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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Its rare my children pop out those dreaded words. Having a computer and printer has been a delight.. print out a recipe.. colouring sheet.. quiz page..

Always something to do, and looking at food pictures is a great family activity, children love to cook, and its great bonding time

I always plan some activities and then also give free time that isn't planned so that it allows time to generate own creative play

Indoors day followed by outdoors day then visiting people day and repeat. We have default vising people day as nephew & youngest sister stay with me during the hoildays and i take them all to one of their homes for a day.

We always turn to Pinterest for craft ideas and things to keep the kids entertained.

I believe everyday must be a new start for me and for my children and therefore I follow the matra of learning anything new each day and I try to follow the same idea for my kiddo, and no matter what we do stay indoor or go out to the park or simply make dinner or clean up the mess each activity must enhance the knowledge. We put learning something new in anything and everything we do.

For the February half term we will try to go for a theater with my kiddo, go to friends place have loads of arts and crafts fun at home and try to visit a museum.

We did loads of such fun in the Christmas break and my kiddo loved it. And I m still hunting for new ideas.

We do a lot of craft activities in our house so when we go out walking we collect pretty stones, leaves, little flowers etc and then on the not so nice days where we are mostly at home the children make pictures or cards and they really enjoy it.

Baking, the park, bike rides, cinema, drawing, playing with dolls. We always find plenty to do, most of it free

Easy younger ones painting,colouring,sticking pictures.Then try fun baking lots of age groups! Walking free get pen n paper write down what you see and investigate when back at home. Books galore or all on computer then score activity points.what do points make? Prizes!

They are not allowed to say they are bored. Only boring people get bored. They have to learn to amuse themselves and they do.

I dig out old toys/games from the back of their bedrooms which usually generates interest for while. Also set up fun activities like baking, crafts or if it's dry obstacle courses in the garden.

We are massive board game fans in our house so we rotate regularly. We play games like forbidden island, sushi go and love letters which they adore. I highly recommend.

I keep a recycling box behind my kitchen door and in it goes all manner of boxes, tubes, cleaned out pots, materials, wrappers, old catalogues, and during wet school holiday days the children get to tip it all out and I put with it sellotape, glue and card and paper and they then make whatever they like with it. Keeps them quite for hours

My daughter loves getting out on her bike or older boots but if it's a miserable day we bake or cook together she loves helping out and surprising everyone with what she has helped make . We also have plenty of games SANTA brought bingo this year and it's a great fun playing with all the family together

Anything artistic! We have loads of colouring books in the house, which really help relieve boredom AND relax them!

I make sure I put away my phone for a good chunk of the day and properly concentrate on playing with my daughter. Sounds obvious but I need to make myself do it or I'm guilty of checking my emails and not really focusing on her. We also get our old toys and play with things that have been away for a while. Good way of sorting out things that should really go to the charity shop too!

Have fun worksheets to hand, especially the kind that can help towards things like Brownies badges

They have scrapbooks and I encourage them to do something themselves to stick in them

Craft, craft and more craft!

The actual 'crafting' is just part of it. A walk in the woods to collect leaves, pine cones and rubbings, googling instructions, repices and tutorials, counting out the 'pennies' and the bus ride in to town to shop for (more!) stickers, crayons and glue, all go towards stringing out a craft activity :)

DS1 (now 23) became very interested in recycling, so we a booked a visit to a large recycling centre, where they were happy to stick him in a hi-vis and show us around. We left with free recycled stationery and loads of ideas for stories, activities and games. I plan to do similar with DS2 (5), soon (can't beat a free activity, where you leave with free stuff!)

My favourite part of our shopping days is stopping off somewhere 'grown up' for lunch and an unhurried chat with either, or both of them. I especially love that DS1 still wants to do this with his old mum.

It just takes a bit of imagination to find something a bit different to do - and there's not much I won't do to put off the hell (for adults) that is soft play...

we like to go walking down on the beach with our dog or out on the bikes

we try and get out. Even with a newborn on Christmas Eve we went to the park as they needed fresh air and energy release.

My daughter loves craft too.

Paper planes! Either indoors or out, my two DC's never get tired of them!

Potion making in the garden - lots of empty soap dispensers with different coloured water (food colouring) bowls, sticks and glitter.

Painting a cardboard box in garden.

Set up the tent in their room.

Cooking

Going to the park/beach.

Or if we are all tired its snuggly time on the sofa in pjs wrapped in a cover eating popcorn watching films :)

Definitely going for a nice walk with the idea of finding at least one specific item, such as a leaf with a hole in it or a nut!

cooking, baking cakes, walking dogs

Sticker books are a big hit in our house!