I’m Bored – Keeping the Kids Entertained during the School Holidays

I’m Bored – Keeping the Kids Entertained during the School Holidays

The last two weeks of school before the midterm break were hard work. For mammy and kids both. It took a long time to get them out of bed and dressed in the mornings, the mornings being colder and darker certainly didn’t help but the kids were tired. The school routine and after-school activities were tiring them out and it’s time for some down time.
I see this both as a mother of a school-going boy and a special needs assistant in a primary school. Kids need a break. Some time to decide activities for themselves, some stay at home time or time for more relaxed activities. We finally made it to the break and all of a sudden here comes their mantra ‘I’m bored’. Don’t you just love it!

So here it is Bank Holiday Monday and it’s raining of course, it is October I suppose. So here’s some ideas for what to do with the small people this week.

Pumpkin Carving & Halloween Art 

Seasonal and fun, pumpkin carving is a must this week. Let the kids come up with how they want it carved, use the sharp knife yourself and then everyone can help with the scooping out. Ensure their hands are clean as you can use the pumpkin flesh to make https://dairyfreekids.ie/recipe-pumpkin-muffins/. Here’s a teal pumpkin we did last year for the Teal Pumpkin Project. This year’s one will be done in the next couple of days! 

We painted some jars as Hallowe’en lanterns too, for a very easy art activity. 

Baking

We’ll be making our pumpkin muffins like last year to use up the pumpkin flesh and making some brack too for the week that’s in it. 

Indoor Exercises

On rainy days it’s v difficult to stop the boys from getting stir crazy. Putting on some exercises on YouTube is a great idea, Go Noodle, which they also use at school is our favourite. It also clocks up the time they’ve spent doing their activity so if you are so inclined you can ensure they are getting enough physical exercise (the current recommendation for children is 60 minutes per day). 

TV / Films

At this time of year it is especially important to avoid the advertising on children’s tv. My children are already asking for things for Christmas which are ridiculous and solely influenced by such ads. I love the control Netflix affords as there is no ads, and I can choose age appropriate stuff for them and also limit how much time it’s on for. They will have a set amount of tv time during the holidays so it doesn’t just become their go to activity for the whole week. I’ll be posting about our current favourites series and films in the next few days! 

Trips for Wet Days

The Library

Bring back those library books that are long overdue and enjoy some ‘quiet’ time in the serenity of the library. Your kids will leave your side for 2 minutes and you’ll have an illusion of peace and quiet and then you’ll have all of them on your lap demanding to be read to. It is a nice activity though, I swear!

Cinema

If you’ve a local cinema then a kids club film is your answer on a rainy morning, usually for around €10-€12 for the whole family. If your local cinema doesn’t do any dairy free treats, then come prepared with your own in your handbag.

Trips for Dry Days

Many places have Hallowe’en themed events, such as trains, haunted houses, pumpkin picking etc., our favourite is Ballycross Apple Farm in South county Wexford. We visited last year, a lovely day out.

Altamont Gardens in Tullow, Co. Carlow boasts fabulous walks and the autumn colours are just stunning.

Railway Walk, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow  a beautiful safe walkway in Tinahely, with beautiful colours this time of year.  

Enjoy the midterm! 

Disclosure: I am part of the Netflix Stream Team, and I received a free subscription to the service in return for writing updates and reviews. I had my own Netflix subscription prior to joining and as always all opinions expressed are my own.