Parenting Guide

13 Ways Your Kids Can Have a Good Holiday Without Burning a Hole in Your Pocket

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jun 06, 2017
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Want your kids to enjoy their holiday without having you spend a fortune? Here's a list of fun activities that both you and your kids can partake in that aren't only cost-effective but also challenges creativity.

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1. Backyard Camping

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For parents who can't afford to travel far, this one's for you. Why go all out to look for a forest or a camping ground to camp at when you have your very own backyard? All you will need are a few simple camping essentials such as a tent and sleeping bag and you're pretty much set. If your kids still aren't too keen on having to sleep outdoors, tempt them with some campfire s'mores-making. You've also got an alternative indoor option where you can build your tents in the living room and roast marshmallows over the stovetop.

 

2. Home Film Festival

family-gardenimage via 4mom.gr

Going to the cinemas during the holidays could be a real hassle if you don't like crowded spaces. Why not have movie time at home instead? You may not get to watch the latest films but you sure can let your kids pick out their favourites, it is about them after all. The best part about this is you get to watch multiple movies back to back without having to buy a dozen movie tickets. What are you waiting for? Get your popcorn popping!

 

3. Home Sports Day

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Don't let a good sunny day get wasted. Organize a fun Sports Day for your kids and their friends in your front yard, back yard or even your local park. This is a good way to sneak in a little exercise with the young ones. Make sure there's a prize for winners to motivate the kids to participate. Get inspiration or even straight up follow the ideas here!

 

4. Go for a Picnic

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Eating meals at the same dining table multiple times a day, every day of the week can be a bit of a drab. Why not switch up the location and pack a picnic for you and the kids and head to a park for some open-air dining. Pack simple ingredients that are easy to handle such as things for sandwiches so the kids can "build their own meals" at the park. You and your kids can head to The Central Park, Desa Parkcity or even the KL Forest Eco Park in Bukit Nanas if you fancy spotting a monkey or two.

 

5. Treasure Hunt

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Bring out that inner scavenger hunter in your child by organizing a treasure hunt at home. Draw a map, build obstacles, hide treasure around the house. This activity can work for both indoors and outdoors making it a great alternative should you ever get rained in at home. Go the extra mile and have the kids dress up as pirates or detectives to add more character to the activity! Visit Printables: Treasure Hunt and Scavenger Hunt Games for ready-made templates or inspiration for the hunt.

 

6. Musical/Play

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Ever wondered what it was like to be a part of Glee? Here's your chance to try your hand at the next best thing. If you aren't a musician with the talent to write songs, you can simply recycle existing musicals and plays instead. You could even get your kids to write and create their own plays or musicals to challenge their creativity. They'd be sure to enjoy acting and singing out their hard thought work at the end of the day. Here are some scripts you can use http://www.freedrama.net/child.html

 

7. Cooking/ Baking

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This activity could easily mask the excuse to train your kids to be handy in the kitchen at an early age. Make your own pizza, bake some cookies, decorate cupcakes and eat it all after. What could be more fun? You could also try organizing a cooking competition with the young ones a la Masterchef Junior to test their creativity. Check out www.realsimple.com for some pizza inspiration.

 

8. Start a Book Club

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Don't let your kids stray too far from books when school's not in. Form a simple book club with your kids and have everyone read and discuss some materials together. There's nothing like pairing education with fun! Can't get your kids to pick up a book? Here's some ways you can try to get them reading.

 

9. Game Night

family_playing_a_board_game_1image via fox2now.com

Don't have all day to spend with the kids? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Organize a simple game night and incorporate some fun activities into family bonding time. There is an endless amount of games and activities to choose from for you and your kids to bond over such as charades and Monopoly. Just be sure everyone plays fair. Here's some printable charades templates you could try.

 

10. Science Experiments

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Gather your young scientists and set up your laboratory for a day of fun learning! The young and curious mind is a wonderful tool. Get your kids to conduct experiments with using daily household items that you readily have at home with your assistance, of course. You can visit sciencebob.com for some fun experiment ideas your kids can try.

 

11. DIY Spa

c700x420image via Shug-A-Bug Kids Spa

Spas are meant to relax and rejuvenate you but it also costs a lot. Why not treat and pamper your kids to a full day of DIY spa therapy that wouldn't set you back as much? You could make your own face masks and scrubs with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen. Here are some examples of what you and your kids can try.

 

12. Build a Pillow/ Blanket Fort

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Everything is more fun with lots of pillows and blankets. Your kids could be doing something simple like reading a book or watching a movie so why not jazz that activity up by building a pillow or blanket fort in their room? To kick it up a notch, you could go big and build it in the living room instead. Time to pile all the pillows you've got and start building!

 

13. Arts & Crafts

10FunEducationalCraftsforKidsimage via Learning Liftoff

Arts and crafts is a great way to express oneself. Allow your kids to draw, paint and colour away as they please. You may even want to introduce them to some DIY projects like making slime or creating paper mache sculptures if they want to get their hands dirty. Time to get your kids' creative juices flowing! Here's some fun ideas to try.

Alternatively, you can also check out these 53 DIY crafts for your kids to try!