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Top 3 Ways to Treat the Kids This Summer

For many of us, planning and booking holidays abroad feels like a dream from a very distant past. Throwback to the days when you could surprise the kids with a spontaneous trip abroad, or a surprise holiday to a Disney park. In today’s current climate, planning and precision are critical for any summer treats. However, you can definitely still treat your kids to an action-packed summer in 2021, so we’ve listed our top 3 tips to keep your kids entertained.

Tip #1 - Plan a staycation

For younger children, they probably won’t notice the difference between a holiday abroad and a staycation at home. If they have to travel somewhere new, and settle in a new environment, they’ll enjoy any holiday regardless of the location.

So, planning a UK staycation is a fantastic way to treat the kids this summer, and is a great opportunity for them (and you!) to try something brand new. Sometimes, a holiday abroad is so expensive that we need to scrimp on the family activities. With a staycation, you can use the money that would have been spent on overpriced flights to book exciting family activities that will create long lasting memories that the kids will never forget.

Why not book a round of crazy golf, or a day of Snow Park fun to keep the kids active during your staycation? This will help them to burn off lots of energy whilst they get to run around and have fun - it’s a win-win!

Tip #2 - A course of lessons

Have your kids been asking you for football coaching or horse riding lessons for as long as you can remember?

Our kids have been cooped up for well over a year, so it’s more important than ever to stimulate them with activities beyond home and school. This will help with their physical and social development and will support their overall mental wellbeing.

After an extensive period of time where children have been discouraged from interacting with others, a course of recreational lessons will allow children to develop their team skills and to meet new friends. These social skills are instrumental to the development of our child’s personalities, and their overall wellbeing.

So if you’re not spending money on a holiday abroad this year, put this towards a skill that your kids have wanted to learn for a while, whether that’s learning to ski, or trampolining. This will work as an excellent weekly incentive for your kids to behave too!

Tip #3 - Plan a weekly day out

Sometimes the summer holidays present a real challenge for parents, as there’s a lot of pressure to deliver a jam packed stimulating break for the children. At times, it feels like every parent on the planet is growing organic plants one day and visiting museums the next, and this can become overwhelming, often leading to feelings of guilt if you have a day at home.

So, to relieve this stress from yourself, sit down with your kids and plan at least one day out for each week of the summer break. This will help to create some structure for your weeks during the summer period, whilst relieving the pressure of organising spontaneous activities.

Your kids will have something to look forward to each week and again, these treats can be used to help maintain and regulate behaviour. These activities could range from days out in the park, visiting a water park, a day at the beach, or heading out to a theme park. You can find a range of activities to keep the kids entertained, regardless of your budget.

Our kids love having something to look forward to, but that doesn’t mean you need to have a perfect activity schedule for every day of the summer. As long as they have some treats scattered throughout the summer months (including activities for rainy days when they’re getting too hyper), you’ll be able to keep them entertained and have leverage to regular behaviour all at once.