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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for holiday ideas for older children

51 replies

user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:21

Sort of at the age of being too old for planned 'activities' but not old enough to be just left for the day. Older primary / early secondary.

What do you do with them? If I left my two they would just stay on their screens all day. Which might be Ok once in a while I guess. Just wondered if others had the same, wanted to share ideas.

Oh, someone will ask, so my AIBU is is it not quite tricky with this age in the holidays?

OP posts:
WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 15/07/2019 16:33

Theme parks, sport camps, horse riding, tennis, football, membership to local swimming pool and sports club, scouts, bike rides with friends, tourism (we are close enough from London), cinema....they still go to the library too.

Mine spend more than half the summer holiday with cousins or with us on a proper holiday. The rest of the time they don't have enough time to do half of their wish list.

Video games are banned unless we are travelling, someone is sick or injured.

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:40

Ok some ideas which don't cost a fortune please - I am on PIP / ESA and those things all cost a lot.

We already have a pass for a science museum which is good and interactive and get a discount for that so it is about £6 a month. We also do picnics (free) and local pool is about £3.50 each

OP posts:
Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:41

Bike rides and tourism good we also have a visitor pass thing free for residents but after they have done the museums and galleries once that is kind of enough

OP posts:
Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:42

Why ban video games? Confused Sounds a bit of a shame, mine enjoy gaming and good for a rainy day. I think they would think I was a bit of a cow if I banned them totally.

OP posts:
WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 15/07/2019 16:44

your local facebook groups.

My local ones are a mine of information for local events and lots of help for parents who ask exactly the same question!
There are usually quite a few free events over the summer around here, in Park, local museum, library.

WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 15/07/2019 16:46

Why ban video games?
because I hate them, and they have enough books or movies to watch, and school projects! for rainy days.
Mine still play, they build things and "experiment" and are generally good at keeping busy and fighting Hmm

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:46

Thanks- yes I will have a look.

OP posts:
Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:47

I thought I hates them until I watched how they can play together on two sets and the laughter and fun they had. So, now we limit it to say part of the day.

OP posts:
Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 16:48

We don;t have school projects- the schools deliberately don;t give anything over the holidays here. Which I quite like to be honest as I think they need a break. They read lots though

OP posts:
formerbabe · 15/07/2019 16:49

Very tricky age isn't it.

So far I'm thinking

Swimming
Bowling
Cinema
Tate modern
Booked a day at a sports camp...will extend if he enjoys it
Going to get him cooking dinner

Will watch for more ideas...

formerbabe · 15/07/2019 16:50

Definitely more expensive to keep older ones entertained

fedup21 · 15/07/2019 16:51

Video games down bother me at all. Mine have always self regulated and don’t tend to play for long anyway.

Park
Picnic
Beach
Cinema (meerkat days)
Sleepovers
Friends over to play
Local bouncy days/smaller theme park
Zoo (Tesco vouchers)
Trip to London with picnic
Bowling
swimming

Ooh, I love the holidays-can’t wait!

Fizzypoo · 15/07/2019 17:01

Mine are 12 and 13.5. I feel your pain.

We've already been away this year so will have the full 6 weeks at home.. I'm hoping to arrange a few sleepovers with their friends, plan a few camping in the garden nights with the fire pit, sort their bedrooms out ect.

We'll spend most of the holidays mooching and pottering around. I don't have a lot of money for this years 6 weeks so their treats will be a few cinema and pizza hut outings rather than sport camps.

I'm really looking forward to not rushing around and relaxing with them. No routine and no time to be up (apart from my 2 working days) this will be my last summer holiday with them as I'm a student about to go into my third year. I'm feeling quite sad that next year I won't have this time with them.

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 17:13

Glad to see others find games OK, I can imagine the faces if I told them computers and games banned and we are all doing some summer school project, after they have just finished for the summer!

Yes i would love to just let them roam freely and come home when they wanted- but think the youngest is just a wee bit young for that and don't want my eldest to be responsible all the time. Roads etc- at this age when i grew up we just ran wild really.

Today my eldest is off a week early (14) we went to the local pool where I usually swim, we swam together, had a sandwich and sat in a gardens in the sum and read, went for a coffee / juice in a new wine bad which had opened which he liked the look of (for a treat) and then was school pickup time for the youngest.

OP posts:
WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 15/07/2019 17:13

I quite like holiday homework, it's only a couple of hours a week, we are fairly flexible about them but it keeps them in the loop.

plan a few camping in the garden nights with the fire pit
that's a brilliant plan!

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 17:15

I'm feeling a bit like you Fizzypoo. That soon they will be off themselves. Need to relax a bit. It will be fine once it starts. We usually go away for a few weeks but not happening this year but lucky in that live in the city so quite a bit to do (and to spend...)

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WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 15/07/2019 17:16

I can imagine the faces if I told them computers and games banned and we are all doing some summer school project

it's what they are used to to be honest, videos games have always been pretty much banned in my house. I had holiday homework as a kid too, I wouldn't be too rigid about it, but even my youngest are used to see us do a bit of work on holiday, so it's kind of normal for them.

It's always a magical remedy against the possible "I am bored" because there's always a list of possible chores to do or homework to be done if anyone wants one Grin

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 17:17

Yes we do plan to campo near the beach which they love. Yes they love a fire / barbecue! Nice easy cooking too.

Oh, tidying rooms / helping with jobs I guess. They will love that.

OP posts:
WhatHaveIFound · 15/07/2019 17:21

Have you checked out your local library or council for things to do? Ours offers a variety of activities that are free or low cost.

There an excellent 4 afternoon coding course which would have been perfect for DS but he'd miss the first session due to our holiday (and you have to do all 4).

DD has signed up to a pottery class and there's a couple of music things she's interested in.

I'm also planning on getting them both cooking too. It's something they don't have time to do durig term time but a vital life skill. Maybe you could do a themed dinner each week?

Fizzypoo · 15/07/2019 17:22

I let my DC game in the holidays and weekends, but I make them get fresh air first. I force them out on their bikes for an hour and get them to send me photos of interesting things (we live in a large village). Often they see one of their friends and stay out longer.

It offsets my guilt about them being entertained by tech all day if they've been in a cornfield. I can imagine that they're having an enid blyton childhood. Wink

Mine also still like monopoly, and they loved playing rummy over xmas so will 'host' a few family card nights with nice snacks. Film nights to get them out their rooms too.

OP why don't you write a list of affordable ideas from here and let your DC pick ones that they like and make a stay-cation itinerary?

notatwork · 15/07/2019 17:27

Have you seen the TV programme 'Task Master'.
Over the last couple of years I have set my teenage lot challenges over the course of the week and then marked them. The overall winner gets a small prize. Because they have all day for each challenge they come up with some fabulous things: 14YO was challenged to build tallest possible tower with spaghetti for example: got friends and ladders round and built something too tall for me to measure etc etc.

It's a fun mix of mental/skill/physical challenges and cost next to nothing because you can make them up to use things you have around. You could keep it going all summer with, say, 3 a week, take photos each day and then do all the judging at the end.

Original poster
user87382294757 · 15/07/2019 17:31

I do the same Fizzypoo but with us it is the mornings, they can stay in pjs and utter / game / they do code and print stuff on 3d printer etc as well, and in afternoons we get out. So I do jobs like tidy and clean first, prepare dinner

Cooking is a good idea

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Lavenderduck · 15/07/2019 17:32

Some brilliant ideas thanks! My girls are almost 10 and 14. Agree it is tricky to keep it low cost when they have been to so many parks, National Trust places and pools previous holidays and weekends. Live right in the middle of the country so far from beaches 😕....They seem to have outgrown libraries and museum events (pretty lame around here anyway) so I am trying to think of new free/cheap ideas - difficult!

MercedesDeMonteChristo · 15/07/2019 17:34

The plan a themed meal suggestion is genius and made me think similar could be done with the tourist idea. My older two are 13 and 11 so struggling too. I might give them a small budget to plan the day out (suspect for ice creams etc).

Lavenderduck · 15/07/2019 17:35

Only booked my youngest 2 half days learning horse riding but they are expensive! We are going to visit family by train with cousins for few days to hang around. No idea what to do with my eldest ...expect her to arrange sleepovers, shopping with her friends and chilling out with Netflix. If I don't arrange anything, they will be sitting in front of screens! 🤷