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

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Library Reading Challenge.
Paddling pool.
As much time outside as possible.
Regular day trips, hopefully with a friend.

I collect as many big boxes as I can find and then at the start of the holidays let the kids loose on them to make a big den which generally last the summer hols.

We have 1 day a week as a pyjama day. We don’t go out (only into the garden), we watch films, and play and just chill.
We do local parks, and wildlife reserves etc and have a national trust membership too as well as swimming
Then probably one day a week there will be an event on locally that we can go to such as a funday or village fete.
Then about once a week we do a more expensive day our zoo, or adventure park etc

I find the kids will find stuff to do if left to their own devices and often they will make up a play etc

We spend alot of time out in the garden which my DS loves so he rarely gets bored.

Outside as much as possible, movies, Lego, painting pebbles to hide and trying to explore the local area this summer.

Going to the library, painting, baking, days out to places ie zoo, hunting for rocks

Park visits, picnics down the garden, visiting friends, visiting family, jigsaws, board games, books, play doh, painting ... the list is endless really. We usually watch a movie around 4pm to help the DC calm down before dinner and bedtime.

A holiday, visiting family in all parts of the country, some lolling about being left to their own devices and having to amuse themselves.

I really miss the years when going to the library and choosing a jigsaw to complete were appealing activities. Life was so easy and simple

I have literally just wrote a list for what we can do during the holidays. My plan is to label lollipop sticks and each day they can take a turn to choose a stick with the activity on it.
The list contains free things, cheap things and more costly things.
We have things like...
Soft play
Park
Rock painting
Making cupcakes
Animal barn
Amusement park
Beach
Swimming
Ice skating
Rock pools
Picnic
Feeding the ducks
Trip on the train
Tent building
Obstacle course
Cinema
Movie day at home

There is many more

I try not to over schedule - they need down time too and it is good for children to be bored sometimes! As a family we enjoy board games, trips to the beach/forest, park trips and geocaching. Sometimes you can't beat a PJ day though with a good film and ice cream!

We have a mixture of planned days out, time at home and time at holiday clubs.

I write a list of things for them to do before they get screen time - usually consists of reading, helping with a chore, something physical/outside and a game to play together.

We are keen to have a range of different types of activities....feeling energetic we get out and about, feeling creative we do craft. Sometimes we don;t plan and allow free play to inspire imagination, we also have downtime and relaxing with films and TV. We plan theatre and cinema for special treats etc..

Tonight I asked my daughter what she wants to do over the holidays and she said she wants to learn an instrument!!

Very outdoor based. We have annual passes for theme parks, and National Trust. We also put a pool up in the garden each summer and several inflatables.
Cycle rides and long walk in local forest. A few meet ups with friends usually, at local Lido or somewhere. BBQs and pizza making (we have stone oven outside)
I also take the kids to local entertainment exchange and we buy armfuls of DVD's to watch if we want to wind down in the evening.
This year, although we don't need childcare as we both fit our jobs around kids, we've booked one day at a multi activity day camp. May book another one or two if it goes well. DC are 11 and 10, and will try new things at the day camp.
Some days their entitled behaviour drives me nuts, or their demands to get on the x box constantly, so a day or two off is appealing

This weather has made entertaining children over the summer holidays easier.
My children love getting out and about. They ride their bikes and scooters, play football, play chase and have water fights with local children.

When they are indoors they draw, play games, play with toys, build with Lego and read.
We go somewhere every day even if it is just to the playpark to burn off some energy.
They get two months summer holidays and could happily fill another two.

We go to the library a lot, and the swimming pool. We spend a lot of time in the park. Once a week we go on a trip on the train. The kids have play dates and sleep-overs with their friends very regularly. We read lots of books, we spend time in the garden. They watch a movie when they need some time out, or time out of the sun. Other years we did lots of craft activities, way less year perhaps because the weather has been better.

Usual week will contain

A trip to a country house/manor or gardens care of NT membership @ £12 per month

Wild swimming in the local river

A ‘new’ playpark locally

Crafting cards, painting rocks, puzzles at home

Play date

Cookery/baking

Every day will involve mass enjoyment of large paddling pool

Two week holidays in the 6 weeks

Lots of den building and play in the garden.
Seeing friends
Going to the local pool
Movie afternoons
The odd day trip out

I have recently discovered the National Citizen Scheme which was too late for my daughter, but her cousins have been having a ball with the scheme over the last few years.
Kids need to be 16/17 years old
Citizen holidays

I home ed my lot, so the Summer holidays are like any other time really, except we do travel a lot more.
Not so much in this heat, so this week, my teenagers have just gotten a summer job at the local garden centre ( I can't believe that they will be working together!) and my younger two girls and me are going to transform the shed into a 'shipwreck' as they are both into Mermaids at the moment, so we have decided to make the garden the Sea, and the shed will be their ship-wreck home under the sea. We bought a huge bag of shells and some cheap fake plants, we're painting the inside blue and going to decorate with things 'sea-sidey'. :-)
At the moment, my life saver has been our paddling pool in our cheapy tattered gazebo, so even in the heat the girls can go out and cool down with an ice-cream and sit in the water! Bliss!

We have created a summer bucket list, where we all got to add our own likes. Each day we will try to tick something off. They are not all big or expensive things either.

Thus summer I'm on maternity leave & I'm putting a lot of energy into making the Summer fun for my 2 eldest. We stole the idea of a scrapbook from a fellow mummy so the children have something fun to fill in & look back at. As money is tight with me being off work we are making it stretch as far as possible. I've booked a few things, but I've looked for bargains where I can find them. So far we've been on a fairy trail, had a picnic with friends, signed up for the reading challenge at our local library, been to a family get together, had a lovely lunch out with my mum & done some fun craft activities at home.
I've booked a craft workshop, a couple of sets of theatre tickets & tickets to see Dippy at the BMAG. We are also taking advantage of free/cheap sessions at Ikea, the local library, local historical houses, & shopping centres. We are also getting together with friends and family and spending lots of time in the garden. I've made a note of lots of fun activities available in my diary & we are looking at them each week & making plans. I've raided the house for craft activities that we've been given for Christmas & birthdays ready on hand for quieter days.
So far, so good. I hope I'm still smiling in 5 weeks time!

Trips to beaches and the woods.

Lots of outside/free range time.

DD2 is a rookie lifeguard and she has already spent three full days at the beach either training or competing.

I have booked her onto a sea kayaking activity for a day next week.

We are planning to buy an unlimited cinema ticket so we can go to the cinema more often.

She will have days where she meets up with friends, we are planning a trip to the outside water park plus lazy days at home.

I won't spend a fortune and plan to be out about half the week maximum. She needs to relax or be out with friends on her bike.

Plenty of playdates and sleepovers that are then reciprocated, giving us all a break. :)

Organise day trips
Visit family and friends
Take them to parks and beach - Picnics
Indoor activities - Reading, board games, painting, crafts, baking.

Separately my kids are great - the younger one (8) is v happy pottering about, and just needs a little reassurance that I’m there. The older one tends to hang out with friends. He would spend his time on the computer, but is not adverse to being told to get some fresh air too.
It if it’s just the two of the together, it is like winding each other up is a national sport. So we have to do something every day to get put of the cycle. The RSPB bird reserve is a great one, and we can go by train which extends the day a bit. They can run around, there’s plenty to do, and they can get rid of their energy without killing each other. There’s always the potential for falling in the lake though...