Mumsnet users share ways to keep their children of different ages entertained during half term with PizzaExpress

[EllieMumsnet]

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It’s half term and both you and your DC deserve some family time before the last leg of the summer term begins. If you have children of different ages, you know it can be difficult to find activities that entertain both. PizzaExpress would love find out the ways you bridge the age gap with activities that keep the children entertained, letting them express themselves.

Here’s what PizzaExpress has to say: “We love welcoming families into our restaurants and understand how precious time together is. Our goal is to make the time at PizzaExpress as enjoyable as possible, which includes not only delicious pizza but also fun & creative activities for Piccolos of all ages and the whole family to get involved in. What is it that makes it tick and ensures well-behaved children all round?”

Do you get them in the kitchen helping you create new dishes for the family? Perhaps you take family trips out that cater for all ages or go for a meal out in a family-friendly restaurant? Or maybe you have different variations of the same activity such as a colouring book for your younger DC and free-style painting for your older DC?

Whatever your ways to keep your DC of different ages entertained during the half term, post on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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Museums, day trips out, picnics in the garden and visiting local parks are all high up on the to do list!

We spend time in the garden, make dens, drive to the beach if the weather is nice and go for walks through the woods.

My 2 girls also volunteer at a local special needs activity centre during school holidays to that also keeps them entertained whilst doing something worthy.

Mainly it's the things that don't cost a thing (or much). Picnics, treasure hunts, treasure bingo, walks to the local island. I also encourage her to keep a day by day diary so she can see how much we've done, even if it's just the local library challenge.

This half term is hard, because whole week we have thunder storms and raining most of the days. I usually take out my daughter, but in this week we went to inside playground and also I make activities for her. We will paint together, I got a huge stone from our friends garden and we will transfer it to be a ladybug and build lego towers. I read stories. And when the weather let us, we go out and enjoy some fresh air.

We do the same activities, but give different jobs according to age.

Yesterday we planned and prepared a three course meal. The youngest kid loved looking through the cookbook and putting in bookmark stickers of the the food they liked.

At the supermarket, they got to beep the barcodes of the ingredients we were buying.

The older kid was in charge of washing vegetables, some chopping and stirring, and they both enjoyed kneading dough equally.

Everyone enjoys eating the meals!

I also like to arrange a playdate for their friends to come over at the same time - they get a couple of hours with someone their own age but inevitably end up all playing together anyway.

Another good task for both ages is to go outside and look for nature treasure and insects. The older one will go into more detail and discover new things while the younger one will just enjoy the moment of laying out petals/leaves/stones and picking up snails.

On a rainy day we can never go far wrong with a good film. My three all love cooking and baking too - so we're usually up for making something. If the weather's good a dog walk or a trip to the park are usually in order. Whilst my three are all different ages and characters, fortunately they're quite easily pleased.

This half term we are making a bug hotel, as my children are both doing nature topics at school this term (13 months difference) and my youngest age 3 loves to get dirty!!
Other things we do are baking and lots of crafting when it’s raining outside

Swimming, baking and cinema are always a hit with all of mine!

Having adventures out with friends. Don't have to be expensive, often just going to the park with a picnic or out for an icecream, just something different from the norm is enough to make it exciting (they are only 3 and 6 though!)

It all depends on the weather, if it's sunny or light rain then we'll head to a Country Park with our scooters and the dog, if it's heavy rain then we will go to the cinema or like yesterday, we went to Pizza Express. The news kids activity books are mammoth and kept them entertained for ages!! :D

www.instagram.com/p/BjXFI9sB9Xd/?taken-by=mummymatters

Always something to do! Raining? Special offer pictures. Museums if not free family prices. Good walks in the park doing I Spy game sheet with treat for winner and losers! Picnics just perfect in the garden. Use your imagination

Going to visit my sister and her two little ones. The just entertain each other

We always try and get a trip to the jurassic coast in as although they are very different ( a four year age gap ) and have very different interests finding a fossil still appeals to them both .

Trips to the beach in winter and summer are a favourite with all three of mine in different age ranges, always with plenty of food and drinks and things like pitch and putt at the local park they love doing, and family film fests indoors with a new released film and snacks

I have a 6 year age gap between my two boys so it can be hard. There favourite things to do together is going to the forest,the zoo and swimming.

In the summer we play lots of games in the garden, or we go for a walk on the beach. We are lucky enough to live only a 5 minute drive from the seaside.

Take them out to the park or seaside - anything but stuck at home

I lovely walk at the local woodland park then a play at the adventure [playground/swing park and then finished off with a picnic in the park

I have a four year gap.
There is loads they can both do and enjoy (playpark, swimming, theatre/shows, going for pizza!!!), and for stuff that means compromises have to be made by one or other of them, so be it - it's all good. Or their other parent is with one and I'm with the other - a big reason we are sticking with two children - one parent, one child each.

There are 3 years between my DC's, but when playing together I get out the popup tent, dressing up box for indoor play, for outdoor play I get out the ride on toys and balance bikes to ride up and down the garden and drive (putting cones out for the 'safe driving') the petrol pump and 'garage ' for repairs. Another idea I use is to get out my massive box of crayons in all shades colours and lengths and we so some self portraits. Home baking of rice krispie buns always goes down well too.

I have ds who is 11 and dd2 who is 5. It's so hard to find mutual fun things with these ages. Ds loves to help me cook but when dd gets involved it slows us right down and becomes about her so I give her her favourite activity, painting, and she makes a great big mess happily while we get on with the cooking. Whatever they find fun always seems to make SO much mess. Oh the delights of having children.

We have a dog and live in the country so plenty of walks in the woods with the boys taking their bike or playing in the trees - hours of imaginative exploration of our woods and plenty of fresh air! We also do this rain or shine!

As one of us worked in the day and the other in the evening, we didn't need child-minders and could spend time over half-term with the children. Annual passes, such as to visit ancient monuments, were a great save here!

Free activities guides in the local press and online. Often community centres and social clubs will have lists of free and low cost activities for school holidays. Other good options are the Scouts and Guides who in addition to a weekly group will offer a holiday time activity including overnight trips.

I have 3 DSes, aged 9, 7 & 4, so a 5-year gap between DS1 & DS3. We try to go out most days as all still enjoy a walk/scooter ride. Our local play park is great as the little ones like the apparatus & there is a football field for DS1.

We also like swimming & cinema. Eating out is good if it doesn't cost too much.

At home, they tend to do their own thing & we take turns in each one choosing a TV programme or board game.

We do get squabbles but it works on the whole.