From bark rubbings to making your own jigsaws, 5 ways to keep the kids active for less this summer
KIDS love the summer holidays – but the school break can be a little less fun for parents.
It is sometimes hard to keep children’s minds active and curious without putting them in front of a screen.
Here are some ideas to get them off the sofa, without splashing the cash . . .
TREE HUGGER: Children can use trees to get their brains in gear in loads of ways.
You can get leaf or bark rubbings by placing them on a piece of cardboard, covering with the paper and rubbing a crayon over them.
You could also try collecting leaves together and learning the names of different trees.
If you’re in woods, create a den by leaning one larger stick against a tree and balancing logs and sticks down either side.
EASY MATHS: If you have a box of dominos at home, you can create easy maths games. For younger children, tape the tiles to some paper and ask them to count and write the number of spots underneath.
For older children, you could ask them to multiply the two sides of the tiles together and write the answer underneath. If you don’t have dominos, draw out different tiles instead.
JIGSAW MAKING: To create your own jigsaw, start by finding colouring templates at hobbycraft.co.uk/ideas/free-downloads.
Get kids to pick their favourites and colour them in. When they’re done you can cut up the pictures in simple squares and mix up the pieces to create a jigsaw. Older kids can draw jigsaw pieces that interlock over their picture before cutting round them.
BUDDING CHEFS: Flapjacks are great for children to make. There’s no shortage of free recipes available online, but we like one by Annabel Karmel at AnnabelKarmel.com/recipes/flapjacks.
MAKE A MAP: Making a map of your local area is fun and can be adapted depending on age group. Try drawing out the roads around your home.
Or you could ask kids to hide treasure in the house or garden and then draw a map with an X marking the spot.
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