My 7 Favourite Holiday Activities

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! Schools are closed for the holidays and I love it.

As I work from home, having the kids on holiday means I have to jump over toys but it is an exciting time to bond over activities we enjoy. And now that the rains are here we just have to get more creative about how we spend our time.

For a lot of career women getting a set of activities planned out for them ahead of time will help in keeping them busy. Weekends can then be spent on activities the family can enjoy together. Here are a few of my favourite activities to consider for your kids this holiday season.

1. Books

We love books at our house and visiting the bookshop with your children to pick out some of your childhood favourite books is a treat.

Introducing them to new authors and also having them pick out books they like, with your help will help expand their vocabulary and open up new worlds for them. Street vendors in Nairobi’s Central Business District also do sometimes have an interesting selection of books if you know where to look.

2. Cooking

My six year old boy loves cooking and he often pleads to help with the rolling out of chapati dough. Why not have the children help you make cupcakes for 4 o’clock tea, make bread or prepare tea over the weekend.

If they are old enough have them help in chopping up vegetables or fruits or teach them to make sandwiches. This can also be the time to pass on family recipes as well as lessons on healthy eating.

3. Board Games

Snakes and ladders and scrabble were a favourite past time growing up, children now have a wide range of games to choose from apart from those we grew up playing. Introduce to them the thrill of board games and healthy competition with the use of board games and the importance of fair play.

4. Park Visits

When the weather permits use the time the sun is out to go for nature walks at the Karura Forest, a beautiful place for kids to explore nature, ride their bikes and get good exercise as they enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Have them bring along a camera and take photos of the interesting things they see. A drive to the National Museum will allow  them to learn a bit of history and the museum sometimes has children activities around this time.

5. Learning a new skill

Allow your child to learn a new skill by looking for workshops going on, there is everything from playing musical instruments, coding, painting to skating. Learning a new skill has been shown to improve working memory and increase language and verbal skills for both children and adults.

6. Sharing is caring

Have the children take time out to sort out through books, toys, clothes they have outgrown and have them take them to a children’s home. It fosters responsibility for the less fortunate and also exposes them to a world outside the one they are used to at home and at school.

7. Get away from the city

Having spent quite a few years away from Nairobi, driving out of town to granny’s to see cows and have them chase after their grandmothers hens is a treat for my children. They get to put on their wellies and splash around in puddles  all day. The fresh air, exercise  and playing with their cousins always works up an appetite which I discovered is a great way to have them finish the food on their plate.

So here are my favourite holiday activities with the children, what are yours?

You May Also Like:

5 Ways to Keep your Preschooler Active this Holiday

7 Ways to Save Money on Holiday Season

Register for our weekly newsletter and follow us for more  pregnancy and parenting tips on MumsVillage Facebook page!