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?

Thank you to everyone else, some amazing suggestions

As other people have said, check out the library and local museums for holiday activities, and see if your local council has anything on offer. Also check out local sports teams - both the rugby and football teams here run free sessions for children in the holidays.

What holiday clubs have you looked at? The full-day ones can be expensive, but it varies - my closest one is £50 per day. There are also some clubs that are more ‘entertainment’ than childcare round here - running mornings only, or 10-2 - not great for childcare but are usually cheaper than ‘proper’ holiday clubs (£15-20 a session).

I also have an only child, and agree with trying to get play dates arranged - she’s got two weeks at home with us (both working the rest of the time so she’s in clubs), and I’ll try and book play dates for those weeks so she has a bit of company.

For wet weather, I used to have loads of craft stuff - paint, glue, cereal boxes, buttons, cardboard tubes, coloured paper, just things like that, to make things. Son had a little friend who lived in the same street so they'd be together a lot, either at our house or his friend's house. It's easier when there are two children as they amuse each other a lot of the time.There were swings in our garden, a slide and platform which became a tent by draping an old sheet over it. I'd walk them to the park for the afternoon, often took picnics too. It made the outing last longer. Even simple things like the paddling pool and hosepipe kept them amused for hours. They also loved playing with the train set and garage, We visited granny one afternoon a week and never missed story time at the library.

If you can, invite a school friend over for the day. Ours loved having fish fingers and chips in a bag outside in the tent - kept mess in the house to a minimum!
And I did let them watch some tv every day but not for hours on end.

Check your local council website. Most offer free or at the reduced rate summer holiday clubs (usually sports related).

I find the less you do with them in that first week, the better the rest! I have a six yr old and he will play for hours once he gets into it (granted he does have siblings), but he creates wonderful games - however they have to get out of the directed time that he has at school.

Let him be bored, keep the TV off, put water in the garden, build a train track outside. Trust me, the first couple of days are hard but it isn’t your job to entertain him 24/7 for 7 weeks. A couple of activities during the week, a couple of larger fun trips over the summer.

Work through some Beavers badges

I feel this! Tomorrow is day 1 of 7 weeks with my 5 year old and 2.5 year old. I don’t see the point in paying for holiday clubs since I’m off anyway but the thought of trying to find ways to entertain them every day is filling me with dread!

Stuff I did with my DC when they were little (and still sometimes do!):
Playdates
Picnic in park
Have a look to see what free days out/events are available in your area (again, take packed lunch with you).
Bike adventure (plot a suitable route, take picnic and off you guys go).
Tent in garden (I used to do this with DC - we still go camping though).
Walking adventure (plot a route and take picnic)
Forage for berries/fruit picking
Library trip (ours often has great exhibitions there)
Museum trips
If you're close to the beach, have a day at the beach (take picnic etc)
Swimming

EDIT...on crappy weather days, we'd have a movie day, or a gaming day, or do some colouring and crafts.

Lots of books!
None of this constant activity thing happened in my childhood. I was an only child so just made up my own games and read loads.

Get a routine in place that also includes reading time, and free time for him to play alone. Get outside every say.

I did Paw Print badges with mine.
M

Maybe the comment about not having links with other school parents threw them off. It made me think she worked full time in term time.

I think, if you enjoy his company then just do a lot of things you would normally do and he can tag along. Some of my fondest memories with my kids were when we were just pottering at home. We might have been clearing out wardrobes or toy boxes to take stuff to charity shops, we cooked all meals together, we watered plants and hoovered. We just did everything together that I would have done on my own.

Another thing we did was look at google maps and I would get them to pick out a point (any point) within a 2-3 miles of home and then we drew a map to that point. They then scooted and I walked to whatever place they had decided and we would buy a drink or ice cream on the way. It was surprisingly fun actually.

This. I bloody love the school holidays but I certainly don't spend every minute entertaining them.

My kids learned in lockdown that they need to build a train track down the stairs, or a den, or really anything.

I do have two which helps but they are four years apart. We do a lot of walking to the coop (it is rural and a nice walk) or to the play park, taking picnics out but not much of it big or entertaining.

I work more in term time then reduced hours in the holidays. I am incredibly shy and haven’t quite managed to get myself into the parent stuff yet but I’m really trying. I feel embarrassed suggesting like I’m needy but I have to get over that for my son’s sake, I know. I’m trying really hard.

You’re not a shit parent. The fact you care enough to be looking for ideas shows you’re a good mum.
Looking after an active, young child is hard work. I have a very ‘busy’ son so I totally understand.

Things that work for us:

• Walking everywhere (within reason). It kills some time and wears him out. He likes to play games as we walk (e.g. making up stories about the people who live in the houses we walk past, colour ‘treasure hunt’- just choosing a colour and then trying to spot things, I-spy etc).
• Arts and crafts. I have a big box of bits and pieces (Amazon/The Works sell them quite cheaply) and I get him to make something. It doesn’t actually matter what it looks like, but he often wants to make something that he then plays with (we’ve just made a Paw Patrol tower out of a couple of shoe boxes).
• If you can find a water table then my son will play with it for hours (although he is a bit younger).
• Car boot sales and charity shops are a good activity to hunt for some new toys/books. You can usually find something for less than a few pounds and he’ll play with something new for a while (the hunt also uses up a few hours). When he’s done with then it goes back to the charity shop.
• Walks in the wood/beach. He loves looking for different plants/insects. You can get fairly cheap books to give a list of things to identify.
• Keep an eye out for things that are on locally- dog/horse shows, fetes, country fairs etc. Lots are fairly cheap and a nice way to spend an afternoon.
• Do day trips to other parks/beaches with a picnic lunch. I think someone mentioned it above but it works so well for us- my son loves playing somewhere different.
• Google forest schools in your area. Lots have a summer holiday program with some fairly affordable sessions.
• Gardening (even if it’s just little pots for the house- he likes to choose some plants and pots from the garden centre/supermarket/fetes).
• Baking or getting him to help with cooking.
• Going to the library to choose books.

Do you not work OP?

I work four days so our plan is to put the DC in holidays clubs for 3 days a week, I will be home with them one day and then the fifth day DH or I or both of us will be off. If I were not working I'd still use holiday club if I could afford it.

Otherwise I would have an arrangement with friends to have their DC or they have ours or do things together. There are a few of us who live on the same street and have DC in the same class so I would offer to have theirs one day in the week and ask if they'd have mine.

When mine were smaller we always did something in the morning (even if it was just cycle/scoot to the shop for an ice cream!) then after lunch it was always quiet time for a couple of hours.
This involved reading or a film or playing quietly in their room which then leaves everyone refreshed, happy and ready to do something else.
We usually stayed at home in the afternoons and they loved tent in the garden, trampoline or crafts/den building with the dining chairs if it’s wet!

Slow down a bit so the things you are doing with him take longer. You can take a picnic to your local park, or even the end of your own garden. Get your DS to help with making the picnic. Lots of things you do around the house will take longer if he is 'helping' but that's fine because you have plenty of time. Walk, cycle or use public transport to make even a short journey into a day trip. Even at 6 years old some children aren't so good at independent play, build the time up gradually.

Haven't read the thread, does your son get free school meals?

I always spent time in the school holidays at the church holiday camp Didn’t really want to go but glad I did as so much to do and make friends Children need to be more active and independent

I make a bingo board for mine to complete over the summer, so that I can remind them they have that every time they get bored. They get some money once it’s completed. It is mostly independent tasks, read a chapter book, do a puzzle, make a comic book, make a fort, create an obstacle course etc… and I add in some things I can do with them, like a science experiment, baking, bike ride etc… seems to work really well 😃 (although they are still bored at times 🤣)

The i-spy books are great for keeping children occupied when out and about.

@EmptyBoxesss you are not a bad parent at all, you are obviously a great parent who is thinking of how to occupy her dc. And honestly it’s probably the age where having an only child starts to get tricky . My youngest child is 8 and is bored to tears without their siblings around so now he’s easier having a few kids ! Children really want to play with other kids, the vast majority anyway. I’d try and arrange play dates and lots of them ! Some kids aren’t great at playing on their own, my dcs loves beaches , collecting rocks , loved playgrounds etc (and a great place to meet other kids).
I do enjoy summer with my kids but that’s because I’m off and find work and juggling school very hard and it’s hard work organising uniforms etc . I’m in a country with way longer holidays that the uk too! But summer can feel v long and expensive too.

I get it Op!
I have two primary school age children and ima single mum.
I absolutely adore them to bits and I love my life with them, but if I get pregnant 6 week holidays anxiety!
I think for me it's not just keeping them entertained... it's the money. There so many things I'd love to do but can't as I can't afford it. And then I feel guilty and then I feel bad about myself and then the days feel long.
My children aren't interest in crafting and if I left them to entertain their selves they would just be nagging for the iPad all day!
It is tough OP, you're not alone! ❤️

Pre 6 week holidays anxiety not pregnant 🙈😂