How gorgeous is it outside? Hope you are enjoying the sunshine where you are too? As the sun is shining, we are definitely getting in the holiday mood here in Door2Tour so we thought we would continue with our holiday checklist. This week we are looking at what you should be doing when there are 4 weeks to go until the holiday season begins. Have you started thinking about what needs to be done? If not, maybe this will help…
4 weeks to go
How to entertain the children on holiday?
If you’re going away for the holidays with your family, one question that must immediately spring to mind is what to do to keep the children entertained? One thing you could do is to check that there are suitable clubs for children to join whilst in the resort. Most holiday resorts will have clubs available that are supervised by qualified representatives providing all sorts of fun activities from learning a new skill to playing sports and enjoying disco’s in the evening. There should be plenty to keep them entertained throughout your holiday and it’s a great opportunity for them to make new friends!
How to entertain the children at home?
Not long to go now until the Schools break up and with that in mind, you may wish to start investigating what clubs are available for children to join within your local area should you decide to spend the Summer Holidays at home. Think about Summer Camps which are great for getting children to try out new activities and meet new people. Some local Councils hold Summer Clubs to entertain the children between certain hours of the day. Again, another great opportunity for them to learn new skills and make friends. Another idea is to purchase toys/games that children can play with in all kinds of weather and perhaps wear them out in the garden or at your local Park. Something for all ages hopefully!
Don’t forget the teenagers!
It’s not just the younger ones in the family that require entertaining during the School Holidays, don’t forget to offer
some inspiration of things to do for the teenagers. Find out if they are interested in a particular career then perhaps help them to seek work experience which is unpaid but they will be able to learn new skills and discover whether the industry is for them. Should they be 16 or over why not see if you can get them a part-time job? A great way of earning a little extra pocket money too!
Make a holiday calendar
This is a great way of involving the whole family in the decision-making process of what everyone will or can be doing during the holiday period. Ask everyone for ideas on what the family could do for each week of the Summer Holidays. This will make sure that everyone is involved and will hopefully get the whole family excited about spending time together. This is also a fabulous way of keeping your days busy during the Holidays so you don’t hear the immortal words that make parents quiver – “I’m bored!”
Keep costs low
The Summer Holidays sometimes bring an element of dread for some families simply because of the sheer expense of keeping everyone entertained. One thing you could do before the Summer Holidays begin is to research the activities around your area that do not cost anything. Think about visiting local museums as most do not require admission fees. Head over to your local park with a football for a kick-about. Head to the seaside for fun & games on the beach. Visit voucher websites to see what savings can be had such as “2 for 1 entry” on theme parks or “BOGOF” deals. Why not see if there are any free events happening closeby that you can attend too. Just a few ideas to keep the costs down low!
Save, Save, Save!
Not only will you feel the benefit if you start to save early for the Summer Holidays but it will encourage your children to be financially aware too. In the lead up to when the schools close for the Summer, persuade your children to start saving for the holidays especially if they wish to join local clubs etc or require spending money on their breakaway. You could then create a chart that will monitor their progress and when they have reached their target amount, you could reward them with a treat. Start sifting through magazines/newspapers to see if there are any vouchers for theme parks etc and keep them to one side for use in the Holidays. Don’t forget the discount websites too!
Has this helped you to get prepared for the Summer Holidays? Our next instalment will cover the things you need to think about when there’s just 2 weeks to go…