7 Fun Ideas for The Kids This Summer

With the summer holidays upon us, we’ve caught up with our fabulous team of YMCA Exeter youth workers to share seven simple and fun ideas to enjoy with your family or friends.

Teamwork and food, what could be better?

If you want to eat, you have to help! That’s the rule once a month at our Broadclyst Youth Club, where every young person is invited to get stuck in and enjoy a family dinner. From Spaghetti Bolognese to Tacos and Fajitas, the young people love it.

Have a go with your family this summer:

●    Choose the meal you’d like to cook

●    Share out the cooking jobs

●    Lay the table

●    Give thanks for the joy of eating together

●  Enjoy the meal

●   Clear up together

Enjoy a slime fest

Our young people at Westclyst Youth Club love making slime. Choose a sunny day and head outside to avoid the mess in the house!

Here’s a great starter pack: Make your own slime

Don’t forget you can add glitter, small plastic toys and anything else that seems fun!

Fancy some Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza?

Have you played this fast-paced, hilarious card game? It’s a winner with our youth at Westclyst Youth Club.

Averaging around £10, it’s available in bookstores or supermarkets and is a great one to play with the family.

Already have it? How about Uno or Exploding Kittens?

Whittle a marshmallow stick

If you’re outside enjoying a BBQ, why not get some of your older kids whittling their own marshmallow sticks? Our forest school leaders who work in secondary schools love how something as simple as whittling a stick helps young people to slow down and connect with nature.

Top tips from our forest school leaders to keep you safe:

1. A sharp knife is a safe knife
2. Always cut away from you
3. Give yourself space from others
4. Don’t rush
5. Parental supervision is advised

Could a walk be relaxing?

If your kids don’t naturally love to head out for a walk, why not introduce some crafting ideas or even a challenge? Our gardening groups love to get stuck into these:

1. Mud monsters: it’s messy, but fun. Grab a bottle of water and head out for a walk. Pick up sticks and a few handfuls of soil along the way. Find a calm place to sit and mix up the soil with water to make clay. From there, let your imagination run wild as you create a mud monster.
2. Leaf printing or painting: on your walk, look out for interesting leaves you can pick up. When you get home, find a spot to paint and try making leaf prints by painting one side of the leaf and printing the shape onto paper.
3. Five minutes of silence: challenge yourselves to find a ‘sit spot’ on your walk and see if you can sit still for five minutes. At the end, ask yourself, what did you see and what did you hear?

We’d love to see photos of your finished creations. Please drop us a message on our social media if you’re happy to share 😀