Budget Friendly Fun for the School Holidays

Who doesn’t love budget friendly fun for the school holidays that won’t break the bank? We all do right!
You’ll want to keep this one on the fridge as it will be your ‘go-to–list‘ for creative fun activties to keep young energectic minds busy on a budget.
This blog was kindly written by local mum of two and co-founder of GOYOkids Nancy Lawford-Miles . Take it away Nancy!
School holidays are a time to sit back, relax and recoup from a busy term gone, and prepare for the next one ahead.
It’s a time when kids get to be kids. It’s a shake off from the hussle out the door each morning, a break from classroom structure and lean time management.
It’s a time to spend on the floor with toys, to stay in pyjamas until lunch, to reignite sibling play and find wild times in the good old outdoors.
For us (as parents and carers) it’s a chance to let go of our routine of lunch box prep, clean school shirts, (probably a tidy house!), and to make the most of these special years hanging out with our kids whilst we are still cool to hang with!
This unstructured time to play can have a significant impact on a child’s mental health, often helping to reduce levels of stress and anxiety. It allows kids unscheduled time to be creative, to reflect, and to decompress.
On the other end of the scale it offers many benefits in developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.
So here’s a list we’ve compiled of creative fun you and your kids can enjoy on a budget at home these holidays. They’ve been tried and tested by our kids, ticking the fun box for us, as i’m sure they will for you too!

Portrait Painting on Glass

The ultimate NO CLEAN UP fun!
The idea for this came from my eldest child’s interest in learning to draw faces. I thought it would help him with shape and proportion. For my younger child I knew he would just enjoy the freedom to be let loose with paint on any scale!
With squeals of excitement they got stuck in straight away! The boys took it in turns to stand on the other side of the glass and have their bodies painted. It was wonderful to see their concentration and hear the giggles as the brush swept around to trace their faces.
Once they were done I gave them the hose and a squeegee. They had just as much fun cleaning up as they did painting! My windows have never looked so clean!

Yoga for Kids Audio Book

This is about young kids with a loveable energy having fun, jumping, stretching, moving and learning how to be in control of their bodies and minds. Kids with gorgeous wild imaginations listening to a story that will have them leaping like a kangaroo, flying in a space rocket into the great unknown and breathing in the warm spring air.
GOYOkids yoga stories are designed to be super fun and easily used at home with no previous yoga experience necessary.
Download a kids yoga audiobook from GOYOkids, listen to the story and follow the simple instructions.
Why not have some fun with it and play it from your mobile device in the garden or even the park? This is a great activity for the entire family and you’re guaranteed to have heaps of fun!

Rock Painting and Sharing

 
This is such a fun thing to do and helps promotes the idea of sharing and kindness.
Just gather some smooth pebbles and get painting! You can let the creative juices flow or maybe paint some kind words. Acrylic paints work best but you can paint over your design with PVA glue to make your pebbles more weatherproof;don’t worry the glue will dry clear.
Once they have dried, take them to your local park or beach and hide them for others to find! You could even get a few other families on board and start a rock hide and find like we did earlier on this year.
https://www.facebook.com/goyokids/videos/1356687554380386/

Hopscotch with a Twist

This is heaps of fun and all you need is chalk!
Think Twister versus Hopscotch. Use chalk to draw out some feet and hands in different combinations to get the kids balancing, twisting and hopping. Get as creative and wacky as you like, pop on some music, invite the neighbours kids over and let the fun begin.

Sticky Tape Nature Trail

A nature trail is a great way to get out and about and explore your surroundings. We used a rolled up piece of cardboard and covered it in sticky tape (it’s blue because we only had painter’s tape left in the drawer).
You could also use a flat piece of cardboard with contact paper, but the roll worked well as it fitted around my child’s wrist.
Then head out on an adventure and see what you can find! Spring is a great time of year for this as nature is in full bloom.
It’s always fascinating to observe, that when I spend unstructured, unscheduled time with my children, it opens up a deep channel of communication between us.
This channel isn’t always so free flowing in the bustle of the busy school term, when the kids come home too tired and unmotivated to discuss their day with me (despite my constant prompting!). But throw us a cruisy afternoon hanging out together under the great Aussie sky, and you’ll be amazed at what I can find out!
Blog written by Nancy Lawford-Miles
Co-Founder of GOYO kids

GOYOkids create brain breaks using popular children’s stories to teach yoga for kids.

Visit www.goyokids.com.au

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