Make a teddy bears’ theme park
One of the best village fairs we ever went to was the fabulously bonkers Teddy Bear Rides at Barton-under-Needwood. From boat and aeroplane rides for bears to catapaults and high wires, the kids loved seeing their teddies experience theme park style rides.
By creating a teddy theme park at home – inventing and making rides before trying them out and inviting friends’ bears to ride them - this could be an activity that lasts a few days. Start by making a ‘teddy passport’ with a photo or drawing of your ted and boxes that can be stamped for each ride. Next, let the kids invent and design rides for the bears. They could research rides at real theme parks or let their imaginations run wild with their own inventions. Then see if they can find things from around the house to make them – some lengths of string, rope or elastic may prove handy here, but wheeled toys, play frames and even natural materials like sticks can all be put to good use in creating fun rides for their furry friends. Get inspired by watching videos of the hilarious teddy rides at Barton Family Festival here.
Go on a teddy bears’ picnic
You can’t beat We’re Going on a Bear Hunt for inspiring a summer adventure with younger children. Plan a walk where you can recreate the swishy-swashy grass, splishy-sploshy river and oozy mud. Then have a teddy bear’s picnic at the end of it. If you can end up on a beach and find a cave to pretend to share your picnic with the bear, even better. If you’d rather picnic closer to home, why not try a Hungry Caterpillar theme and eat your way through apples, pears, oranges, strawberries, Swiss cheese and sausages (maybe swap the leaves at the end for spinach leaves)? Even old favourite The Tiger Who Came to Tea would work well for a summer picnic with friends - tea straight from the teapot spout anyone?
Spend the day in Paris, Rome or New York
Not physically going abroad this year? Don’t let that stop you from broadening their horizons. Decide on a destination and theme a day around it. Fancy a day in Rome? Get the kids to find out as much as they can with some online or library research – cuisine, traditions, sports - and put it into action. Get them to learn a few useful Italian phrases, have some Italian music playing, cook up a perfect pasta, build a leaning tower in the garden and chill off with gelato.
Give them a digi-free day at the helm
If they know it’s a digital-free day ahead of time, kids are far less likely to moan. And if you plan ahead and put them in charge, you’ll probably find they’ll actually look forward to it.
Give your children a small budget and let them plan your day – from where you go, to what you eat and do. The main rule is no screens, but beyond that, let them take over and pitch a plan for the day to you and try your hardest to say yes!
Go on a doodle trail
Have a creative day and introduce the children to green sketching, where they (and you) doodle little details they spot in nature. There’s no pressure to be a great artist – it’s more about slowing down to notice the little things and connecting with nature.
A great way to do this is to help them see their local area with fresh eyes by creating a doodle map. ‘Find a simple map of your local area and let children annotate it with as many nature doodles and observations as possible, suggests Dr Ali Foxon, author of The Green Sketching Handbook. ‘These annotations can be tiny details, like ‘the lone dandelion’, or ‘Bob, the quirky brown rock’ or bigger features such as ‘blossom tree road’ or ‘annoying spiky hedge’. This is a fun a creative way to help them see their familiar surroundings with fresh eyes.’
Try a Treasure Trail
Ok, so this one does involve a small cost, but it’s well worth it. Treasure Trails are treasure hunt style maps you can now buy for most areas in the UK. Great for both young detectives and budding spies as well as adults who never grew up. Treasure Trails are a captivating challenge that combines mind-twisting clues and fascinating stories for anyone with a sense of adventure.
Great fun for entertaining the whole tribe. Either buy one to take to your UK holiday destination (they are brilliant for helping you discover a new area) or pick one close to home and be amazed at the little things that were hiding in plain sight.
Have a bubble day
Bubbles are always a hit - especially with younger kids - and there are so many ways to play with them. For a big group you can't beat a bubble machine but we also love making bubble wands, either with wire or pipe cleaners. Twist them into fun shapes and let the kids experiment dipping them into bubble solution. You can cheaply make your own with washing up liquid and water. Finally, why not go XXL and put bubble mix into a paddling pool, place a small step in the middle and pop a hoop around it. Ask your child to stand on the step and then lift the hoop from the bubble mix and up and over your child to encase them in bubble!
Thrifting fashion challenge
Got shopping-mad tween or teens? Set them an unseasonal Secret Santa-style charity shop challenge. Give them a small budget and maybe a theme or specific person to buy for, and let them loose on the local High Street to see what they can find. If there’s a group of family or friends, try a freaky fashion show where everyone has someone to purchase a wild outfit for. Once you get home, set up a catwalk and let the kids put on and compere a show. If they’re unlikely to wear their wacky items again, donate them back to the charity shops for someone else to enjoy.
