Summer Holiday Learning – Ideas to Keep A Child’s Brain Active During School Holidays

The summer break is nearly upon us and teachers and students alike are looking forward to a well-earned break. 6 weeks of lazy days and lie-ins may sound appealing but, in reality, children quickly become bored and restless. We have come up with a list of ideas and activities to keep kids active and learning during the holidays. We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

1. Special Events/National Celebration Days etc. Fill them in on your calendar and plan ways to celebrate!
2. Learn to cook. A brilliant way to get children to follow step by step instructions, measure ingredients accurately, and learn about health and safety in the kitchen. Also, great for older students going off to uni!
   
   
   
   
3. Read a book and then write a spin-off, sequel or prequel using the characters from the story. You could also create a picture/puppet/physical version of a character or scene.
4. Create musical instruments using stuff from around the house. You could even start up your own band, record your performances and upload to YouTube!
5. Make BFG Dream Jars. With the release of the new BFG film just around the corner you could combine a cinema trip with this fun activity! It's also a great excuse to read (or re-read) the book.
6. Plan (with your child) a family activity day. Decide on budget, research possible events/locations, create an itinerary, plan for meals etc. On the day, take lots of photos and collect memorabilia to put in a scrapbook.
   
7. Have an indoor balloon rocket race!
8. Make a recycled paper bead bracelet. Eco-friendly and fashionable! Experiment with other accessories and creations.
9. Start a summer book club.
   
10. Design some frugal fashion. Using newspaper, bin bags, masking tape etc. then have a fashion show.
11. Make blow painting pictures or a button tree. NetMums has a fantastic list of arts and craft ideas. We particularly love these Superhero capes!
12. Paint some plant pots and then plant seeds in them. You could plant a sunflower at the start of the holidays and see how much it grows!
    
13. Write letters to family and friends and post them. You could even find a pen pal overseas and find out all about them. Take the time to hand write a letter or postcard and enjoy a stroll to the postbox to send it off.
14. Make your own boats from old tubs, straws, lollipop sticks etc. then see if it floats (in the bath or elsewhere).
15. Make a den or a fort!  
16. Why not host your own mini-Olympics. 
    
17. Make a marble run. Use cardboard tubes, boxes etc. Make it as long as you like then have fun rolling marbles through.
18. Make fruit (and veg) ice lollies. You could use some of these delicious recipes!
19. Get into Geocaching. Go an adventure with the whole family and see what you can discover.
20. Learn to code! Create stories, games and animations and share them with people around the world. Great for a rainy day.

Why not create a summer blog! Upload photos and videos of what you are doing during the holidays to share with friends and family. The 'My Diary' area of My Learning is the perfect tool for creating a blog within a safe environment. Check and see if your school is signed up!