I can’t imagine my attitude would change if I had a child.

None, we're working so she's in holiday club then we go away for nearly 3 weeks, when home it's back to holiday club for a couple of days before school starts (she LOVES holiday club and we have to work)

We don't have any days with absolutely nothing on, but we usually just do something that lasts a few hours in the morning, which still gives them a solid 8+ hours of pottering time each day. I think that's sufficient!

When people say their kids “stay at home” for most of the holidays, what do they mean? Actually not leaving the house, even for a walk/to the park?

We try to do something once a week. Other days are chilling in garden and house.

There are whole weeks where we do nothing at all and dc just go out to play with their friends.

See I don’t get this at all. Not going out for 6 days out of 7 feels like a self-imposed lockdown to me.

This thread has been quite the eye opener.

Ditto.
I find it quite limiting but they need to recoup & prep energy for next year.

We don't do many 'days out' my kids are 4,9&13. The youngest 2 have friend in the street so they never want to go out anywhere they just want to play with their friends.
We'll have 2 weeks abroad on holiday. Middle child does a sport so trains 4x a week anyway. Youngest would never ever leave the house if it were up to them.
DH & I work from home so they entertain themselves a lot (with their friends)

With my ASD/adhd child we have to get out every morning and afternoon unless I want absolute chaos! Whilst I'm a bit jealous of others who's children can potter all day I have to admit I like to get out of the house once a day for an activity myself

A small housing scheme/ estate ( housing association) lots of families with kids who still play outside. Teenagers don’t hang out here. He’s definitely not lonely, bored or thrown out the house 🙄

I would like to understand this too.

And also exactly what is meant by "chilling" - maybe this is my poor parenting but days in the house with my kids are only chilled if I allow unrestricted screen time. Otherwise they run around like lunatics/have wrestling matches..

Loads.
On Saturday we only went out for an hour to walk to the shops. Played a couple of board games together but the rest of the time they amused themselves. On Sunday we went for a long walk and to the park in the morning, then the dc went to grandparents for a couple of hours in the afternoon. On Monday oldest dc had an appointment so youngest two went to grandparents again for a couple of hours. I took advantage of this and did a big supermarket shop after the appointment. Yesterday we had a deliberately quiet day as dc3 was feeling under the weather. Today they’ve had a friend round to play in the morning and have been watching a bit of tv since lunch. We don’t really have any plans for the whole of this week in fact. With my 2nd child he had to get out and about every day so spent a lot of time in the park etc but dc3 and 4 seem to enjoy being at home and playing with the toys they don’t usually have time to play with much

My kids need exercise, and loads if it. We never stay in all day, it would be hell. Usually a walk (around 2 hours), about 30 minutes of gymnastics (splits and cartwheels in the moment), and playing ball/frisbee/boomerang in the park for another hour or so. Plus swimming, tennis, bike rides, dance camps.
Not all organised, but at least 4 hours of exercise per day.

Kids should be "playing out". They don't need entertained and should be encouraged to entertain themselves. Hanging around the street or the park with your mates during school holidays, away from your parents' prying eyes, was the best thing about the long summer holidays when I was growing up. I always encouraged my two to get out the house with their friends. It encourages self reliance, independence and stops them staring at a screen.

‘Chilling’ here yesterday was colouring, playing hair salon (which included more time making signs and price lists than actually playing) watering the garden, sudoku for one of them while the other played scalextric, asking Alexa to play various songs, practicing hand stands and cartwheels, playing on the swing, playing sylvanians and a bit of tv too. Depends so much on their ages and interests though…

Mojo 😂. No you really cant make that a blanket statement. It's not the "naice" mc mumsnettera that's "play out" here but the odd groups of kids you wouldn't want to encounter or tbh the v disadvantaged on our area.