There’s no need to splurge on soft play centres and theme parks every day to keep your little ones busy during the school holidays. We’ve called in some experts to inspire us with ways to have fun at home and in the garden
Christine Kritzas, Counselling psychologist at The LightHouse Arabia and Creator of Smart Heart Board Game
Communal puzzle-building
Buy a 500-piece puzzle and place it on your dining table so that the whole family can co-build a puzzle together. Whenever your children have a break or they say they’re feeling bored, encourage them to try to fit some pieces together.
Play board games
Introduce games night in your home to maximise connection and quality time spent with your children. Remember, it's not about winning or losing — it's about the laughter, shared experiences and creating lasting memories together. So, gather around the table, pick a game that’s suitable for your children, and let the fun begin.
Set up a LEGO station
Create a space where family members can build any design in their free time and even better, they can let their imaginations run wild and co-create designs together.
Lisa Sherrington-Boyd AKA Principal Lisa/The Potty Queen:
Play the ‘What’s Missing Holiday Memory Game’
Lay out 5-20 items (depending on age and stage) on a tray. You can group the items by letter of the alphabet, such as things beginning with ‘g’, or you could even use tree decorations or bake a batch of different gingerbread characters and use them to keep it festive
Ask your child to look at them and remember them all. Then ask them to close their eyes or go to another room, and you remove one item. Your child must use their memory to tell you what is missing. Ask them to play the same trick on you - children enjoy the adult being the one who is guessing as it gives them a sense of control.
Sophie Hale, advocate of emotional regulation through play
Give ‘Jump and Dump’ a go
Get a bean bag or large pillow and hold it against your chest. Get the kids to run and jump at you. This is great as a bedtime practice for releasing any pent up emotions and the kids find it fun.
Try some water play
Fill up a large bowl or sink with water and ask your child to wash their cars, toys or anything relevant. Water play is great because it instantly regulates their nervous system and doing things with their hands brings them back into the present moment.
Decorate some biscuits
You don't have to make your own biscuits for this! I buy shop-bought plain digestives and just make my own icing with icing sugar and food coluring, then the kids can add some icing, sprinkles and any toppings they want. Spinneys has got everything you need for DIY biscuits!
Miss Autumn, founder of The Nature Caravan
Get planting
Beans and tomatoes are really easy things to plant. Grow them inside near a window and when they start to germinate, move them outside. Watch them grow, take pictures and measurements and check their moisture with your finger. Build this into your daily routine so you’ve always got something to do.
Make a gingerbread house
Make the dough with the children and rest it, then make different shapes and bake. Wait until the next day and assemble it together, then decorate. When it’s ready to eat, smash it with a hammer. This is a labour of love and also a great STEM activity as you can observe what happens to the dough when you add heat etc.
Hannah Pierce, founder of Mumz and Munchkinz
Create a nature mandala
Go out into the garden or a nearby park and do some foraging. Collect some stones, petals, leaves, twigs and anything interesting you can find in a basket. Then create shapes and patterns and check Google for some design inspiration.
Daisy Upton AKA Five Minute Mum
Make your own snow globe
Get a plastic bottle. Cut a small hole in the lid. Stab a few tiny holes into the bottle itself. Empty the contents of a hole punch into the bottle. Add a few tissue paper snowmen if you like - I sellotape them to the side of the bottle. Now screw the bottle top back on and blow to whip up a blizzard and make the snowmen dance!
Have a snowball fight
Scrunch up 10 little balls of white tissue paper. Make a target or goal with a box or bucket. First one to blow all five of their snowballs into the bucket gets to throw them at the other person!
