Children may be simple but very hard to please (Photo: Courtesy)

Holiday time is the best season for kids. After all the long classes and assignments throughout the term, every kid deserves to enjoy some free time once schools break for the holidays.

The most common things kids love to do is watch TV and sleep. Although that’s the easiest way for parents to keep them busy, it’s still important for them to do other activities.

Finding something they can do is often the tricky part especially if it has to involve coughing out some cash which is fast becoming hard to come by.

That however should not deter or discourage you from trying out one or two of the suggestions below to keep your juniors engaged:

Dancing

Dancing is a quick way to exercise while still having lots of fun. It also helps you to relax your mind and release any piled up stress so this is an interesting activity they might enjoy.

You can play some music, or let them choose, then tell then to come up with an interesting dance routine that they can show you later.

They will be busy for a long time while you get some chores done or handle any other important things you need to do around the house.

Fun outdoor reading

Typically, homework and reading is done inside the house. And for them, repeating the same routine of going to their room or study area gets boring after a while.

You can simply change the environment and allow them to do their reading outdoors in the compound or balcony if you can.

Being out in the fresh air might help them relax more whether they’re doing assignments, studying or just reading a book.

 Take this opportunity to teach them some easy recipes (Photo: Courtesy)
Origami art

Origami is the art of folding paper into interesting designs that has existed for thousands of years. You might remember those paper planes that you made while you were a kid and this is basically the same thing.

With this type of art, you don’t need to buy any expensive supplies and you won’t be forced to deal with tiresome cleanups like those that come after a painting session.

You can just search for origami tutorials that are easily available online, give them some paper and let them have fun as they try and fold complex shapes.

Child-friendly cookout

There are many safe snacks your kids can prepare without actually doing any cooking. You can teach them how to make a variety of frozen treats and other easy to make snacks as a way of keeping them busy for a while.

You can try yoghurt and fruit popsicles, which are healthy and easy to make. This is even something they can do without your supervision if they’re old enough.

Holiday scrap book

Having your photos on your phone and having printed pics isn’t the same thing. The print outs hold more sentimental value and you will be sure that they will never disappear unlike those on our phones where everything that’s not backed up can vanish in case of a malfunction. Or worse, the phone is stolen.

You can start a holiday scrapbook for your kids where they can paste memorable photos from each holiday. They will be exited to update it every holiday and have something to remind them of those amazing memories as they grow older.