Ideas for fun things to do with DC this week

[Zeeky]

DS1 is 4.5 and DS2 19mths. DS1 broke up from school last Friday. I have mostly done the Christmas prep (most things wrapped, food order being delivered tomorrow) so can now spend a bit of time with DS's. DS is overexcited and bored and so far, everything I have suggested we do he has pooh poohed (eg make playdough, make Christmas biscuits, make yet more Christmas decs!). Any ideas of what we can do that could involve both of them. DS2 isn't walking yet lazy boy! so gets fed up if we go out with him in the buggy for too long or anywhere where he isn't able to crawl around ie outside! Help!

don't ask the kids, just do it!

say "i;m making biscuits, come and help"- if he's like my lot he'll enjoy it when he starts.

or make the playdough and then dump on the table and he'll get stuck in

Oh... Was going to suggest Playdoh and making biscuits lol. We've done playdough and painted a Christmas decoration today and are making/ decorating biscuits tomorrow

Ok good plan. Fell into the trap of asking his opinion! TBH I don't feel like doing anything other than slumping in front of a Christmas film, but we exhausted that particular activity on Monday [fsanta].

Swimming, soft play, zoo, trip to forrest

We're going to see Nativity at the odeon kids club fri morning, and went to the museum today where they were doing Christmas crafts. Maybe go to the library, read some books, borrow some others?

forest/park walk hunting for fircones etc to glue and glitter or paint when get back.take sand buckets rto hold the treasures.did that with mine yesterday and they trundled round for ages and slept great!

Wrapped up nice walks, soft plays,

On the couch with popcorn and hot choc

Treasure hunts

Trip in train to see lights in your nearest city

Tots groups??

Have you got a family day at your local cinema? We went yesterday - full of kids, went to see Arthur Christmas, was fab and cheap tickets.

Not sure DS2 (19mths) would sit through a whole film at the cinema.

Will definitely try some walks if the rain would only stop. And a trip to the library too. Was thinking of maybe going for a walk once it gets dark so that we can see all the Christmas lights around our housing estate. DS1 loved being out in the dark at Halloween, so that may persuade him to leave the house!

Mine love the cinema, and have been every few months since they were a few months old. A great baby sitter when it is wet outside and dh has to have peace and quiet to study at home. The kids club is only #2.50 per child, an adult gets in free with each child, and I only get 3 tickets between the 4 of us as dd2 or ds are on my lap at some point. For #2.50 to occupy the three of you for 2hrs, I think you may be surprised. At 19 months ds sat through Tangled, and at the end shouted 'again, again'! Just make sure you have some snacks and drinks - we get the 2 pound kid feast drink, popcorn and sweets/raisins deal - but make sure it is sweet popcorn not salty!

Our girls love the lights around, and many of them go on around 4pm when it gets dark. It is also worth considering that at the end of his first term at school he may just be so tired that he is glad to be doing nothing.

I agree with having a walk/ drive to look at Christmas lights. Also, very popular in our house are hiding games. You could play traditional hide and seek or you could hide christmasy objects or treats around the house for your DS's to find. You could spot/ find/ think of different colour christmasy things or christmasy things which start with different sounds. You could gather a load of Christmas items on a tray and take turns to remove one and see if the other person can guess which has gone. Or cover the objects up with a tea towel and remember as many as possible. I agree though that it's worth just telling your DC1 what you're going to do in a jolly voice instead of asking. Or if he's too tired just let him be.

£2.50 per child for kids club! It's only £1 near here, though adults pay as well.

It's on every weekend and every day during the holidays, so fab for filling those long days. :)

One other thought - when DS1 was around the age of your eldest we got a block of sparkly silver Fimo and he spent an hour cutting out stars with his playdough cutters. I made simple hooks out of plain paperclips and stuck these into them before baking to harden in the oven. 4 years on they are still hanging on the tree and look lovely - and each Christmas when they come out he gets all nostalgic remembering making them. He has since made angels out of pearlised Fimo and this year made little birds out of self-hardening clay and experimented with different ways of adding texture to them (edge of a seashell, dried bay leaves, pine cone, etc) which he then polished with metalic wax - they look lovely now strung along the mantelpiece. These were all things a small child was easily capable of and he got really absorbed in them and is already suggesting things for next year - if you can get hold of Fimo or clay, or just make salt dough you could get yours to make decorations?