Holidays a great time for family fun

Having our children home can be a chance to recharge everyone's batteries

Spring is here and it is the middle of the holidays, a time to do things with your family that you enjoy.

Having our children home can be a great time to recharge everyone's batteries but it can also feel like a long couple of weeks if everyone is out of routine and feeling cooped up.

As parents we need to remember that it is ok to take charge of the atmosphere in our home and allow ourselves to take the time to do things more slowly without the time pressure of routines we keep during the term.

If you are feeling really stressed - get some fresh air, sit in the sun or go for a walk.

Set aside time for yourself, sit and read a book or magazine for 10 minutes.

Try to have a routine - but expect some days when it just won't work.

Remember it's family time: create memories, tell family stories and have fun together as much as you can.

Here are some free fun things you could do with younger children:

Set up shop

Children love imitating their parents and shopping is a favourite game for boys and girls alike. Save your empty cartons and containers from food and household products (of course, the non-toxic ones!) Use empty apple boxes or similar to make shelves for displaying the groceries. An ironing board lowered to the height of the checkout operator makes a great checkout counter. Provide shopping bags for packing, pens and paper for writing shopping lists and pretend money (use from a Monopoly game or make your own - a game in itself!) and a toy cash register or calculator for hours of shopping fun.

Car Tracks

Use wide strips of masking tape to make car tracks on the floor. The tracks can run from room to room - or all around the house! They're easy to change and can be removed quickly. Moving a toy car carefully around the roadway gives your child practice at "staying between the lines", an important pre-writing skill.

Listen Up!

Simple instructions can be used for a fun game that encourages listening skills and improves concentration.

1-2 year olds cope best with single instructions such as: "Put your finger on your nose", "Drop the ball in the bucket".

And 2-4 year olds can follow two instructions and may be able to manage three once they've had a little practice at this game. "Put your hands on your head and shut your eyes", "Walk around the tree and then come back to me and give me a kiss".

You'll find 4-5 year olds will enjoy some more complexity to your instruction. "Run to the letterbox, check for the mail, wave to the sun and then hop to the sandpit and build a sandcastle!"

Other great games

Have a treasure hunt. If your child can't read yet, use pictures for the clues.

Take your kids on a history trip of where you were born. Tell stories about your life when you were little and show them the places where it all happened. If you weren't born in Wanganui you can do this by getting out the photos or going on to Google Maps and Street View.

For more parenting information or copies of the free SKIP Parenting Resources phone or text Lynette and Liza at SKIP Whanganui on 027 626 1404 or email skipwanganui@xtra.co.nz