Summer holiday “challenge” or “project”

[hungry123]

DD2 (10) has been a bit of a reluctant reader. We’ve struck a deal that she can “win” a fiver for every full book she reads over the summer holidays. I’m sure someone will be along to tell me this is awful parenting and lifelong damage will be done by this, but for now she’s super motivated.

DD1 (12) is a proper bookworm and doesn’t need motivating to read more. But she also wants a summer holiday challenge and I’m stuck for ideas. In terms of things she wants/needs to overcome there isn’t much (tidying her room / picking clothes up off the floor every day consistently are strangely not appealing to her).

So I’m here for ideas. Have your kids ever done any kind of summer holiday project/challenge that you could recommend?

Cooking?

Something physical? She could try couch 2 5k (ok it’s 9 weeks but she could get a fair way through it) or I bet there’s any number of physical fitness challenges online. Learn do a handstand, hold a plank for 3 minutes, keepy uppy challenge or something similar...

something art and craft related? Learn a new craft, like crochet or knitting? A new painting technique? Start learning a language? If she likes reading, could she try writing a short story?

We’ve done things that are more about keeping them occupied eg crochet a blanket, redecorate your room.
in your case, you need to include the money element so maybe £5 for every dinner she plans and cooks or every cake she bakes (must all be different recipes)?
or for achieving so many days / points on Duolingo?

Duo lingo? See if she can get a streak for the whole holiday.

im also doing a cooking challenge with my 12 year old, that one requires a little supervision and planning.

Thanks all, I’ll give these some thought.

She’s a keen athlete so again not so much motivation / challenge there, and we live abroad where she’s on her third language already!

Indeed it’s about keeping her busy as much as overcoming or achieving something (or earning money!)

My child's school has a diploma that you complete throughout the school year with different headings - wonder if you could do something along the lines of that so has to tick off a certain number of activities under each heading over the summer.

Sport - try a new sport or commit to improving in a sport or commit to doing a certain number of steps or minutes running a week

Skill - learn a language or learn to play chess or to code or give a presentation using power point or learn to cook

Creative - different creative activity each week - painting, drawing, write a poem, sewing, knitting, photography

Service - do something to help others - whether that's for you round the house or a grandparent or a neighbour or more widely for the community like litter picking

Cultural - visit a museum, watch a foreign film, learn about a different religion or culture

Sorry I meant to say she could keep a journal for the summer to see how much she achieves

Sorry just one more - if you wanted to go down the reading route then look up some examples of bookopoly. You move round a monopoly board and each square has a reading challenge

Well given that the reading challenge is for a reluctant reader, you probably need to pick a challenge that your other DD would be reluctant to do.

Some sort of skill that she's little or no interest in but doesn't hate. Cooking/ sewing/ sewing/ crochet/ learning an instrument?

DS had a learning to swim challenge, and I'm going to set him a reading challenge as well this summer as school suggested it and he needs to do it. He also likes the idea of guitar but hasn't bothered to motivate himself to do some YouTube lessons so I might incentivise him financially to do that as well.

Have you seen the paw print badge challenges?

DS is younger but last year he had a multiplication challenge and the year before he built some kind of robot and learnt how to code it to make it move.

Perhaps have a look at the Rebel Badge Book/Store. I think it was set up for grown ups that want to enjoy earning badges for completing challenges in the same way that we did when we were brownies/scouts.

There might be some inspiration there for a holiday challenge that you could attach some money to.

I agree with Turfwars that it needs to be something she finds difficult or is reluctant to do to balance with the reluctant reader's challenge. What is her weakest school subject?

Could she do some sort of research project?
She could pick the topic and then use the web, library, museums etc to do research, and present it in a way she likes - essay, film, PowerPoint etc