Bring the Easter Long Weekend to Life for Your Kids
With the Easter egg hunt behind you and the sugar rush upon you, it's time to channel your children's energy in the happiest of fashions
If you want your kids to have a memorable Easter break, figuring out how to harness their chocolate-induced energy is sure to make the weekend memorable. These ideas will engage your children, bring you together and encourage you all to step out of your established routine and tackle something new. Live in the moment, enjoy each other and make the most of your kids, just as they are.
Blank space above the bed? The kids will be proud as punch to see their work in such a prominent position, especially if it’s the first thing they see when they run in to wake you up in the morning.
8 Clip-It-Clever Ways to Display Your Children’s Art
8 Clip-It-Clever Ways to Display Your Children’s Art
Let them get bored (they’ll make their own fun)
Parental guilt often compels us to fill every minute of our children’s days with organised activities and entertainment. Some of the best memories they’ll have of their childhoods, however, are likely to be during time they spend at home with nothing but their own imaginations for company.
Banish the screens and they won’t stay idle for long – they’re sure to come up with a game or project that’s far more interesting than Minecraft.
Parental guilt often compels us to fill every minute of our children’s days with organised activities and entertainment. Some of the best memories they’ll have of their childhoods, however, are likely to be during time they spend at home with nothing but their own imaginations for company.
Banish the screens and they won’t stay idle for long – they’re sure to come up with a game or project that’s far more interesting than Minecraft.
Create a new hangout space together
If you have young children, a cubby of any description will make them happy – even blankets draped over the table and some cushions for them and their soft toys can make for a fun escape.
Cubbies for tweens or even teens will require a little more imagination and effort but if you involve them in the process, it can be a fun bonding experience. Think treehouse, a canopy beneath the trees, or turn the spare room into a Moroccan-inspired hang-out space for them and their friends.
If you have young children, a cubby of any description will make them happy – even blankets draped over the table and some cushions for them and their soft toys can make for a fun escape.
Cubbies for tweens or even teens will require a little more imagination and effort but if you involve them in the process, it can be a fun bonding experience. Think treehouse, a canopy beneath the trees, or turn the spare room into a Moroccan-inspired hang-out space for them and their friends.
Refresh their room
Put on some music and get the kids to go through their toys, books and clothes to sort out what they want to keep and what they’ve outgrown. Starting the school holidays with a clean and tidy room makes everyone feel good, whether they want to admit it or not.
Painting the wall behind the shelves will add a punch of life to the room and, now that your child has pared back his or her possessions to those they truly value, they’ll become more of a feature in the room.
Tip: Get your children to sort the books into colours and, like the arrangement in these shelves, stack them as well as line them up side by side for some visual variety.
Put on some music and get the kids to go through their toys, books and clothes to sort out what they want to keep and what they’ve outgrown. Starting the school holidays with a clean and tidy room makes everyone feel good, whether they want to admit it or not.
Painting the wall behind the shelves will add a punch of life to the room and, now that your child has pared back his or her possessions to those they truly value, they’ll become more of a feature in the room.
Tip: Get your children to sort the books into colours and, like the arrangement in these shelves, stack them as well as line them up side by side for some visual variety.
Work on a DIY project together
Whether it’s building a sandpit – logs and sand equals instant sandpit – or sewing a patchwork quilt out of the family’s outgrown clothes, your kids will love doing something out of the ordinary with you… especially if it’s on something that benefits them!
Whether it’s building a sandpit – logs and sand equals instant sandpit – or sewing a patchwork quilt out of the family’s outgrown clothes, your kids will love doing something out of the ordinary with you… especially if it’s on something that benefits them!
If you’re feeling extra ambitious, consider building a raised platform bed together, and making room for a desk underneath. Let them choose what colours to paint it for double the fun.
Put them in charge of cooking
They may be on holidays but so are you, and this is one way to keep them out of mischief and give yourself a break at the same time. Hand over some cash and older kids can take charge of buying ingredients and making the recipes for dinner and dessert one night without your involvement – you might be surprised at what they can accomplish completely on their own.
Younger kids will love the one-on-one time they spend with you in the kitchen, not to mention the goodies they get to eat at the end.
Tip: Make it an occasion the night they cook dinner to honour their efforts, complete with candles and the good tablecloth.
They may be on holidays but so are you, and this is one way to keep them out of mischief and give yourself a break at the same time. Hand over some cash and older kids can take charge of buying ingredients and making the recipes for dinner and dessert one night without your involvement – you might be surprised at what they can accomplish completely on their own.
Younger kids will love the one-on-one time they spend with you in the kitchen, not to mention the goodies they get to eat at the end.
Tip: Make it an occasion the night they cook dinner to honour their efforts, complete with candles and the good tablecloth.
Even the littlest of kids can be involved in taking charge of dinner – pizza is always a fun choice and chopping mushrooms with a butter knife is as safe as it gets.
Get exercise in your local area
Put on your sneakers and go for a family run around the local park. Have parent vs kids sprint races and give a prize to the winners.
Rainy Day Kids’ Activities to Save Your Sanity
Put on your sneakers and go for a family run around the local park. Have parent vs kids sprint races and give a prize to the winners.
Rainy Day Kids’ Activities to Save Your Sanity
Look to each other for entertainment
It’s too easy for days off to drift by in a sea of chores and screen time, without the family spending any quality time together at all. Put down the devices and break out the board games, play spotlight or hide-and-seek in the backyard and be a kid again.
It’s too easy for days off to drift by in a sea of chores and screen time, without the family spending any quality time together at all. Put down the devices and break out the board games, play spotlight or hide-and-seek in the backyard and be a kid again.
Go camping in the backyard
If you’re enjoying a staycation, it’s still possible to make the break feel holiday-like when you set up the tent in the backyard. Kids of all ages will enjoy the experience, and the best thing is they can enjoy all the comforts of home while they’re at it – carry some armchairs out to the tent, fill it with cushions, line the floor with a rug, play some music and they’ll be entertained for days.
They are, however, likely to build up an appetite so be warned – a never-ending stream of snacks will be required.
Your turn
How will you be filling your days over the long weekend and holidays? Share your boredom-busting tips in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
For more inspiration and ideas, read 10 Backyard Additions for Active (and Not-So-Active) Kids
If you’re enjoying a staycation, it’s still possible to make the break feel holiday-like when you set up the tent in the backyard. Kids of all ages will enjoy the experience, and the best thing is they can enjoy all the comforts of home while they’re at it – carry some armchairs out to the tent, fill it with cushions, line the floor with a rug, play some music and they’ll be entertained for days.
They are, however, likely to build up an appetite so be warned – a never-ending stream of snacks will be required.
Your turn
How will you be filling your days over the long weekend and holidays? Share your boredom-busting tips in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
For more inspiration and ideas, read 10 Backyard Additions for Active (and Not-So-Active) Kids
Walls looking a bit bare? Harness your children’s creative energy and put them to work on a masterpiece or two. While this one clearly is a masterpiece, your children might create something just as eye-catching, given half the chance.
Provide a giant canvas and some bright shades of acrylic paint and watch what unfolds. It helps to wet the canvas with a sponge before they start unleashing their talents – the paint will glide on with ease.
Thinking of redecorating? Browse the work of interior designers and decorators near you on Houzz and read reviews of their work from previous clients