The summer holidays started which means you’ll be able to spend plenty of time with your daughter. It’s a great bonding time, and you’re able to make sure that she doesn’t spend all of her waking hours watching the television or using the internet. Whilst it can sometimes be educational, it can also be better to actually do the things that are shown on TV rather than just learning about them. So why not go about introducing your daughter to some practical activities than can be a lot of fun too? Here are a few of my favourite ideas for the summer holidays; you never know what might stem from these interests!
Painting
You can buy some paper and paints for a low price in the supermarket or toy shop, but you can also buy a higher grade of materials from craft shops. It’s completely up to you whether you want to use watercolours or oil paints, and you can choose different types of canvases too. For example, you could first buy a “paint by numbers” and then move on to an easel and quality paper – just wait to see whether your daughter is interested before you spend too much money.
Jewellery Making
One of my favourite pastimes when I was younger was making friendship bracelets. Jewellery making has long been a popular choice for girls with many sets available with beads, embroidery thread and how-to guides included. I buy my materials from the internet though as I find it is more cost effective – you can also pick and choose which colours and shapes you’d like. My daughter loves making bracelets for her friends at school so I’d definitely recommend giving this activity a shot.
Gardening
If you want to get out of the house to enjoy a sunny day, head to the garden and get stuck in with a bit of manual work. Let your daughter take ownership of a patch of your flowerbeds, perhaps planting a few seeds or bulbs of her own. Relatively easy plants to grow in the UK include sunflowers and tomatoes, so dust off those watering cans and dig out your gardening tools!
Baking
If you experience a number of rainy days, brighten them with the smell of freshly baked treats. Ask your daughter to join you in the kitchen to bake cakes, cookies and muffins, or you could be adventurous and get her to help with dinner. By watching programmes like Junior Masterchef, you’ll see that some children quickly understand cooking, and could even grow their passion into a career in the future!
Exercising
After snacking on your sweet treats, you’ll want to make sure that you and your daughter get some exercise! There are so many options here from swimming to doing a dance class. Find something you’re both comfortable doing, and make it part of your routine. If you try cycling now, you might even find that she asks to go on a cycling holiday with you next summer which would be something great to look forward to.
