13 ways to keep your kids entertained these summer holidays for FREE
Summer School holidays are about to send mums across the nation into a total spin. How on earth are we meant to keep them entertained for the next 8 weeks? Help!
Here are just a few ideas to help you get into the swing of things and help keep you on track with your regular Healthy Mummy eating and exercise routine.
Here are some great ways to keep the kids occupied in the school holidays
1. Art and Craft Day

Arts and crafts are great for children of all ages. There are so many ideas from paper plate faces to finger painting on canvas, your kids can keep entertained for hours and make use of their amazing, natural imaginations!
2. Go fruit picking
With all the delicious and juicy fruits that are summer fruits, this is the ideal time for fruit picking.
There are literally hundreds of fruit-picking farms that are open to the public and who welcome wholeheartedly members of the public to pick fruit and take their pickings home. This, in turn, encourages them to use their pickings with their kids in the kitchen.
3. Kids in the kitchen
Most kids love baking, cooking and eating what they create. You can make extra and store it in the freezer for when needed, which is an added bonus!
Here at the Healthy Mummy, we have many recipes that are easy enough for your kids to lend a helping hand, or make entirely themselves, with minimal supervision from you!
4. Plant a herb garden
Summer is a great time to get your herb garden underway. There are so many herbs at this time of year, the choices are endless.
All you need are:
- Herb pots (if you don’t have a patch of soil in the garden)
- Potting mix
- Selection of seeds or seedlings (basil, chives, coriander, mint, and parsley all grow well during the summertime)
- A small garden shovel
- Watering can
You might even find that your children want to try out the herbs that they plant. They can even watch them as they grow, helping them to understand the lifecycle of plants.
5. Movie day
Summer is a time for outdoors and sunny days, but there will inevitably be those rainy and gloomy days too.
When it comes to the rainy days, a movie day is always fun! You can even replicate the cinemas and make them delicious homemade popcorn bars or Salted Caramel Popcorn Recipe.
6. Schedule in time for some relaxation
School holidays can be very overwhelming at the best of times. It is important to also remember that you need some time out and relaxation time too. Plus it is actually good for kids to be bored and entertain themselves!
7. Find time to squeeze in mini-workouts
During the school holidays, it is not always possible to do exercise every day. For this reason, it is important to squeeze in one, or two where possible.
Luckily at the Healthy Mummy, we totally understand these struggles and have comprised exercises for busy mums who are completely time poor.
Remember, any opportunity to get your body moving is a good one! So it can just be incidental exercises such as taking your kids for a walk, or doing lunges whilst cooking dinner. Get the kids involved too.
8. Hit the pool or beach
Grab a towel, hat and some sunscreen and head to the pool, river or beach. Make sure you get in a few laps while you are there.
9. Arrange a play date
Let the kids invite a friend over each and take turns playing at one another’s houses. That way you and the other mum can also take turns in getting a break too!
10. Jump on the tram or bus
Kids love going on an outing on the tram or bus. Grab a book and enjoy some quiet while they lap up the thrill of taking a tour around their local area on public transport.
11. Grab a ball and head to the park or playground
A great way to get in some daily exercise is kicking a ball with the kids or playing chasings around the park. Or use the playground equipment to help you pump out a few quick exercises.
12. Head to the museum
Most museums are free entry or just a gold coin donation. The kids will have hours of fun wandering around exploring all the amazing treasures.
13. Visit the cat or dog home
Why not pop in for a cuddle with a furry friend and visit the nearest cat or dog adoption centre? Even the pet shop can be fun to see all the little tiny furry critters.