Holiday Activities for the kids: share with Lidl your top tips - vouchers to be won NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at Lidl know how hard it can be to entertain your children during the school holidays, whether that’s the cold February half term, the longer Easter hols or the never ending Summer break. So we’re keen to hear all the activities you do with your children to stop them from uttering those dreaded words… ‘I’m bored…’

So, what’s your saving grace? Do you try and get them outside for for a kickabout in the park or a game of rounders with friends? Or - if the weather’s not playing ball - do you have some ideas for keeping kids occupied when they’re stuck indoors. Maybe you have some Easter-related food you make together, or arts and crafts tricks? And above all that, how do you stick to a budget and keep costs down?

Add your top tips and plans of action to this thread and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where 5 winners will each get £50 to spend in Lidl.

Thanks
MNHQ
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[maryandbuzz1]

We always find something to do outside.....whether it's splashing in puddles, collecting natural objects to turn into something when we get in, mixing mud pies or playing hide and seek.
If indoors making a batch of dough will keep my son happy for ages!

[castleton]

We do walks / baking / lots of crafts

[shroney]

we have lots of crafting boxes and will make collages, painting or get out the lego and dominos and build huge cities.

[warjonson]

Coop video gaming, and going out for walks

[juju3]

Devote more time to them to ensure that you anticipate that event and prevent it

[renas]

A quick whizz to the park to play and let off some steam

[lizd31]

I love to play indoor & outdoor games with my great niece. She loves her GG & Grandpa's garden &, when the weather is ok, she's always out there helping, she's a budding gardener even at almost 4. We also have outdoor garden games to play such as noughts & crosses & connect 4. Indoors Olivia loves to colour with her GG or pretend to be a witch casting spells on us all & turning us into frogs & other creatures, she has a great imagination

[phillie1]

always baking, which is not good for my waistline!

[jacqui5366]

we get out our big box of crayons and I have a stock of old rolls of wallpaper, we roll it out, and have drawn around each of the children's outline, and we then have fun drawing sticking and creating funny faces. The result is cut out and stuck on the wall. We then make cornflake buns.

[Ganne1]

We would take out an annual pass with CADW (Welsh Heritage), and visit castles and ancient monuments

[Maggiemoomoo17]

I put their wellies on and go up the local park with our dogs and play hide and seek in the forest. Keeps them occupied for hours. If it's too rainy get them to make cookies.

[janeyf1]

We do activities together such as daily walks, taking photos, colouring in, and playing games

[SSCRASE123]

We don't get this very much thankfully. Lego seems to be the answer for both of them though if it gets to that point, we set them a story/task and they can then build away.

[compy99]

when all else has been exhausted we fall back on the old cutting out pictures from magazines or old catalogues and make random pictures, not exactly fine art, but it does the trick.

[Pimmpom]

My children are older now but when they were young, I can't tell you how many times we visited the London museums. They never seemed to get bored with them as they have so many activities going on in the holidays. In the summer, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground was a firm favourite. We used to pack up a picnic and spend the day there. Picnics kept the cost down and my children used to love them! I really miss these days out now that they are doing their own thing!

[jandoc]

I try to interest them in something new if they are bored

[blondie123c]

Get out in the countryside, wrap up warm take lunch with you. Country parks are good fun. Also the beach too collect shells/rocks and take them home to pain and decorate.

[hiddenmichelle]

I tell them that if they are bored I can find them plenty of worksheets to do or homework! Usually works, but failing that I tend to get an "old fashioned" board game out and we all play togther

[AngelwingsPetlamb]

My son is very sporty so any outdoor activity is great for him. We love forest bike rides, beach walks, visits to different National Trust places with our family membership card. If it's raining then a trip to the cinema is always a good bet.

[DiJones]

When I was teaching 9 year olds I HAD to get some emergency paperwork done ( no notice of this given ). I gave them the task of listing as many words with 6 letters as they could. When one bright spark asked if they could use their dictionaries ( YES ) we had silence for nearly 30 minutes.

[beckyinman]

My mum used to be a teacher so always makes me little activity books for them to do over the holidays. They include scavenger hunts, 'things I have learned' sections, word games and things that are fun, but keep their brains ticking over

[topsy73]

thankfully I do not think I have ever heard my son say this so we must be doing something right! We fill our days with fresh air, leave picking, puddle jumping, crafts, baking, painting, colouring, board games, train building! Just a few examples of how to keep the little ones amused!

[SirNiallDementia]

I have to get my crazy active boys out of the house and exercised every day, if I don't they go a bit bonkers.

So we go to the park, play football, have a bike ride, walk by the canal, go to the adventure playground, trampoline park, skate park, swimming, local museum.......

[emmav6]

i change of scenery always works a treat, a trip to the park or feed the duck. it doesn't even need to be outside, a visit to nannys always works a treat

[happysouls]

Arghh "I'm bored"! in actual fact I found that sometimes you can't win! We did lots of outdoor adventures and in the house all types of crafts, games, den building...but my son would be wanting to move on to the next thing faster than I could clear up the current one. Sometimes I think well let them be bored, maybe if they aren't constantly entertained they'll figure it out for themselves!