A-Z of things to do when your child isn’t in school

Our children are only at school for a certain amount of time each week and sometimes not at all, whether it is because of weekends or school holidays. This means that we as parents have to come up with new exciting things to do to keep our children entertained. When you have bored children running around the house it can be tricky to come up with new ideas of things to do and pass the time.

I asked other bloggers to help me create an A-Z list of things to do when your child isn’t at school!

Here it is:

A

Art – Do some painting together – Running After Five

Art get artistic with the paints and if you are feeling really creative (brave) let them fingerpaint or even foot paint. – The Strawberry Fountain

B

Baking – Just Buttons Blog

C

Craft, colouring, collage – Falcondale Life

D

Den building! The perfect indoor activity, you just need a big blanket or sheet! If the weather is good then why not take it into the garden. Simple cheap fun – Twinderelmo

E

Explore! There is nothing as lovely as getting your wellies on, wrapping up warm and getting outdoors as a family. – Five Little Doves

F

Forest adventures we love exploring forests with little streams to play in and take a picnic and a flask of hot choc – Anklebiters Adventures

Family walk. We love the great outdoors, it’s free, great exercise and fun. – Time and Pence

G

Gruffalo trails! There are a few all over the UK and they combine getting out and going for a nice walk, with instilling a love of reading and a classic story. – Porridge and Parenting

H

Home – Put on a movie and grab some snacks

I

Insects – Be a science explorer and learn about the insects in your backyard or in the park. – My Parenting Journey

J

Juggling or any new trick, they can show their classmates when they go back to school

K

Kick about with a football – we always have one in the boot of the car, a bit of exercise outdoors that the whole family can join in with. – My Boys Club

L

Library. My little boy spends ages browsing the books and loves choosing some to borrow. – Rice Cakes and Raisins

Leave the house – even if it’s for a walk to the shops… take a different path home to mix things up. – Coffee and Converse

M

Messy play! – Raw Childhood

Music. Whether you’re making it or dancing along to it it’s always fun! – Arepops

Museum. Always fun especially the science one. Plus a great way to have fun and sneak in a little education . – Mummyitsok

N

Nature walks. A local park or even a national trust garden, just somewhere where they can roam free. You can even do a scavenger hunt if your kids are older! – Devon Mama

O

Obstacles/circuits coarse ! Indoor or outdoor !!! It can be as easy trekking a ball in a bucket , a no of bounces on your trampoline , going up your slide rather than down , set a task like jump jacks / hopping on a mat , hurdles ( a sweeping brush and buckets /paint tins ) the kids just love it ! – Mind, Madeness, Miles and Mum Me Time

P

Picnic at the park! – My Mummy’s Pennies

Q

Quizzes – Little quizzes at home and give out sweets or small prizes for right answers

R

River dipping – Nature Mums

S

Seaside. As a family we love days out to the beach, perfect for the holidays too! – Mummy in the Madhouse

Storybooks. I love to read kids books and get activities from them. Here we did lots of sensory play and made an old fashioned recipe from the book Peter Rabbit. – Our Amanahs Our Futures

Salt dough. A favourite activity for the cold, wet days off school. Cheap and easy to make, and the freedom it gives them to make anything they want is wonderful. And when it’s dry, they get the paints out too. – Hart of the Munchkin Patch

Sillyness. I just love being able to get up and not have to worry about getting dressed and out the door for a certain time and just following his lead! Lying in bed making up silly games. These are the things we laugh about as a family the most I think! – Yammy Mommy Blog

T

Tidying Up. I know it sounds silly but we play games while doing it. Freddie absolutely loves it – Freddie’s Mummy

Telling Tales. We walk the dog and make up a story in bits. I’ll go first, then my daughter, then my son and each person can say whatever they like with some imaginative results! You’re not allowed to influence how someone else chooses to take the story! – Pink Pear Bear

U

Unite – go see a friend or relative you haven’t seen in a while

V

Visit a relative – My great auntie is 93 and still has her wits about her. I take my boys to visit her in the holidays as we dont always have time day to day. Its great for her to see them and I think its important that my children value the older generation and learn compassion and the importance of not forgetting people just because they’re older. They still have so much to teach us! – Our Altered Life

W

Wash their scooters / bikes. My kids spend HOURS washing their outdoor toys with dishcloths and sponges and a bowl of soapy water. – Mummy’s Gin Fund

X

Xylophone – learn a new musical instrument

Y

YES day! I.e. every time they ask for something at home say yes. I tried this once and it was great fun. I was a bit calculated and planned ahead so I anticipated my biggest problems (requests for excessive sweets or TV non stop) and made sure to make them meals they love before they got hungry and planned a couple of fun activities. They couldn’t believe how easygoing the day was, and neither could I! Liberty on the lighter side

Z

Zoo. Everybody loves seeing animals! – Household Money Saving