The summer holidays are about fresh air, travels and a break from school, but it’s also a perfect time to spend quality time and make memories with your kids with fun, educational and mindful activities.
To help you with affordable activity ideas for this summer holiday, experts at The Knowledge Academy share three educational and three mindful activities that parents or guardians can do with their children at home to help encourage learning and reduce stress.
Three educational activities for children at home:
1. Shopping Spree
Equipment cost: £1.50 +
Equipment required: Paper, Pen/pencil, Money, Treats
According to a recent study, almost a third of UK adults (31%) say they wish they had learned more about managing their money in school, so why not help educate your little ones on the topic at home this summer, by creating a “fake” shop. Turn a section of a room into a makeshift shop using items you know they would love such as their favourite toys and snacks, and give them some money to play with. This money could be real or fake, it is entirely your choice! Price all the items up so it encourages the child to engage in simple maths and work out if they do or do not have enough money for certain items.
Giving yourself a really cheap shopping experience, with a lot of the equipment prices being your choice, it could cost as little as £1.50.
2. Word Snap
Equipment cost: £2.25 +
Equipment required: Paper, Pen/pencil, Coloured Pencils
Everyone loves a game of ‘snap’, so why not make your own version to help improve memory and vocabulary? Choose a mixture of words depending on the child’s age and vocabulary range and write the words onto DIY cards. Once all the cards are ready, lie each card face down and get the children to pick a card. Encourage each child to read the word from their card out loud and then choose another — if the two cards do not match, put both cards back down again and try until all pairs have been found!
3. Treasure Hunt
Equipment cost: £1.50 +
Equipment required: Paper, Pen/pencil
To help improve map-reading and navigation skills, why not hold a treasure hunt in your home or garden? Create a map of your garden or home showing different area points they can find clues which will eventually lead them to the treasure. This activity is highly stimulating as it will improve communication, teamwork skills and encourage ‘out the box’ thinking. It will also result in a sense of achievement so don’t forget X marks the spot!
This fun activity could take some time depending on age and ability but it will only cost £1.50.
Three mindfulness activities for children at home:
Understanding a child’s emotions and needs is crucial as learning can often be overwhelming for kids. It has been found that anxiety disorders are estimated to affect five-19% of all children and adolescents with around two-five% of these children being younger than 12 years old.
The ability to be mindful is excellent for lowering tension and can enhance future learning. There are a variety of calming activities that children can engage in to reduce stress and anxiety levels.
1. Nature Art
Equipment cost: £1.85 +
Equipment required: Paper, Glue
Studies have shown that a significant 92% of UK school pupils say they enjoyed lessons taught outdoors more, with 90% sharing that they were left feeling happier and healthier. With this in mind, why not help to relax your child’s mind by taking them outdoors into the fresh air for a lesson.
We all know how curious kids can be so combining the outdoors with crafts and making nature art is a great way to stimulate the brain. Let them explore and gather a variety of different materials such as leaves, grass, rocks, sticks, etc that can be found outdoors and create a piece of art or self-portrait. It keeps them busy from any worries whilst feeding their curious nature.
2. Five Senses Challenge
Equipment cost: £1.50 +
Equipment required: Paper, Pen/pencil
This tends to be a common method to help relieve someone from anxious thoughts, and is perfect for practising with children as they can also put their senses to the test. Take your child for a walk and ask them to hone in on their own senses by observing their surroundings. Get them to record what they see, hear, taste, smell and touch by either writing or drawing them. This allows them to explore how their body functions in a fun and educational way.
3. Cloud Catching
Equipment cost: Free
Equipment required: Green space
Have them lay down with them and look up at the sky and encourage them to say what they can see “hidden” clouds, pointing out any shapes and images that their mind may create. Also ask them to mention any changes to the clouds as they move along.
This is a free activity that can be great for harvesting creativity and even developing their story-telling skills. All you need is green space to enjoy this activity.
