We know it can be tricky to come up with fun things to do with kids over the summer that don’t cost the earth. That’s why Fathers Network Scotland have teamed up with the Scottish Book Trust & Smart Play Network to create seven FREE holiday activity packs to help you and your little-ones Splash, Roar, Journey and Go Wild together.
Activities for seven fun filled weeks!
There is a different themed adventure for each week of the holidays to help you and your children (7 years and under) play, learn, read and most importantly, have fun together. From minibeast hunts, submarine adventures or growing crazy seed heads.
- Adventure 1 - Weather Detective
- Adventure 2 - Incredible Journey
- Adventure 3 - Go Wild
- Adventure 4 - Story Legend
- Adventure 5 - Splish Splash
- Adventure 6 - Animals, Animals, Animals
- Adventure 7 - Feelings
- Stuff for Grown-ups
Each pack has:
- Low-cost or free activities the whole family can get get involved with.
- Books to read together.
- Useful links and tips to help you get the most of each weeks adventure.
The power of playful parents
Children are born scientists and explorers. Watch children play and you’ll see them experiment, imagine, work together, and overcome emotional ups and downs. They’re learning. And they’re picking up the skills to thrive today and flourish tomorrow. Playing together empowers children to become creative, engaged, life-long learners. But that’s not all, you also create a loving connection that helps children become happier grown-ups. You don’t need lots of time or fancy toys, all you really need is attention and imagination. By blowing soap bubbles, splashing in a puddle or turning a snack into a smiley face you’ve already put more play into your day.
Lots of the summer adventures are outside, and although we know Scottish weather can be a bit…well...unpredictable, outdoor play gets kids active and lets their imaginations run wild. It’ll help them stay healthy, have fun and stop them bouncing off the walls at home, the fresh air even helps them sleep. Getting outside is just as important for grown-ups’ physical and mental health, too! together.
Reading Together
Sharing books and stories with your little one is the first step in building a love of reading, it also helps develop early communication and language skills. And like playing, spending time cuddled up and sharing a story together builds bonds.
Each adventure pack has ideas for some fun books to read together. All the books we picked have been included in the Scottish Book Trust ‘Bookbug’ and ‘Read, Write, Count’ bags gifted to children across Scotland each year.
If you don’t have a book your local library will have a copy. Local libraries are a wonderful, free resource for readers and writers of all ages, and lots of the Bookbug sessions are held at them. You can find your nearest library and Bookbug session HERE.
Many Thanks to Funder The Scottish Government and our partners:
