Every parent approaches the summer holidays with the best of intentions. Long days outside, family adventures, spontaneous ice cream trips, and quality time together. And with a bit of planning, there’s no reason those six weeks can’t be full of the kind of moments your children will talk about for years.
Six weeks is a lot of time to fill with brilliant memories, so that’s why we’re here to help with a parent’s guide to summer holidays, giving you tips and ideas spanning outdoor adventures and summer camps, to rainy day adventures and more.
Making the Most of the Six Weeks Together
Of course, there are challenges when it comes to the six weeks of school holidays. There are childcare arrangements to piece together and work commitments to navigate, but that doesn’t mean the summer can’t be full of brilliant, memory-making moments.
If you’ve ever felt the gap between the summer you thought you’d have and the one that actually happened, you’re in good company. Many parents are improvising, adapting, and making it up as they go, and that’s fine. Because the best summers aren’t the ones where every day was planned perfectly. They’re the ones where enough good things happened that you and your children look back on with happiness!
Everyday Moments Worth Making
Creating memories doesn’t always require endless expensive days out. Just a loose structure, a bit of variety, and allowing your children to take some ownership of their time. Perhaps a rough plan including a morning activity, chill time after lunch, and something to look forward to in the afternoon can go a long way.
Let Them Lead Sometimes
Ask your child what they feel like doing today. Because when you give them the choice to choose how their time is spent, we think they’ll be more engaged and invested in the experience.
Don’t Feel the Pressure to Fill Every Hour
Boredom in reasonable amounts is genuinely good for children. In fact, in an article from the Child Mind Institute, educational specialist Jodi Musoff (MA, MEd) said that “Boredom also helps children develop planning strategies, problem-solving skills, flexibility and organisational skills — key abilities that children whose lives are usually highly structured may lack”.
We’re not suggesting that you should encourage your children to feel bored, but rather it’s okay if they do. A little unstructured space in the day often leads to the moments children remember most.
Getting Outside — Why it Matters More Than You Think
If there’s one thing worth prioritising this summer, it’s time outdoors. It’s something every parent encourages and knows is beneficial. But why? What is it about being outdoors that is so great for your child’s health? Just one benefit, highlighted in a UNICEF article, surrounds cardiovascular and physical health, as a study found that “children who spent at least two hours a day outside had 27 per cent more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than children who did not”.
Unstructured Outdoor Time
There’s also a type of outdoor time that we think doesn’t get enough credit, and that’s the unstructured kind. Whether it’s a garden, a park, or a bit of woodland — anywhere children can go and explore without a plan can help build independence and imagination.
Ideas to Get Them Outside
You don’t really need a masterplan to get children outdoors. Something like a nature scavenger hunt in the garden or local park can turn into hours of adventure. If you’ve got a beach nearby, then a trip to the coast is always a hit! Other ideas include:
- Cycling
- Nature reserves
- Farm visits
The real key is variety. By rotating between favourites and new experiences, you’ll keep the summer feeling fresh and full of new stories to tell.
Summer Camps and Activity Camps
One option could be to send your child to a residential summer camp. It’s an incredible opportunity for them to spend time away from home in a safe, structured, and exciting environment, trying new activities they’ve never done before and making friends. At PGL, we love when our guests return home more confident, independent and full of great stories from their experience at summer camp.
Maybe you’ll find a camp where your child can give a range of activities a go, like archery, kayaking, climbing, and more. It’s perfect for first-timers because they get a taste of everything. Or, if you’re sure of what they like, then a more specialist camp might suit them better, whether it’s a camp dedicated to watersports, cooking, or horse riding.
Days Out Worth Planning For
Not every unforgettable day out needs to be expensive or far from home, but sometimes you do want to plan something bigger, and that’s worth doing properly too.
For free or low-cost options, the UK’s network of museums is fantastic. Many have sites dotted across the country, so there might be something brilliant closer to home. But if the one your child has been asking about for months happens to be further afield, then maybe it’s a journey worth making. Lots of places will run special summer programmes that go above and beyond the standard exhibits too. On the other hand, you might find local summer programmes run by councils and libraries that sometimes fly under the radar and offer excellent activities for children.
For the bigger days out, e.g. a theme park, coastal trip, or city adventure, a bit of planning is worthwhile. Book in advance where you can and build in enough time to enjoy where you are.
Rainy Day Adventures
There will be rainy days, but that’s okay! Because you can have some tricks up your sleeve ready for when the time comes. Something like cooking & baking can be a tremendous activity, because you can do it together and give children ownership over what they make (with a bit of guidance, of course), turning an ordinary afternoon into one they’ll remember. Or, creative projects might work well too. Think cardboard forts, summer scrapbooks, or even a jigsaw puzzle from the games cupboard. If you’ve had a busy day the day before, then a film afternoon might be exactly the right call.
Maybe you’ve planned an outdoor activity with your child, but it starts to rain. Well, there are still some indoor venues away from the house where you can carry on the fun, including climbing centres, trampoline parks, and escape rooms.
Screen Time
Screens are a part of modern life, and the goal isn’t to eliminate them. It’s to make sure they’re part of a varied day rather than the only option for any hours without plans. You’ll likely have your own rules around this, and every family will be different. Perhaps screens after something active could be a philosophy for the summer?
Make This the Summer They’ll Never Forget
We hope this guide to summer holidays helped you with a few ideas for making the most of the school break. What makes summer genuinely memorable is whether your children felt excited, challenged, and free — whether they had the opportunity to try something new or found something they were good at.
If you’re looking for summer holiday camps that deliver all of that in one place, then our kid’s camps are worth exploring. With multi-activity camps from 2 to 7 nights and specialist camp options covering everything from driving to theme parks, there’s something for every child aged 8 to 16. All-inclusive, Ofsted-approved, and backed by nearly 70 years of helping young people discover what they’re capable of.
View our range of summer camps for kids at PGL, or get in touch with our friendly team to find the right fit.
