How to give your kids an unforgettable summer

The summer holidays are upon us and the pressure is on to give the kids the best summer ever, right?

Trips here there and everywhere, craft supplies up to your armpits, days full to the brim – because that is what they want…

Except they don’t, do they? They don’t want or need those things. They couldn’t care less whether you plan elaborate days out or amazing activities for them.

All they want is you.

Time with you, doing anything at all – that is what they want.

People make memories, not things.

When I think back to my own childhood I don’t remember days out – I remember the smell of stinky egg sandwiches, filling the back of the car on our way to a picnic. I remember my mum throwing an old tablecloth over the patio chairs to make us a den. I remember my dad almost passing out blowing up an inflatable boat when we forgot the pump – for us to decide the sea was too cold anyway.

Simple fun, simple pleasures.

That is what summers are made of.

Now that I am a mother I want to give my children a summer they won’t forget. A summer filled with laughter, a summer that involved us spending quality time together doing whatever we fancy.

So, if you are staring at the next few weeks wondering what on earth to do with your children, here is a list of simple ideas to get you started. Nothing elaborate, nothing expensive – just good old-fashioned fun.

20 activities for an unforgettable summer

1. Have a picnic in the park
2. Build a fort
3. Camp out under the stars
4. Build sandcastles
5. Go berry picking
6. Bake cakes
7. Blow bubbles – here’s an easy bubble mix recipe
8. Join a summer reading program
9. Have a pillow fight
10. Go planespotting – this is the app we use
11. Go to a splash park
12. Have a sleepover downstairs
13. Play a board game
14. Make your own pizzas
15. Make easy homemade ice cream – here’s a simple 2 ingredient recipe
16. Play hide n seek
17. Have a bedtime disco
18. Paint rocks & hide them around your town
19. Have a family movie night
20. Have a BBQ
21. Go on a bike ride
22. Plant flowers
23. Have an ice cream from an ice cream truck
24. Go geocaching 
25. Play in the water sprinkler

Do you know who thought of these ideas? My children. Nothing too fancy, just activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Because that is what they will remember – being with their family.

In years to come, when your children are all grown up, you will look back on these days and realise how precious they were. It won’t be the activities themselves that you remember, but the memories that were created while you were present, in the moment.

So put aside that feeling of pressure and let your kids lead the way. You might be surprised with the activities they choose to do.

Have an amazing summer!