Holiday at home

Can’t afford to take the family away for a holiday or short-break? Join the club. One solution, which has worked well for our family, is to have a ‘holiday at home’. At the beginning of the ‘holiday’ we have a family meeting to discuss ‘rules’ for the break e.g.

• Set a budget for the week to include food/drink/activities.
• Make a list of all the different types of activities you want to do – days out, bike rides, games nights, DVD/movies, fishing, sports, local attractions (check out your local visitors information centre, you may be surprised at what you can find locally).
• Buy in cheap/easy meals, or if your budget allows, have some meals out.
• Put up a tent in the garden & sleep out (or perhaps let the kids sleep out while you enjoy some quiet time in the house!)
• If you can afford to, get a cleaner in at the beginning & end of the week so there is no housework to do! If at all possible there should also be a ‘no-laundry’ rule – it wouldn’t be a holiday without a mound of laundry to do at the end of the week would it?

If you have any ideas on games for kids, particularly ones that have worked for you, why not publish them on the forum. Follow this link :

http://www.dadtalk.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=219255a70dab7e957ef7c699d4f9360d