It’s holiday time. The promise of a break in the usual routine of waking up to prepare kids for school and worrying about school fees for a while in Kenya. It’s also time when parents, find themselves in two minds. On the one hand, we are glad for the opportunity to spend more quality time with our little ones while on the other, feeling a little stressed at the task of having enough planned activities to engage them and entertained them. Having a week of uninterrupted time with your kids will give you a wonderful opportunity to observe how they have grown and developed. While also giving you a chance to give them your undivided attention with stimulating activities that will boost their development.

During this time bond with your child(ren) and maybe let the inner child come out to play. It can also be a stressful time when kids can misbehave because of boredom. It’s best to put a little bit of advanced planning into the school holiday and prepare yourself with an arsenal of activities to keep the little ones out of mischief. Involve your kids in the activity plan, this will make them look forward to having a great time. They are likely not to complain about the activities chosen if they took part in the decision–making.

Here are a few ideas that you can choose from:

1. Paint. One of the nicest ways to express your creativity is to use paint. Get large sheets of paper and a lot of colorful paints because children love bright colors. Go mad and use your hands it is liberating and refreshing. To avoid any stress, prepare the place for paint and have some water to wash your hands when finished.
2. Take a nature walk. Go on nature walks to show kids how nature works, and what is the importance of having a clean environment. This will help them be able to interact with nature and not get bored too quickly. Also, a picnic after the walk will make them more engaged and more fun.
3. Playdate. Organize some play dates with friends over. While they play it will allow you to interact with their parents.
4. Visit relatives. Often, we take for granted family bonding time. Find a weekend when you are free and visit your relatives in the village. Helps the child get to know the importance of family time and also they get to enjoy village life.
5. Cooking and baking. Involve the kids in the process from the beginning, and let them choose from the recipe book. Step by step, help them to work through the instructions. Try to avoid the temptation of doing it yourself.
6. Have a “chill day”. With all that activity planned, kids will also need some downtime. Make sure you plan some days where you just chill, watch some movies, read some books, and take it easy. 

There’s so much to do for us kids, to make them involved and not bored. Understand what your child(ren) likes and work from there.