Here are a few suggestions your children may enjoy: - Get them to give their room a facelift - this could involve clearing out old clothes, toys, books, magazines and so on to go to a charity shop, and having a thorough clean up. Rearrange all the furniture and put up some new posters. If you can manage it, offer a small incentive - perhaps a new duvet cover or a desk lamp.
- Have a friend to stay - most pre-teens and teenagers love a sleepover. Let your child invite one or two friends to stay for a night. She or he can plan what to eat and choose a DVD to watch.
- Swap computer games - sort out a few games that are no longer popular and arrange to swap them with friends for a week.
- Go swimming - a day at the local indoor or outdoor pool with a friend is pretty hard to beat. If it's an outdoor pool, be sure to take sunhats, sun cream and plenty of water.
- Let them cook the evening meal - under your supervision. They can plan the menu, help you shop and then make it. Simple ideas could include: pizzas, pasta and a simple sauce or salad and baked potatoes.
- Listen to a concert - lots of theatres and arts centres have free lunchtime foyer concerts. Check out events listings and drop in on one (if you don't like it, you can easily leave).
- Enrol on a course - ask for holiday activity lists from your local authority and leisure centre. Many places now offer heavily subsidised courses for teenagers in tempting subjects as drama, art, juggling, basketball and DJ-ing.
- Use your library - most libraries have more than books on offer. CD-ROMs, DVDs, audio cassettes and computer games are often available.
- Visit a museum - all national museums are now free and are a treasure trove of interesting things to see, with fun hands-on activities. Most have special holiday events for kids.
- Go to an art gallery - as with museums, art galleries have lots on offer. Don't feel you have to visit every exhibition (it's too tiring), just choose a couple of rooms that you think your child would enjoy.
- Get out and about - outings don't have to mean theme parks. Try a game of rounders in the park, a walk through some woods, a picnic by a river, or a day on the beach. Always take a ball with you for a quick game of football.
More than one?It can be tough to juggle your time and expertise in the entertaining department if you have more than one child, or children of different ages. Parent-child relationships are unconditional, but it doesn't mean that either of you doesn't need the company of others for stimulation. Arranging for one of your children to spend the day with a friend, relative or someone she thinks a lot of can be a good thing. It will give her time to do something semi-independently, and will mean that she should come home with new achievements and fresh stories to tell.
This article was last reviewed by Heather Welford in September 2008.
Disclaimer: The BBC Parenting site is provided for your general information only. The information contained on this site should not be treated as a substitute for medical, legal or other professional advice. The BBC is not responsible or liable for the contents of any websites of third parties which are listed on this site. |
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