AIBU to be worrying about how we will survive the summer holidays whilst struggling financially?

[NameandAddressWitheld56]

Got three DCs ranging from 2-16 yrs.
Not currently at work due to mental health issues. How do people who have no spare money entertain kids of various ages for six whole bloody weeks?

I don't smoke, don't drink we live in rented accommodation.

Is anyone else already anxious about how they will cope?

Any advice, tips, ideas, help?
TIA

It depends on your mental health issues, I suffer from anxiety going out during the summer is a nightmare for me. Last year I did a lot of going to a local park, but I only have the one child.

Not sure what we are going to do this year, but we are moving so that is going to take up a lot of our time

Free or subsidised events at libraries, art galleries, museums, sports centres. Check whether there are any local resident passes (sometimes free) for local tourist attractions. Check local free parenting magazines for listings of free activities. Can't find any magazines on-line, but the DC seem to come home from school with them, and they're in the reception area of nursery.

Some schools/local areas in disadvantaged areas sometimes run schemes to feed the children lunch over the summer holidays, so might we worth asking Health Visitor or school.

A plan of getting out the house twice a day and one activity a day should keep you all sane.

Local library, local museum, trips out walking and take a pack lunch. Scavenger hunts. Geocaching. Movie sessions (close curtains and out a film on - you can borrow films from library if you don't have Netflix or movie channels). Volunteering for the older child if they can't get a job?
Board games, card games, make up your own games.
Lego. Always Lego. Look up a site called frugal fun for boys (nonsense of course - girls can have frugal Lego fun too). Some libraries have Lego clubs if you don't have your own Lego.
Do you have a toy library in your area?
Get them all involved in age appropriate chores.
Do the summer reading challenge (library again! I love libraries!)
Camp in the garden if you have one? Outdoor education centre might be able to let you have kit. Our local one rents it out very affordably.
An internet search engine and key phrases will be your best friend.
I hope your mental health improves soon. Some of these activities might help? You might be able to plan an activity every other day now to help. We have one active day followed by a rest day. It's more frugal, gives time to prep and recover and let's the kids be at home with their toys and sometimes to be bored too.
Good luck.

There is a free app called the Hoop. It'll tell you all the events that are on for children in your area (you can set the max distance from your post code). You can filter it by age, and also for free events. It's really handy.

At 16 I was volunteering full time in the day in the summer holidays to gain experience in a subject I wanted to do at university. Then worked evenings and weekends in a crappy telesales job for the money to go to uni. Would your 16 year old do something like that? It would be much easier then for you to have the younger ones

Oh and bus tours. But do a cheaper version! Get a local history book from the library (or research online and take notes) then get a bus ticket and do a route. Our local area it's only £1.70 per journey regardless of distance. Perhaps if you could give a rough idea of location people might be able to signpost you to relevant activities?

I live extremely remote and am skint; no art galleries or museums, subsidised or otherwise, here...on good days we get out, bad days can be long but board games and chores and playing cards, charades etc, baking...my main panic is actually feeding mine!! Three strapping teens/pre-teens and a growth-spurt toddler -all they seem to do is eat and everything is so expensive.. But it can be done, mine now make soda bread each day for pennies and once it's gone it's gone, my 13 year old makes fab jam tarts, 10 year old amazing banana cake. My boy made spaghetti hoop and hotdog mini pies for a picnic today - filling and cheap and he had a great time.
We are blessed by local sandy beaches but you are not alone in your anxiety...I strongly feel it is more of a struggle now than ever before.

Honestly some of the mums on Facebook seem to be doing something expensive every day with their DC's and I think to myself how do they afford this! I don't think it's normal tbh! We pretty much chill at home! Have people over and we can easily spend a day in a local park! If the weathers warm there are a couple of local paddling pools and we have a farm pass we pay monthly for so we class it as 'free'. If you have a tent you could do camping in the garden or see if you could borrow one? Walk in the local woods on a bug hunt, painting, playdoh, games, movies and baking at home!

We just played, really, with other kids in our street and around the corner. Some we liked more than, but there'd be a sort of truce with one we didn't like so there were always people to play with. When my friend's brother got to about age 12 we were allowed to all walk to the nearest lido (about 4 miles) for a day there. Or we just played in various kids' gardens and sometimes in the road (a quiet one).

It's good to make your children exercise their imagination and work out what to do themselves sometimes. Make them responsible for themselves and each other. Oldest responsible for all of them, but each child responsible for the children younger than themselves.

In the olden days we had things like iSpy books, but you can make your own - print off pictures of birds, butterflies etc, go for a walk see what you can spot.

How old is your middle child? I'm assuming you have your 2yo with you anyway so just more of the same there (although I realise toddler groups tend to close over the summer). I'd be expecting the 16yo to find some sort of work tbh.

Pintrest is your friend here. Look for holiday activities.