RE/MAX Nigeria

The summer holidays is a great time to bond with your children and catch up on much needed family time. It can also be a season of unending headaches and stress when kids get bored and the excitement of being away from the academics wares off. Whether you plan to take the kids on a vacation this summer or not, here are a few activities around the house you can do to keep them busy and away from TV or phone screens – most times.

1.       Cooking and Baking – Cooking is a great way to keep your little ones busy and engaged for long periods of time. Once a week, plan a cooking or baking day. Experiment with new recipes from cookbooks you could have your child read from if he/she can read.

Step by step, help them work through the instructions. Try to avoid the temptation of doing it yourself.

2.       Landscaping & Gardening – Dedicate a small patch in the garden or buy a few medium sized plant pots. Plant flowers, herbs, and easy/fast growing vegetables like lettuce, mint, rocket etc. remind them daily to water their plants and watch their enthusiasm sprout when they get the satisfaction of having produced something. You can also encourage them to tend to existing plants and shrubs, watering, weeding are fun and engaging activities when done with siblings, friends or parents.

3.       Cleaning – Having the kids (and possibly their friends) home full time means more dishes in the sink and more areas to clean several times a day. Divide the house into zones and assign each zone to the number of children present. Hold them accountable for each zone and reward top performers. You can rotate these zones periodically.

4.       Decorating – Move up your re-decorating plans to the summer holidays as this can be a thoroughly enjoyable activity for kids. You might not want them making design or placement decisions for your main living room or bedroom but smaller less formal areas like a play room, their bedrooms or even the dining room can be re-arranged, re-painted and re-decorated by the kids. Picking out wall colour, curtain design where the sofa goes gives them a sense of responsibility and they’ll appreciate the opportunity to have contributed to the family home.

5.       Chill out – Rent, record or buy movies, board games, books and chill out with your kids. With all that activity planned, kids will also need some down time. Make sure to plan a few chill days during this summer.

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