In UK summers, the weather can be pretty unreliable so understandably your kids might prefer to spend their days in front of the TV or reading. While they’re kids and this is totally fine to do, getting your kids active and outside has a whole range of benefits for them. If the UK weather is preventing you from taking family weekend breaks to explore your surrounding area, then why not plan a fun family holiday in Europe? Although sometimes when you take a family break, all you want to do is relax on the beach while your kids have fun, taking an active holiday together can be a worthwhile experience that you will all remember and talk about for years to come!
“I’m bored” – every parent will recognise these two words and probably feel their eyes rolling instinctively, but while you’ve possibly ran out of ideas which your kids might even turn down and go find something to do themselves (I speak from experience as the child in this situation!), ActivityBreaks.com are here to encourage activity weekend breaks for families to alleviate that boredom! It can be difficult to decide upon a family holiday where everyone will be satisfied – you might look forward to a spa break to relax from work, while your kids want some serious adventure to energise their summer break. However, with active breaks you often get the best of both worlds in using the kids’ energy with a new activity, while you can spend the evenings enjoying new food and absorbing the culture of a new European location!
So what benefits are there to taking your family on an activity break? The most obvious is keeping your children physically active. Studies have shown that almost 75% of children spend less than one hour each day outside. With tablets and TVs becoming more affordable and popular, it can often be hard to deny your child one of these when the rest of their classmates have one. However, it could be seen as detrimental in terms of how much time they spend playing outside with friends. So an active break ensures that they see the benefits of being outside and trying new activities. In school, they’re likely to have compulsory hours of physical activity included in their day, however over the summer it can be easy for this to slip. Keeping physically fit will also have additional benefits for their wellbeing which is as important over summer when the stresses of school life are replaced by boredom and potential loneliness without daily social interaction from classmates.
In a similar vein, this loneliness can be alleviated with quality time as a family. Reports now suggest that parents spend less than an hour each day interacting with their children, so an active weekend can ensure that you have solid bonding time as a family unit. While the idea of throwing yourself down a hill during zorbing might sound terrifying to you, these are memories which the family will treasure forever and shared experiences can help bring you closer together. In addition to helping the family bond during the holiday, you might also discover a new hobby that both parents and children alike enjoyed. If this is the case, you don’t need to keep it as a one-time opportunity. When you return back to the UK, you can look into your local area and see if this activity is offered there and make it weekly time that you spend together.
From trying new experiences, your child may also feel happier about themselves through a gain in self-confidence. Everybody loves finding things that they’re good at, and your children are the exact same! As well as tangible skills, like kayaking, your child will also have the opportunity through these new activities to gain softer skills like teamwork and communication (in a two-person kayak this is essential to make sure you don’t both end up overboard!). These will help them in everyday life and will definitely shine through when they return back to school! Similarly, on activity holidays you will often be part of a larger group under the instruction of knowledgeable guides. With this, it can be encouraging to see your children making friends with the other children in the group. As well as helping them to make new friends, this also enables them to learn about new cultures which in this modern world where travel is so convenient is ever important!
If you think that family activity weekends are something that you and your kids would really benefit from, then why not check out our multi activity packages? Most of these are suitable for children, but be sure to enquire with us to check if you aren’t sure of the level they’re aimed at.