How To Make The Most Of A Rainy Summer's Day With Kids

The British Summer can be wonderfully unpredictable. Whenever you decide to have a family outing in the sunshine, it rains! Every parent knows the value of a backup plan. So that’s what we’ve compiled for you here; fun suggestions for not letting rainy days dampen the family fun.

Dig Out the Board Games

Every family has a hoard of games. They’ve probably been neglected in favour of smartphone apps, but now is the perfect opportunity to dust off the old-school games! Nothing quite brings a family together like a game of Monopoly or Connect 4. A games board championship provides a new twist and can easily occupy the family all afternoon.

Kid friendly Bake-off 

There are lots of cake recipes which do not require kids having to use a hot oven. Rocky road, for example, is delicious yet very easy to make. Bring out your best Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood impressions for the taste test. The losing side has to wash up! Adult supervision will be required for cutting and heating ingredients. Or you could get involved too; boys vs. girls is always an interesting competition.

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Get crafting!

Arts and crafts are the most popular choice for beating boredom on a rainy day. You don’t need a particularly extensive craft box. Just a few essentials that can be re-used for lots of projects. If you do want to update your supplies, Glue Guns Direct is a great place to start for no-sew crafts. Other than that crepe paper, paints and crayons are some crafting staples. Browse the internet for projects that the whole family can do together- it’s not just for kids!

Family Scrapbooking

There’s never usually time to organize family photos. Have a good sort through all of your albums and loose photos. Have everyone pick out their favourite snapshots to be featured in the scrapbook. All you need is a plain notebook, scissors, glue and pens. Get everyone involved in the decorative process. The kids can draw illustrations while the parents add written quotes.

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Make a pillow fort

Watching a movie on the sofa is so overrated! Set up a pillow cave for a cosy home cinema experience. If the rain is particularly persistent, get kids to organize a mini-film festival. Handmade posters and popcorn are essential! You could even encourage children to write a film review after viewing. This will ensure their handwriting and literacy skills are being practiced during the holidays.

Get a head start on gifts 

Got a birthday or special occasion coming up? Check out these low-cost gift ideas. Even if you don’t make anything, planning the family schedule will keep everyone organized for the next few weeks. Pull down the calendar and write down everything you need to do before the kids go back to school. Remember to make time for more family fun too.

Have a jam session

Most homes will have a musical instrument laying around. If not, make your own! Pots and pans can be used as percussion. Rice in a cardboard tube can become an impromptu rain stick. Singing requires no accessories. You could even have a free karaoke session and use instrumental clips of popular songs from YouTube.

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3 Ways To Keep Your Kids Entertained On The Weekend

For many parents, the weekend is seen as a tricky task. It’s the time of the week where your kids are home from school and will be stuck in the house all day. This means it’s very easy for them to get bored and become grouchy. No parent wants to deal with this! So, I’ve got three tips that will keep your kids entertained on the weekend:

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Invite Their Friends Over 

One way to ensure your kids are entertained is to invite their friends over to play! Weekends can get boring for a child if they don’t get to spend any time with their friends. Invite a couple over to play and have lunch on Saturday. You could arrange some cool games for them to play, or just let them play by themselves. Either way, your child will be having lots of fun! If you’re up for it, you could even arrange a sleepover! Kids absolutely love sleepovers, and it's a sure-fire way to make sure they’re entertained over the weekend.

Go On A Weekend Trip

If you’re looking to have some fun with your kids, then a weekend trip is a brilliant idea. I can guarantee it will keep them entertained throughout the whole two days. There are a couple of trips you can go on. You could go for a nice relaxing trip, or you could go on an adventure! There are plenty of family adventure ideas out there that will be great fun to do on the weekend. You could go to an adventure park and spend two days having fun and getting messy in the mud. Or, you could go camping and try and come up with your own adventure. Of course, as I mentioned, you could just take a relaxing trip if adventure isn’t your thing. There are plenty of nice seaside towns that will make a lovely change of pace at the weekend. Going away anywhere is an excellent way to keep your kids entertained, they love a little trip!

Build A Den With Them 

The weekend presents you with the perfect opportunity to spend a bit more time with your kids. You can do things that you wouldn’t normally be able to do. One of those things is having the time to sit down and play with them. You can take part in all their great imagination games. Or, you can help them create a super awesome den that’s amazing and will make all other kids jealous! Kids love to create dens and forts with pillows and bedsheets. If you want to take up some time on the weekend, and stop them from getting bored, why not help them build one? To be honest, it’s actually quite fun! After you’ve finished, you can crawl inside and play with them in their new den. A word of warning, don’t get too attached to the den you helped create. It will probably be around for the weekend and then get torn down on Monday. Kids tend to move on to bigger and better things very quickly!

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