Activities to do at home during the summer

[Chihowhow]

I have a six year old, and we are home together over the summer. We have just got a puppy so can’t do our usual day trips out, or park in the morning and swimming in the afternoon as we can’t leave her for very long.

I’m really struggling to find activities that we can do at home. Before she went to nursery we used to do lots of at home activities (water beads, coloured rice, moon sand, painting, baking etc etc) but she has long outgrown these now and they are all labelled as boring and Pooh Pooh-ed for the tv. I don’t want the summer to be blur of Bluey and tablet time. What can I do that will pique her interest? Dog walks are obviously a given! Thank you xx

That depends on what she does find interesting!

My DC has recently discovered a Stickman cookbook in the library and we now make a numbers of recipes from that. They're easy to follow and barely need my input.

We found a "Kitchen Science experiments" book and did a few of those activities.

We've done colouring (they have a Pokemon obsession, lots of printables online), free painting and the world's supply of board games, including Scrabble, rummy, some traditional dice games.

They completed the summer reading challenge.

We did some gardening when the weather allowed it.

With a new puppy, why not learn about how to care for it together? Why not go on shorter trips that are dog-friendly?

Craft kits you can keep out of puppy's way? Dd6 has been happily bejewelling keyrings lately!

A scrapbook/secret diary for drawing, writing, collage, making lists etc?

Baking, cooking

Making Lego animations? Can download a simple animation app.

making a book to post to one of her friends?

making a den in the garden to picnic in?

Planning a meal your daughter wants to learn to make and the. Making it?

I think TV needs not to be an option. Eg you have 1 hr of TV then we need to find something else to do. I find boredom helps children find something to engage in.

Have a look at the Crayola website as there lots on there for free. ELSA support is also a good website for free or cheap printables. Also have a google of free virtual summer camps as charities such as family fund offer these over the summer. Websites like Baker Ross offer cheap craft kits. My daughter used to love making things either as gifts for the family or to sell for a few extra pennies (either to family or little stall at end of drive with honesty box). Have a great summer

Baking isn't for babies! She is the perfect age to be baking @Chihowhow.

Like others have said I'd get her along to the library and sign her up for the reading challenge and see if she'd like to choose a baking or cookbook and choose a recipe to do.

Does she have a DF that you could invite over and hopefully they'll reciprocate?

Blackberries are ripening earlier and earlier - pick and make something together?