The Australian summer is unpredictable; one moment, the blistering ball in the sky is piercing down on you with a merciless glare, the next, hurricane whatshername is blowing a gale, turning your outdoor activities into a lazy afternoon spent watching Dora the Explorer repeats. Keeping the little ones entertained during the summer holidays is always be a challenge – there is eight weeks of it after-all! Don’t worry, here are five ideas to kill time and save your sanity over the summer break.
Create an Outdoor Art Studio
Have you ever watched your child squiggle finger paint over a canvas, stopping occasionally to leave tiny handprints? Or observed them creating endless spiral patterns with (sometimes multiple) crayons? If so, then you would have also witnessed the concentration and the pure joyful expressions as they explore this art form. Creating a pretty picture isn’t just a fun way to kill an afternoon; art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them, developing the right side of the brain to improve their communication, problem-solving, emotional, social and fine motor skills. Now that the facts are out of the way, let’s talk about the practical side of art. Paint flying over walls, crayon marks on the ground and an array of brushes lining the floor can get awfully messy. By moving their art studio outside, not only can your kids make as much mess as they like, they have all the wonders of the outdoors to inspire them.
Enrol Them in Skate Boarding Classes
Along with a little help from Dad, most kids learn to ride skateboards utilising the trial and tribulation method. But if Dad is tied up at work (and Mum can’t skate to save her life) then a skateboarding class is your next best bet. To get you started, Penny Skateboards Australia make miniature sized boards for the kids in a range of fun colours and designs. Beginner skateboard lessons are abundant in each state; a simple Google search will provide you with all the information you need. If your child is a bit older, you can even consider electric skateboard options.
Fly Through the Air with a Circus Workshop
Is your child an adrenaline junkie? Always coming home with bumps and grazes from performing tricks on the jungle gym? What if you gave them a safe yet thrilling environment where they could fly through the air and burn off some of that extra energy? Circus workshops can be found in each state and have specialty courses throughout the holidays ranging from flying trapeze to floor gymnastics and juggling.
Head to the Museum
Escape the heat and put those science classes to good use in the cool confines of the museum. Parents will never grow tired of watching their kids ruck-a-muck, touching the weird and often furry installations or gazing up in awe of the dinosaurs. It’s educational, exciting and a great way to spend a day with the family.
What about you? How do you keep the kids entertained over the summer holidays? Let us know in the comments below.
