When my eldest child finished junior infants, the song School’s Out for Summer played on a loop in my head for days, such was my excitement at escaping school lunches and homework for two whole months.
The schoolbag was put away, the uniform was washed, and we switched off from everything – even the class WhatsApp group. But then September rolled around, and I could see the worry in her big blue eyes. Starting junior infants had been an unexpected breeze, but starting senior infants was causing concern.
This time around, she knew what to expect, but she’d been away from all of it for two months, and was nervous about going back. I realised that for this child at least, switching off completely wasn’t the answer.
So, the following summer, we did it differently.
We still put away the schoolbag and the uniform, but we didn’t switch off from the side of school that matters most when you’re five or six – the friendships. Every couple of weeks, we invited one of her friends over for a play date, and every other week, she was invited back. And actually, the play dates that can be a challenge during term-time – the pick-ups, the lost tracksuit tops, the end-of-week tiredness - are a breeze during summer.
So here are some ideas for play dates during summer holidays:
1. Detective
Hide miniature toys or sweets around the house or garden, and take close-up photos of each one in its hiding place, then children have to use the photos as clues to find the toys/ sweets. If you are creative, this game can last a long time!
2. Cardboard box cars
You know the way very small kids have more interest in the box than the toy? My kids like toys now too, but they still love boxes, and will literally spend hours cutting and painting cardboard to turn it into a car/ a boat/ a rocketship. And they’re not the only ones – it turns out their friends like making cars/ boats/ rocketships too. This is one of the easiest play date activities for small kids, and one that requires very little in terms of materials – just keep those cardboard boxes.
3. A room of balloons
I noticed that whenever we have a birthday party, children often drop out of the structured games to play with balloons. So, on one recent rainy play date, I blew up ten balloons and let the kids run around the sitting room chasing them - simple to organise, and way more fun than I could ever have imagined.
4. Scavenger hunt
You can do this very easily by making a list of questions and tasks before the play date – for example, “What is X person’s middle name”, “What is the number plate on the front of the house”, “Bring me three different wild flowers from the garden”, “Tell me who is in each of the baby photos on the mantelpiece” and so on.
5. Baking
Find a really simple vanilla cupcake recipe and let them loose. Even if they overdo the flour or underdo the sugar, they’ll still think they taste fantastic.
6. Homemade pizza
You can buy good quality pizza bases in the supermarket or make your own dough and let the kids make faces or any designs they like using chopped up meat, vegetables, cheese, and tomato sauce. Then they eat what they’ve made, so it’s a double win.
7. Charades
My kids love charades, and we don’t restrict it to books and films, in fact, the sillier the better. Once my daughter and two friends pretended to be a bowl of cereal - it took a very long time to guess that one!
8. Homemade playdough
If you’re brave enough for crafts, try making homemade playdough with your small helpers, then let them free to play with the finished product. It’s good sensory fun and not as messy as it sounds – I promise!
