By David Saunders | UPDATED: 11:28, 20 March 2020
Given everything that is taking place at the moment, it’s easy to forget about all the upcoming events in the calendar and special holiday’s that we usually look forward to celebrating as a family, whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or Easter!
What may normally have been a long weekend spent welcoming the warmer weather and longer days, is likely going to be a bit different this year.
But that doesn’t mean it has to be cancelled or any less fun than usual! Why not embrace this time to keep your kids and family busy in a healthy and productive way, and partake in some fun and educational activities?
We’ve compiled a few suggestions for you and the family, just in case your short of ideas!
Write a story
Be collectively creative and write a story together. An Easter themed fairy-tale could be very interesting! Or, if you’re feeling a tad adventurous, you and the kids can discuss a favourite story and come up with some crazy alternative endings. Simple but effective!
Easter egg hunt!
Nothing says Easter like a group of children (and adults?) running around like headless chickens trying to find as many chocolate eggs to fill up their baskets. This is such a simple way to entertain children, and also means that they will be getting their dose of fresh air for the day. It will also ensure that everyone is kept active and moving, and may help in inducing a relaxed and peaceful slumber at the end of the day.
Make a scavenger hunt
Carrying on from the ‘hunt’ theme, instead of just searching for Easter eggs, you could put on a scavenger hunt and compile a list of random items for the children to find. Example items could be: A paper clip, a stamp, a pine cone, staples- the list really is endless, and can provide hours of entertainment.
Make sure you don’t exhaust yourself…
It is all well and good keeping the children entertained, but you must ensure that you are getting enough rest and ‘me time’ or else it could lead to more serious conditions such as burnout.
The UK’s Leading Burnout Coach Rosie Millen aka Miss Nutritionist (https://www.missnutritionist.com/), suggests ‘having a breather where you can – even just for 5 minutes or taking a break and stepping outside’. She also comments on the effect that stress has on our bodies, and which supplements we can be taking to reduce this effect:
‘Stress is a major robber of vitamins and minerals – particularly B vitamins, so taking a high quality B complex will mean that your cells have this co factor to produce ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) in the body.
This is your body’s energy molecule’. Follow these tips and it should hopefully help in keeping you happy, positive and healthy over the next few months.
Get creative in the kitchen
Think back to school days when you would decorate a rich tea biscuit with any ingredient you could find, but instead, try and make it healthy.
For example, use Nairn’s Rough Oatcakes (Waitrose, £1.00), as a base and top it with whatever you can find!
This is great to do with kids as you could even try and make funny faces out of the food, or try and come up with the most bizarre topping combinations – perfect for making use of any food that may have been stuck at the back of the cupboard!