Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
20 Things To Do This Summer
1. Paint rocks – what’s better than painting on paper? Painting on rocks! Try finding some rocks in the garden, park or beach and make them colourful with paint.
2. Plant a butterfly garden – there are over 59 species of butterflies in the UK and you can attract them easily by planting specific flowers around your home. Flowers like Phlox, Coneflower and Lantana are beloved by most butterflies. If you have a little more space to spare, a Buddleia (also known as the butterfly bush) is another great choice.
3. Build an obstacle course – construct your course with anything you can find around the house or garden and take turns competing.
4. Make a nature documentary – put your nature knowledge to the test by creating videos about the various plants and animals you can find outside.
5. Organise a toy swap – ask a few friends to come over with toys that they no longer want and see if they can all be given a new home.
6. Go stargazing – either lay down on a blanket in your garden or travel somewhere with minimal light pollution and stargaze through the warm night. Can you find Orion’s Belt?
7. Perform a play – pick a book from your bookshelf and re-enact the whole story. Pick your characters and make sure to have a dramatic narrator. Costumes are also recommended.
8. Go on a bug hunt – with a magnifying glass at the ready, see what you can find hiding in the grass.
9. Visit another country from your living room – grab a world map and put your finger on the page at random. Whatever your finger points to is where you’ll be going for the day. Learn everything you can about the country. Check out what the capital city looks like online, see if you can learn the language, find out if they have any traditional recipes to try out.
10. Make a bird feeder – invite the birds over this summer by making your very own bird feeder. You can find many DIY instructions online but one of the easiest methods is to coat sticks in peanut butter and roll them in birdseed. You can then tie some string to the ends of the sticks and hang them on trees or fences.
11. Start a photo diary – take photographs each day of summer and make a photo diary to relive the memories.
12. Have your own luau – flower leis, grass skirts, tropical drinks, hula dancing and more. Having a luau will definitely get you into the summer spirit!
13. Go hiking – local parks and nature reserves will usually have some family-friendly walks and hikes to go on. It’s a great way of having a fun and a free day out. Just remember the sunscreen!
14. Make ice-lollies – to make healthy ice-lollies without needing plastic moulds, try this recipe: you will need a tin of round pineapple slices in juice and some wooden lolly or kebab sticks. Drain the pineapple slices and then place them on a greaseproof lined baking tray. Carefully push the sticks into each pineapple slice, going all the way through the middle. Place the tray in the freezer until the rings are completely frozen. Eat them as they are or freeze on dark chocolate, coconut sprinkles, or yogurt for added flavour.
15. Be a scientist – there are many experiments you can conduct with the summer sun. Place a toy on the ground and trace around its shadow with chalk at different times of the day to see how the sun changes shadow movement. Put your garden hose on and sprinkle the water high in the air to create your own rainbows. Or compare the different melting rates of ice cubes that sit on different coloured paper in the sun.
16. Break a world record – have a look online or in the Guinness Book of World Records and see if you can beat any.
17. Have a pool party – the hot weather means you’ll need to get that paddling pool out, why not invite some friends and family too!
18. Make a collage – go for a family walk and pick out leaves, flowers and anything else you find. Then stick them all together to make a family, nature collage.
19. Race paper boats – whether it’s in your own paddling pool or at the local pond, build and race your own paper boats and see who wins!
20. Try tie-dye – all you’ll need are some old white t-shirts, some rubber bands and some bottles of coloured dye. You can even make the dye out of food colouring, white vinegar and water.