Having a Holiday at Home
If you’re feeling the winter feels, and bracing yourself for a few weeks where most programs shut down over the school term break and wondering what you’re going to do in the icy mornings or rainy afternoons, here’s a few simple suggestions.
Suggestion number 1 (for those who want to jump back into bed)
Drag a mattress into the lounge room for a few days, make a big pillow-y, blanket-y nest where you can read books, tell stories, put teddies to bed, be a patient in a pretend hospital, along with some toy animals, where you might need to lie down for a while ;)
Listen to a storytime podcast together in bed or in front of the heater or fireplace (and if you close your eyes because you’re enjoying the story so much, that’s okay too!)
Suggestions number 2 (for those who like to be prepared with some activities)
Spend half an hour the night before planning a few things….
Make some playdough & find some fun and interesting toys to play with alongside/in the playdough
Plan a party for one of the toys. Get some cake baking, decorating ingredients and candles ready for the next day. Have some paper and colouring in onhand to make party hats or wrapping paper. Wrap up household items for the toys to unwrap.
Draw or print out some paper money, cut out some cardboard coins and create a small shop front with jars or tins from the pantry.
Suggestions number 3 (for those who want to get out amongst it!)
Rug up nice and warm, head out on a rambling walk, jump in puddles, follow what your child is interested in.
Take a collecting basket for any gumnuts, interesting shaped leaves, pinecones, shells, feathers or fluffy grasses you might find. When you get home you can make these into a nature hanging - all you need is some string.
Fill up a thermos with a warm fruit tea, pop a blanket and hot water bottle (or two) in the pram or car, along with a special snack and hunt out a new park or nature reserve.
Other fun things…
Provide some warm, soapy water either in the kitchen/bathroom sink or outside with some plastic/tin ‘dishes’ to wash and a few tea towels to ‘dry’ them up
Create an obstacle course in the backyard with options for climbing over and under, balancing, jumping and climbing
Raid your recycling for different shaped boxes and tubes. Use sticky tape or glue to make creatures, houses or people
Visit the library, with a stop for a babycino and go home with a bag of books to read under a blanket
Dig over a patch in the garden and plant a few flower or vegetable seeds together
Make a list for yourself of things you would enjoy doing with your child/ren and get ready to enjoy your home holiday.
Here’s a few other posts we’ve made about winter
