To be dreading the summer holidays

[EmptyBoxesss]

I have a son I adore, more than anything, but I never know what to do with him. I really struggle with entertaining him! He’s 6. I take him swimming and to the park and on his bike and we do the library and crafting, but there are 12 hours in a day for 7 weeks! It’s so long I run out of ideas and I find it so hard. We will visit my family for a week but that’s 6 other weeks of the two of us and it’s so overwhelming. I’ll try and book in a couple of okay dates but I haven’t got links with many of the other mums to be honest, I’m trying to change this.

Is it just me? How do people keep their kids busy every day?

Honestly for us, we don’t keep them entertained everyday. I let them be bored sometimes, it doesn’t kill them.

Also, pool pool pool. For my kids, they love the pool! Paddling pool, the sea, local swimming pool, sometimes I take them to a different pool that has a slide or something. Pool with Nan, pool with uncles and cousins, I get them to the pool or a body of water as much as possible as it’s the best way to tire them out.

As for parks, I sometimes drive to different parks. If I see a good one on the way somewhere I’ll make a note of it and try and fit it in to our plans. There’s one really good park (the kind of park that makes you wish you were a kid level of good) about 30 mins from us so sometimes I take them there as a day out and bring food and games ect.

Thank you to everyone for their suggestions, I am reading every post xx

Plan a day out each week - beach, swimming somewhere different, country walk, steam train
Involve him - ask him what he'd like to do
National trust properties
Library
Swimming
Bus ride somewhere
Train ride somewhere
Play dates
Visit relatives
Museums
Castle
Holiday club a few times to allow you to work
Cheap cinema morning
Films, lego, paddling pool
Tent in the garden
Bike rides
Lunch out even if it's just McDonalds
Lots of walking so it takes a while to get places - avoid using the car
Nature spotting walks - we did birds & night time walks

As much as it’s good for children to entertain themselves twelve hours is a long time.

There is nothing wrong with breaking the day up by leaving the house and I hate it when people make out you’re doing something wrong or bad or over indulgent by going swimming or to the park for a while!

Great time to learn how to relax at home

I get it OP, it's hard with just one. All very well saying leave them to entertain themselves, but that's a lot easier when you've two or more. You said he gets bored easily - what would HE choose to do? Does he have any particular interests you could join in with and encourage?

Rough geographical area please, we'll make suggestions

I think at this age 2 children who happily entertain each other are much easier than 1. Suggest offering to host lots of playdates or even all day. Could look at reciprocal where you take their child/children for a day and they return the favour so you get a day 'off'.

Don't worry too much about screen time, potentially create a wish list together, would he like to learn a new skill e.g. baking, or could you get him involved in making dinner/snacks; write a list of all the local/less local, free, cheap, indoor and outdoor things you could do. Could you emulate a forest school type thing once a week etc? But also have lazy days with movies and popcorn and 'too much' screentime.

Just seen Cornwall, sorry

I used to spend entire summers at the local library. There will be lots of free activities for you, go to your nearest childrens centre, community centre, library etc.

If you’re in Cornwall can you do a beach day every week? To be honest I was glad to be working most of the holidays, we took a couple of weeks each and rest was holiday clubs. I love my kids but when they were little I definitely didn’t want 7wks off with them.

When my kids were small, we didn't have much money and some of the things we did are:
Paddling pool and sandpit in the garden, a few plastic tubs/jugs and a couple of small spades for digging. Invite friends with children/neighbours over to play

Visit parks/woods/playgrounds, take a picnic and stay all day. Does he have a scooter/bike?

Making dens in the lounge and playing camping (you can both sleep in there!)

Movie afternoons with homemade snacks and popcorn.

Jigsaws/painting/junk modelling/lego

Museum visits (free) library (often have activities in the holidays)

Remember you don't have to fill every day with activities and he can have a lazy afternoon watching tv while you get stuff done. It won't kill him! Invite friends over as much as you can so he has someone else to play with and you can have a coffee and catch up - other mums will be feeling the pressure too and will appreciate the invitation.

Also remember it doesn't hurt kids to be bored - often a period of boredom can galvanise them into finding something to entertain themselves. You are fostering independence by letting him work it out for himself!

Is it possible to do half of that time in holiday club if they offer a weekly option (I think some are week-by-week)? I know OP, you say you can’t afford it, but taking into account the money you may spend going out, maybe it will turn out to be roughly the same and just half the time.

Pair that with week visit at the family’s house, then you only have two or three weeks left to fill. With playdates and your own outings that would fill in the time and go by fast.

Even at a younger age my dad was always saying we had to spend a little bit of time studying on the last few weeks of holidays. Maybe there could be some project you could set up to get back in the mindset of learning? Half a day of that and then fun but low key such as local options.

Also your DS is not too young to learn some basic cooking skills which also opens up a range of options to try and learn some things during the holidays.

I also agree he should be able to entertain himself with books, toys and games.

I like the comment by the previous poster about grabbing a huge calendar and write down the plan together. I think time will fly.

Are you entitled to free school meals? If so check out the time2move programme which is Cornwall based. Even if your not, there are some really reasonable priced options which generally include a hot meal and a few hours childcare usually including an activity. I think I paid £2 for 4 hours once at the local church holiday club with meal.

If you can mention which end of Cornwall, some others may have suggestions. We spend most weeks in the holidays at Heligan as the locals pass makes it fairly good value and there’s lots of kids in east lawn (play area) for my DD to play with

Whilst I work, I fix my holidays to be off Thursday through Sunday. As such we do one of those Pinterest type summer holiday planners - Thursday arts/craft/play, Friday field trip, Science Saturday, Spontaneous Sunday etc
This helps us have a loose routine, which works well for us

I agree that it is good for kids to be bored sometimes. This is when they use their imaginations. Get him to invent a game to play - you’ll play it with him. Suggest he look for a different way to play with existing toys. Find a new tv show for him to watch (maybe look up something from your childhood and tell him that mummy watched it when she was a little girl).

other ideas for more structured plans:

Board games (don’t be afraid to go for something with an older age on it if you have the patience to teach him the rules. My youngest started playing “Ticket to Ride” at around 6 and he loved it, even if he needed help!)

Colouring

Arts & crafts

dot to dots

reading

watch a film (set up like a home cinema with lights off, popcorn, etc)

Paddling pool

just playing in the garden

Walk to a different local park each day

museum

swimming

cinema

Lego afternoon (set a challenge to make something)

baking together

he chooses dinner and you teach him the whole process - he writes out a shopping list, go to the shop and he finds the items on the list, help him to prepare and cook the meal, teach him how to serve it up)

chores day once a week - my word 6 year old loved cleaning the toilet at that age (admittedly he’d use a ridiculous amount of cleaning spray but at least he wanted to help)

make ice lollies

make chocolates

local walks

if he likes Pokemon, download Pokemon go on your phone and go for a walk together catching Pokemon

beach/reservoir/lake/river/woods walks

if there are activities he really enjoys do them again!

have fun!

I hear you. Especially having one child. Are their other families with one child in the class? They might be similarly motivated to meet up so their child has company. 6 is a good age for trips to different parks.

Oh I missed the library off! Lots of library’s do summer challenges and things so look at what they have on!

I'm jealous that you have the beach as an option, we're in the Midlands and it feels too far for a day trip or I'd take DD(5) every week!
I'm a teacher so have the whole holidays off and happened to ask her earlier what she wanted to do over the summer. She just said play at home! She's finishing reception and its been so busy with school in the week and many many class parties at weekends that I think she'll really benefit from down time at home with a regular sprinkle of parks/library/play dates/odd day out here and there. I'm planning on making two lists - one of places we could go and another of toys/activities she can do at home so I've always got some ideas to hand. I'm looking forward to it but I'm the kind of person who needs some sort of a plan each day (even just 'have a bike ride') so I'm hoping that will help.

Make a planner and start looking up local events to go to. Invite friends round for play dates, use things like Tesco vouchers to access cheaper days out. Get the train/bus with a picnic and go on an adventure, do baking, have a home film night, sleepover in the lounge, go camping/glamping, join the library book scheme, visit the beach/woods.

I don’t think my parents ever really organised anything for me. I just entertained myself. We put so much pressure on ourselves now to constantly provide a source of entertainment but it’s not necessary. Let them be bored, they will be more creative/imaginative for it!

Make a den in the garden/house then have your lunch in it together.
What about a bit of a project - we’re tidying out bedrooms together and adding some cheap wall stickers.
Could you do another short trip to visit family to break up the hols a bit more?
Our local library has free workshops on but you’ve got to get in quick.
Movie (make a den to watch it from) and popcorn for a rainy day.

Make a daily routine.Get up early. Pack a lunch. Go out for the morning, park, bus journey to a free museum, library etc Eat your pack up out. Back home in the afternoon. Indoor relaxing stuff (film, reading, drawing) you get on with home jobs. Giving a day structure and purpose helps us cope!

We are also doing all our boring jobs this holidays like dentist, opticians, hair cuts. I had a light bulb moment when I thought why am I rushing round trying to fit them all in during term time.

Why does he need entertaining?

He's 6, he's old enough to entertain himself and then get a once or twice a week "activity" with you.

Too many children aren't learning to be okay with their own company, because adults insist on a million activities..

I’ve answered this twice already. If you’re not going to be helpful please don’t bother, I already feel like a bit of a shit parent so I don’t need you putting the boot in.