The Summer Holidays:Trips to the park-This is what my family always spend a lot of time doing-it’s a free activity that all of my children enjoy and the added bonus is that it uses up lots of energy-always a bonus in my busy house.
Den making-The 3 middle children tend to be the ones that do this together,they usually find a sheet or blanket and put it up over a chair in the lounge then spend ages sitting underneath plying role-play games-quite often it seems to be Mum’s and Dad’s or Schools.
Library visit-This is always a great activity for the Summer Holidays even though it’s great all year round,choosing their own books to read gives my children a sense of being independent.They enjoy making decisions for themselves.
Playing in the back garden-We are lucky to have a small Trampoline and a Sand and Water play table which the kids love playing with together.We only have a small garden and we have a raised bed where we grow our own vegetables.We haven’t grown quite so much this year as we did last year but we have had some strawberries,potatoes,onions and we are waiting for the tomatoes to grow at the moment.
Catching up with family and friends-As much as we try to do this as often as possible it is made easier during the Summer holiday’s due to the lack of time restraints.During term time,as you can imagine I am tied to the children’s school times and don’t often venture too far.
Preparation for the Autumn term–New uniforms and shoes,stationary-This year I’m feeling quite chuffed with myself as I’ve already got most of my 4 year old’s new school uniform,just need socks,pants and new shoes then she’s ready for the beginning of her school life.My 8 year old daughter just needs some socks,shoes, a couple new pairs of trousers,a new lunchbox,stationary and polo shirts.My eldest son is off to Secondary school,I need a couple more pairs of trousers for him,another jumper,polo shirts,shoes,stationary and a rugby top.I have been buying bits and pieces over the past few weeks so I won’t have to go and get everything in 1 final last minute rush.This year will be more expensive than usual as I’ve got 2 children starting new schools.I’m both anxious and excited for both of them.
Rainy Days:Art and craft activities – Craft activities such as junk modelling are always popular in our house-we always start a collection of bottles,boxes,toilet roll tubes and yoghurt pots,finger painting.
Younger children–Trips to a soft play centre-We tend to do this more during term time when the older children are at school.Toy cars-My 2 year old son is mad on vehicles,Car’s in particular he loves nothing more than to sit on the floor with his cars making them move.For his Christmas present we bought him all sorts but I think we should have just bought him lots of cars to play with and a big box.Lots of snuggles-This is a given for all ages but little ones don’t get embarrassed or shrug you off. I’m lucky as all of my children are affectionate and vocal in expressing their thoughts and feelings.Sharing books-This has becomes more difficult as the children have got older as I used to read a lot more to the children,it is something I feel is very important and we really do need to make an effort to do it more.
Older children:Cinema trips-We recently saw Dispicable me at the cinema in 3D and Thanks to the lovely people at Skyrewards we only paid a small booking fee and a small charge for 3D glasses-all in all it cost less than a fiver for me and 3 children to get 4 cinema tickets-what a bargain.It would have been even more of a bargain if I hadn’t spent so much on snacks and drinks but hey the tickets were cheap.Out and about with their friends-tommorow my 11 year old is meeting up with his friend and they are going to the local park.I’m giving him some money for lunch and drinks. It’s the first time he’s done anything like this with his mates before and I hope it will become a regular thing as I feel he spends too much time indoors.
Camping-When kids are little they are happy with playing in the garden in a tent or playhouse during the day,as they get older it can be fun for them to sleep in the tent overnight.
Free Activities:Library visitFor us we are hoping this will be a fun,free, family activity that will encourage all of the children to have respect for and a lifelong love for books and reading.
Picnic in the Park-This is a great fun activity for kids of all ages,all I take is a blanket,sandwiches,plenty of drinks,crisps,fruit and biscuits.It can be fun at the local park,the beach,in the garden and we’ve even been known to have an indoor picnic on our lounge carpet if the weather’s bad.
Paddling poolThis is an activity that all ages can have fun doing in the garden,it encourages confidence in the water but requires constant supervision.
Baking cakes-We are constantly making cakes in my house-Mainly the basic fairy cakes or Victoria Sponge cakes,with Strawberry Jam and Buttercream in the middle.We occasionally make scones or Carrot Cake and we have a Breadmaker,which I use occasionally-I really should use it more.The kids all enjoy decorating the cakes once they have cooled down. 
Film nights TV isn’t all bad,sometimes it gives me a chance to get on and do something and all of the children like watching films. My 2 year old is a huge fan of Toy Story and would watch it every day if I let him.My 4 year old loves Peppa Pig,Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob Square Pants.My 8 year old daughter is getting more grown up and current favourites include any music channel,The House of Anubis and ICarly. My eldest will watch pretty much anything from Action movies,comedies to cartoons. One of the great things about having a large family is seeing how different they all are and how much they look out for each other,they will never be lonely and always have someone to talk to and confide in.
compchatandkids 