Summer Fun for Kids During the School Holidays

Like many parents, we’re both looking forward to, and dreading, the summer school holidays. As if our home wasn’t chaotic enough for the seven hours that we have both kids - aged 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 are home together - we can’t quite imagine what it will be like to have them both at home all day every day for a month and a half.

If you’re like us, you’re already trying to plan some fun activities to get the kids out of the house, keep them active, and burn some of that never ending energy they seem to have. But what’s available?

We’ve heard great things about Kool Kidz , which offers non-residential holiday camps for kids aged 4-11. They offer drama, arts and crafts, sporting activities, bouncy castles, radio controlled cars, music making and other activities. Kool Kidz won Runner Up in the Team of the Year category of the Hertfordshire Childcare and Playwork Awards in 2009. 

If Drama is your toddler’s thing, Drama Llamas, which takes place at the Abbey Theatre, has lessons for 2-5 year olds and offers free taster sessions.

The Splash Pool at Verulamium Park is a firm favourite with children of all ages, but we tend to try to get their early, otherwise it’s totally packed. 

For rainy days, we’d recommend the Verulamium Museum, which has nice learning activities for children but plenty of history for adults as well. Best of all, it’s free for local council tax payers. 

There are a few soft play areas in the local area. The one at Willows Farm, which also has activities such as rabbit petting and animal feeding, is probably the largest but entrance to the farm isn’t cheap. If all you want is soft play, you could alternatively try Dj’s Jungle Adventure or Big Space.

Another local option is the newly opened Butterfly World which we’ll be reviewing here soon.

For those who fancy turning summer into winter - or at least pretending, for a while, that the hot summer days are over - head to the Snow Center in Hemel Hempstead, where a huge 160m indoor ski and snowboarding slope, as well as a snowy play area for smaller children, awaits. Teenagers who aren’t keen on the cold, but still have a need for speed, might prefer the Pioneer Skate Park, which has a half pipe as well as a street skate area - and which comes highly recommended by our teenage nephew who, a few summers ago, quite happily spent much of his summer visit to St. Albans there.

There are, of course, many other options available to keep parents sane and children active this summer - if you’ve got a firm favourite, do feel free to post the details as a comment below.