The holiday period can sometimes be a challenging and boring period depending on who you ask. For parents who are occupied with work, they might not have the time or are uncertain about how to keep their children entertained – besides sticking a TV in front of them or organising the odd playdate. On the other hand, children might not know what fun activities exist nor have the resources to keep themselves entertained. Thus, this blog post is going to offer some inspiration, and hopefully provide some useful ideas that are fun, yet still promote useful literacy skills.
Up first on the list of ideas is… baking! This is a great activity that calls for getting one’s hands messy in the kitchen with the result being a sweet treat that can leave one satisfied for the days to come! Literacy skills can be promoted in this activity through the reading and writing of ingredients. If more than one sweet treat is made, writing up a menu is another fun way to promote literacy.
Secondly, designing and writing a picture book is a fantastic way to get your child to express themselves creatively and chat about what interests them. Using colourful paper and different types of stationery, as well as buying stickers to add to the picture book is definitely going to add an exciting touch to the whole process!
Gardening is another activity that encourages research and the reading of labels in order to ensure that one’s plant is planted correctly and kept alive. It is a fun interactive activity that can be documented through the taking of photographs and even writing a weekly journal update.
Finding different objects around one’s home through a little treasure hunt and then using them to create a sensory bin, enables children to have fun guessing what the object they are holding is through their senses. This activity is also wonderful to get your kids to use their imagination and have a good laugh.
Lastly, attending a theatre production that is based on a book your child has read or enjoys, is a spectacular way to encourage conversation and the urge to re-read the book after watching the play. Prepare some questions on a separate piece of paper to see how much they grasped from the story.
Happy holidays everyone!
