Mumsnet users share with Sky Cinema how they keep their children entertained during the summer holidays

[EllieMumsnet]

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Keeping your children entertained throughout the summer holidays can be a bit of a challenge, there's only so many play-dates and fun day trips a parent can bear to go on. Tell us how you keep your children entertained and what your chill-out pastimes are over the summer holidays.

Perhaps you find that arts and crafts or mini science experiments help keep your DC occupied for a while? Do you clear the kitchen table, sit down to an afternoon of LEGO building and create a world that rivals LEGO Ninjago? Maybe you're roped into tea parties with a gazillion teddies, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the gang; or you're persuaded to act out your world-famous rendition of 'Shake it off' a la Rosita in Sing as part of a front room talent show?

"When you need some down time after a busy summer's day, Sky Cinema has tons of unmissable family movies, available on demand, ready whenever you are this summer. With over 1,000 movies to choose from including the new Lego Ninjago Movie, Cars 3, Despicable Me 3 there will always be a movie to suit any mood."

However you entertain your children during the summer holidays, post them on the thread and everyone 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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I'm intending to keep my child entertained by -

Going camping at a campsite, camping in a friend's garden, bouldering with friends, cycling, picnics,language club, the science museum, play dates at the local park kicking a ball around. Playing board games at home, lots and lots of reading, watching movies at home, playing on the ipad!

The trick is to have a bit of structure. Usually we have something we have to do like an errand or dog walk so we fit activities for the kids around that. I like to make sure we get outside at least once a day too. We try to do baking and craft a few times a week.

Trips to the beach, visiting our local swimming pool, picnics in the forest, dog walks, cooking, going to the cinema and watching films at home, crazy golf, trampolining park, water park etc etc...

Invite friends to ours for a playdate a couple of times a week, involving a couple of hours playing together and then chill out time watching a movie with warm milk and popcorn on the sofa.

Even though it’s the holidays I will still need a bit of structure... I’m a teacher and find both my son and I are happier with a flexible ‘routine’! We will do gym/toddler group/swimming/library/soft play in the morning. Then lunch, nap (please let that continue over the summer... it’s touch and go at the moment) and chill out time at home and in the garden with play dates in the afternoon.

We tend to do park or beach for low key days or trip to sea life centre (annual pass holders) or soft play for bigger days out. Then home for the afternoon with a film and snack. We mix it up with lots of play dates as well and make sure we have company for half of the week for the children's sake!

Current plan is to alternate days out with days in, e.g. Spend the day out at a museum/fun day, then the next day chilling at home reading, playing with toys, etcetc

Days out we've planned include:
NT places - we have 5-6 within an easy drive
Local museums - includes history & science museums
Art galleries around here have kids activities over the holidays
Visiting friends/family who live away
Doing the local trails - there's a gruffalo trail, a city-based character trail (e.g. Wallace and gromit in Bristol, the bee trail in Manchester)
Cinema (especially if they're doing cheap kids screenings etc)
Trips to the pool
Build a bear (we have a £12 voucher after the promotional fiasco)
Park trips
Picnics

Days in will include:
Sorting out books/clothes
Doing puzzle books/work books
Reading
Limited & controlled time gaming
Films and popcorn
Arts and crafts
Baking
Playing with toys/Lego

We make a list at the start of the holidays of all the things we'd all like to do and try to accommodate as many as we can. Some are as simple as go swimming or go to the beach. This year we have a mix of craft days, baking, days out (usually free), a trip to London, meeting friends and family, a week of musical theatre classes, reading challenge, and a list of movies to watch in down time. I work term time so we all love the holidays here!

There is a lot of mileage in getting another (well-behaved) child or children round!

We encourage play dates as they seem to entertain themselves with little friends here.

Facebook is brilliant for picking up ideas. Local events, great places to go, council run free activities, garden centre activities etc.
I work PT and DD goes to holiday club. On the days I'm not working I try hard to make sure we've got plenty planned - play dates, outings, getting out things she got for Christmas that haven't been played with ...
We save our loose change in a jar through the year so that we've got plenty of funds to do anything (within reason) we want to.

Day trips outdoors as long as the weather permits. Beach days and country parks. Invite friends round for play dates.

Usually go abroad at the start of the hols then a few days chilling
Beach trips
Park with picnic
Dog walks
Treasure hunts
Local fairs and fetes
Camping in garden or at nearby beach site
Rearrange their rooms and get new things for their rooms
Reading
PlayStation afternoons
Play in garden with water or sand
BBQs with pals over
Sports club at leisure centre
Visit family
Train journeys
Hire a bouncy castle and invite pals over - pre arrange with mums and all chip in and bring food it’s a great day!!

We try and do a special or different day out once a week - this year we have legoland, isle of Wight, sightseeing in London, visiting 2 new parks we havent been to before and camping as our big ones.

Then the rest of the time free fun days or local events. Parks. Beach. And snuggle on the sofa watching tv days.

We cook different meals and make biscuits or cakes.

And it's all written on a planner on the fridge so they know and I know what's going on. Then it's not endless what's next and what are we doing now!!!

We are spending a lot of time outside,while the weather permits. Going to the parks, playing sports, bike riding. Days out at the zoo, museum, beach. And visiting library. For the rainy days we stay inside doing crafts and play Lego, and watching cartoons.

I have 5 DC, ages 5-16. I find the holidays hard work and expensive, but I've learned not to get too worked up about it, although I'm having to keep a close eye on screen time. I no longer make everyone come on days out if they don't want to and I don't assume that just because we've paid a fortune for admission somewhere, that they are going to have a good time and be grateful. I also recognise that going round historical sites is often quite boring to them, however much I enjoy it. We usually go away for a week and then thereafter, plan the odd full day out somewhere like St Andrews, which has a fantastic beach, beautiful town, famous ice cream shop, historical ruins etc, and so appeals to us all and after a day like that, we have a quieter day at home the next day. Successful days seem to be the ones where we spend lots of time outside and walks and picnics feature a lot in our house. They are much happier doing this if we are meeting friends or family.

water ights
setting the tent up in the garden and camping out.
picnics on the lawn
baking
watching tv lots of it.
cinema
going to national parks
cycling
walking the dogs
painting
writing stories
library
rounder or cricket
obstacle courses

He has a week with his grandparents, a week at holiday club, a week away with us and there rest of the time he plays in the garden, with friends or keeps himself amused with the arts and crafts he loves.

Grit your teeth, let them get really boooooreeed, then they start entertaining themselves

Lots of crafts and baking.. mine are older so can be left alone a bit more to get on with it.
My eldest is 13 and loves to sew and update clothes. She trawls charity shops and does her own embellishments. She's getting better lol.
We also make the most of the local parks and walks. The dog gets plenty of exercise.
My youngest is obsessed with doing obstacle courses and made up agility with the dog.. never very successful but funny to watch.
My main thing is just to chill. I don't care too much about screen time, as long as we have periods of fresh air/ of doing something constructive I'm not bothered 😁.

For the summer I prepare for everything-

1. We make sure she has a variety of people to see! She is with me 2 days a week, her daddy or nana 1 day a week and then at her kids club for 2 days a week. The weekends are spent with family and friends!
2. We have the safe options when we don't have any plans for the day. On a hot day, playing in the garden with the paddling pool and water toys, followed by a family dog walk (when it's got a little cooler) where we look for bugs and feed the ducks and explore the woods, then we go to the park, have ice creams and finish with a film and arts and crafts. On a cold day, arts and crafts at home with a movie, baking cakes, making fun lunches (build your own lunch) and then a trip to soft-play area :)
3. Arts and crafts are always our friend
4. We arrange at-least 1 day trip out a week. This can be the seaside, a city day out visiting the museums and activities on offer over the summer or just a simple movie...we always have a little plan of what to do. To find these activities, I check facebook and local shopping centres (they always have themed days and facepaints lol)

We love a free activity such as the park, feeding the ducks and exploring. Having a good balance of time outside makes means my DC can have their screen time watching movies or tv.

We also go to some sessions at the local leisure centre and do swimming.

Lots of walks in the woods. We take a rucksack with water and snacks and I let one of the DCs choose the route. Plus with this weather we're going to be taking lots of trips to our local free water park!

Paddling pool and play dates. I find they entertain themselves quite well when we have little friends over

We do a project. This year is redecorating the dc bedroom. Last year it was digging and putting together a ground trampoline. We have a plan on what to do on each day, including shopping for accessories, stripping walls and painting. This usually fills two weeks possibly 3 then we do activities in between. We each pick 5; a free, a whole day, a bring a friend, an overnight and a local/ at home activity. Then we space them out.
I love being off with my dc, especially as my ds is off to secondary school in September.