Here comes Summer! 12 weeks - approx 90 days of pure bliss, long days and no routine.

This is my favourite time of the year! A chance to be free after many months of HW, extra curricular, juggling activities .. this is the time to wind down and feel the calm and peace.

Entertaining kids for 3 months can be extremley difficult though, and although quite a few aticles suggest that it's best for your kids to be bored, little nudges of fun pre planned for "those days" are incredibly important I find. 

I've drawn up a list of these kind of little nudges of fun that we have enjoyed and that burned a few hours in the day and left them with ever lasting memories of laughs and creativity. Let us know if you try any of them and I do hope they enjoy them as much as we did! :) 

1. Ice Play

This is so simple, yet so much fun and they just love it. I freeze some of their favourite random toys and some sweets in a dish. The objective is to smash their way through it and "rescue them" 
This activity is perfect for a hot day, to cool down with the play of Ice, whilst also improving their motor skills as they work their arms and hands to break through the ice and save their friends. - win win!  
*this activity can also be done indoors, but we would recommend a plastic sheet under the tray to catch the spills. 

2. Water balloons and Tins

Another Simple, yet fun activity to keep cool and again have lots of fun. We used old formula tins for this and small water balloons. The kids can stack the tins to prepare the target *an activity in itself). We also drew angry bird faces on the water balloons. 
Aim - Hit the tins over with the balloons.
Will the balloon burst? Will the tin fall over?
This activity helps improve hand eye coordination and encourages curiosity & wonder - what will happen next? 

3. Impossible Balloons

If you follow me on instagram, you will know that this is a favourite :)

Fill normal balloons with water and ask your child to try and burst it. They would naturally expect it to burst within seconds. They can't be more wrong. Normal balloons when filled with water are strong and almost impossible to burst. My 3 kids *even my 10 year old, love coming up with ways to get the balloon to burst. They have jumped on it, smashed it with pool guns, threw it across the yard and one time even tried spinning it in a bucket .. It will burst eventually .. giving off a cool splash and a burst of giggles! they will want to do this over and over! 

4. Puzzles

We love puzzles! Not only do puzzles engage the child. and help with a vast amount skills, such as 

• Cognitive Skills
• Problem Solving
• Fine motor skills
• Hand eye coordination
• Self esteem 

How about adding some social aspect to it? Once the puzzle is done, tell its story. Let the puzzle become the plan for your "adventures" ask them, where? what? why? who? 

Have you checked out our latest story telling puzzles yet?  

5. Indoor Sledging

I honestly didn't think one would work but I think this was the one of the best indoor afternoons we've ever had!
We padded the end of the stairs with cushions and pillows and taped a giant piece of cardboard to the stairs. 
They zoomed down the slide till the cardboard ripped! It was a day where they tested their fears and conquered them. They loved it! 





6. Free Painting 

In this case, I prepared an old plank of wood, but we've used big sheets of paper many other times. I prepared the paints, invited the kids and let them be. 
In this case they were so free they ended up painting themselves too! 

7. Water Play with a Bilibo

It's no secret that we are possibly the Bilibo's Biggest fan. The endless amounts of ideas that my kids come up with just using it impresses me each time. Most of the time it is never prompted.

This time they used it as a water seat. Filling it up with water and spinning in it for the water to splash out of their bottoms with each turn. They themselves found the perfect way to cool off and enjoy the day! 

In other words, play matters, let the children PLAY! This Summer 

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January comes so quickly after the "warm holiday" December. I found myself repeating the phrase "time flies when you're having fun" to my kids all through the month. It's true. It flew! 

But January doesn't need to be sad and depressing. Whenever I think of January I think of lots of indoor play, crafts and games. Crafts can get slightly boring after a while especially since most young kids are doing crafts all day at school. I've realised that with my three kids. they come back from school and need to burn energy. 

A quick visit to the playground is the easiest option and we are blessed with many good ones in Malta, Such as the one in Qormi, one that takes me back to my childhood with their fantastic snake like swing rope. The park is quite big with easy parking (for that quick raining run) and also has a trampoline (it was still in tack last month when I went there) with  excersise machines & climbing frames. An all round winner! 

We must remember that Play is the basis for all learning and development. Building their motor skills and strength and coordination is vital in child growth. Being stuck inside doesn't always have to be about crafts and movies. There are so many options and games to create where they can still burn their energy and have a great day! One of my favourite is creating an obstacle race; add some pillows, cardboard box tunnels and masking tape for a spider web accross the room and you're set for an afternoon of fun and lots of laughs guaranteed! 

The list is endless, from indoor treasure hunts, (make a list of things they need to find - something red, something round, something soft etc), bubble wrap runs etc .. 

Here are some great ideas we have pinned on Pinterest for great afternoons of fun! 
https://www.pinterest.com/alexiabannister/kids-play/

In other words, play matters, let the children PLAY!

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