Top ideas to keep children entertained over summer.

Our Health Promotion team has created a list of activities to help parents and carers ensure children are happy and healthy during the summer school holidays.

Be active – Encourage your kids to be active for at least an hour a day.  Aim to incorporate activities that make kids 'puff', and build strength, into your day. For example, dancing before dinner, playing ‘chasey’ or ‘tip’ and scootering to the shops.

Cook meals together – Ask your kids to join you in the kitchen. Teaching children how to cook is an easy way to encourage them to eat healthily well into adulthood.

Go shopping – visiting a grocery store creates opportunities for children to ask questions and to learn more about their world.

Schedule swim time – the weather’s warming up and pools are re-opening. It’s the perfect opportunity for kids to master their freestyle or simply build their confidence in the water.

Get back on the bike – the holiday season is the ideal time to dust off your bike, skateboard, scooter or rollerblades and take the family for a ride.

Discuss current events – age appropriate conversations about current events encourage children to be aware of issues in the world, to analyse and engage with them and to consider events from various angles.

Visit a museum – Taking your kids to different museums and galleries, with interactive exhibits and hands-on play, will help to ignite their curiosity, boost creativity, develop problem-solving skills and a love of learning.

Make time to read – Reading is one of the best forms of learning for all children and that includes reading to them. Younger children develop language skills, improve literacy, and put their imagination to good use.

While for older kids, fiction books can further support their writing skills, and through non-fiction they can learn about topics that interest them.

Take time to focus on wellbeing – While getting out and about is fun, sometimes some quiet time is needed too. Mindfulness activities are a great way to help your kids develop resilience.

Let them be bored – You don’t need to amuse your kids every minute of the school holidays. Boredom is good for children. By pushing through boredom and entertaining themselves, kids learn to think more creatively and hone their problem-solving skills.