The kids’ summer holidays might fly by for us, but for them, July and August can seem like a very long time without lots of fun things to do. To keep at bay the dreaded words ‘I’m bored’, we’ve decided to round up the best summer holiday activities for kids that the whole family will enjoy.

Visit your nearest castle or ruins

When the weather’s good this really is the best day out for children over the summer holidays, as there’s a bit of something for everyone! Children can ogle at the impressive buildings and let their imaginations run wild thinking about knights and kings, queens, princes and princesses. It’s also a great opportunity for kids to learn about the history of their local area. If you have the time to find a child-friendly documentary about the site beforehand, it will build excitement levels and make it the best educational experience for kids. When their concentration spans have been exhausted you can let them run around the surrounding grounds while you bask in the sun – it’s a win-win. This is a really fun and educational day out with the kids and shouldn’t be too expensive either.

Go on an adventure picnic

A picnic is surely one of the best ways to get kids off screens and out of the house. Get the children to help you prepare the sandwiches (scotch eggs and sausage rolls also go down a treat!) and choose a nice route on the map. Bonus points if it’s scenic and there are some interesting bits to see on the way – the kids will love this. Make sure it’s not so far they have to ask for piggybacks (you don’t want to be carrying a picnic basket and multiple children!), but the best picnics are always the ones you work hard for. When you’ve all burnt up a healthy appetite, let the kids choose the best picnic spot and get set up. Our colour & learn world map tablecloth or the fun at the zoo doodle tablecloth make the best picnic blankets and double up as a fun and educational activity for children to do while you get lunch prepared. There’s also a lot for the kids to learn about and you can test them with questions on the walk back! It really makes a picnic one of the best fun and educational activities for kids to do in the summer holidays!   

Visit family and friends

The summer holidays are a great opportunity to visit family and friends who don’t live very near, who you can’t see every day. But long car journeys with children can be an absolute nightmare and we all fear the dreaded words ‘Are we nearly there yet?’! Best thing to do is be prepared with fun activities and games for kids to play in the car. The colour & learn world map backpack is perfect for this. You can ask the kids to fill the backpack with their favourite toys and games for the journey. Then when they’re in the car they can colour and discover our world map for kids using the enclosed set of ten wash-out fabric pens. While they colour-in, put their geography knowledge to the test (and test your own!) with a fun and educational quiz for kids. This will keep the whole family entertained and keep the whining at bay!

Go to a museum

Museums are fantastically fun and educational places to visit with kids and there’s almost always a special exhibition on offering something new and exciting. Have a look online at your nearest places and when you find something good, ask the kids to do some research on what you’re going to see – they’ll love it if they’re able to tell you fun facts when you’re there. If they’re not free to enter, most museums now offer family discounts or special ‘kids go free’ deals, so this should be a great inexpensive activity to do with kids over the summer hols. After you’ve had a good look round the museum, you’ll be ready for a sit-down and a bite to eat – be sure to take our colour & learn dinosaur placemat to go or the colour & learn butterfly placemat to go to keep kids happy and busy colouring-in while you lunch. They can then turn the placemat over and write down what they’ve learnt from the day! This is one of the best things to do with kids on a rainy day – everyone will enjoy this great family day out!

Have a fun day in the garden

When the sun’s shining, you want to make the most of it and not spend any time in the car. At times like this, a day spent in the garden (or a nearby park) can be just what’s called for, but you’ll need some tricks up your sleeve for when the kids’ imaginations dry up, the boredom kicks in, and they all start fighting each other! Paddling pools are great for cooling off when it’s really hot and if you’ve got water pistols there’s endless fun to be had soaking each other! Games like rounders and quick cricket are ideal if you have the numbers, or else hide and seek, sardines and marco polo can be hugely fun games for kids to play in the garden (and grown-ups love them too!). When hunger sets in, a great thing to do is make snacks with children – you can make ice lollies from fruit juice or yoghurt and granita from frozen strawberries, watermelons or any other types of fruit juices.

So there it is – a roundup of our favourite fun and cheap summer holiday activities for kids. We hope you have a lovely summer!