5 School Holiday Activities for Kids to Power Up the Fun

Hiking & Camping

Studies have shown that spending time in the great outdoors is a wonderful way to lower stress levels, making hiking and camping ideal activities for you and your family to unwind from the pressures of school and work together. Not only do these outdoor activities provide your kids with the chance to run, climb and engage in other physical activities, it may also help stimulate their imagination, teach them to have an appreciation for nature, and help them develop their social skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving.

Tips to power up your adventure:

• Pack lighter items that you won’t need at the bottom, while keeping heavier items such as food and clothing in the middle and essentials like water and a first-aid kit on the top for easy access. Bring sufficient changes of clothing, food and a handheld torch or head torch in the event of emergencies or night time adventures.
• As most essential items are portable and need to be powered by batteries or a power bank, it’s advisable to carry a waterproof pouch with additional lithium batteries, rechargeable batteries, a power bank and spare charging cables to power gadgets such as cameras, phones, speakers, portable lanterns and more. Alternatively, using rechargeable batteries can also be a teaching moment for your children about their duty to appreciate and preserve nature.
• Don’t forget to charge your rechargeable batteries with a suitable rechargeable battery charger before packing them in your bag.

Beach

Going to the beach can be both an exciting adventure and a relaxing experience for kids. They’ll get to enjoy running and playing beach games while getting some much-needed vitamin D. Playing in the sand and water can also stimulate their imagination while helping younger children develop their fine motor skills. The beach offers a wealth of educational opportunities as well since kids are bound to have questions about marine life. Who knows, you may even have a budding marine enthusiast on your hands by the end of the day! 

Tips to power up your beach trip:

• Keep tempers even and everyone cool with portable fans. Since most portable fans run on battery or have USB charging ports these days, don’t forget to pack an additional pack of batteries or a charging cable and power bank in case it runs out of power.
• You’ll probably be taking plenty of photos on your phone for the memories, so do remember to bring along extra charging cables so you won’t miss out on capturing those sweet moments.
• Pack enough sunscreen for the whole family. You certainly don’t want sunburn, especially on your child’s sensitive skin!
• Baby powder will help you prevent sand from sticking on you or your child’s feet.
• Include an extra change of clothes for everyone, additional towels, a spread of yummy treats and plenty of water to rehydrate and you’ll be set for a day of fun in the sun.

Staycation or Vacation

With lockdowns lifted and borders reopened, travelling both domestically and abroad is once again a possibility for families everywhere. Regardless of whether you and your family are heading off for a staycation within the country or a vacation overseas, a trip outside the comfort of your home will certainly provide your kids with the opportunity to explore the world and enjoy a new environment. Staycations and vacations also offer families the chance to spend quality time together, away from the distractions of daily life.

Tips to power up your staycation or vacation:

• Journeys can be harder on younger children as they get bored easily. To keep them entertained and safe, bring along enough charging cables for everyone’s electronic gadgets and a pack of batteries as well in case their handheld game consoles run out of power.
• Charging cables will also come in handy to keep your phone fully charged in case of an emergency while lithium batteries are always good to have on hand when going on a long car ride.
• If you’re travelling by plane, do remember to check what kind of batteries are allowed on a plane, or skip the batteries altogether and bring along extra cables for the journey since most planes provide charging ports.
• If you’re thinking about taking a camera along for more professional shots of your family vacation, consider including ReCyko Pro batteries into your packing checklist as well as they’re designed to handle devices with higher battery usage.

Video Game Nights

Video games often get a bad reputation but modern game content has evolved into increasingly educational, well-designed and engaging games that delight both children and adults. While too much screen time shouldn’t be encouraged, video game nights with the entire family can help earn you brownie points with your child! Playing video games help nurture a child’s problem-solving and analytical skills while also promoting better hand-eye coordination. So don't hesitate to pick up that console and join the kiddos for some bonding time over their favourite games!

Tips to power up your child’s gaming:

• It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of getting to share your favourite childhood games with your kids, but remember to respect their preferences as well. Some games may also feel personal to them, so allow them to take the lead in making the decision.
• Before you kick off family video game night, don’t forget to keep the fun going by stocking up on rechargeable batteries for your child’s handheld consoles, especially since these devices tend to have a higher battery usage.

Cooking

Cooking is an essential life skill and starting your kids young is a great way to foster a healthy relationship with food. You’ll get to give them a sense of accomplishment and reinforce the value of hard work and effort in them all while helping them hone their organisational and teamwork skills too. Measuring, reading recipes and following directions will help with building maths, science, literacy and fine motor skills as well, making it a valuable educational activity that also gives you precious time to talk to each other. 

Tips to power up your kitchen for any age:

• We recommend keeping a pack of batteries on hand in your home, but not in the kitchen, for battery-operated kitchen devices. Remember to keep the batteries away from young children too!
• Start teaching your little ones with easy dishes and avoid using risky equipment. You don’t have to do everything for them, but do allow them to use simple age-appropriate tools to ease them into the process. 

To ensure your school holiday plans kick off without a hitch, it’s important to check the condition of your batteries and cables before you use them and replace any unusable or broken ones. Tropical climates can wreak havoc on batteries so take care to store them away properly when not in use too. If you’re unsure how you can prolong the lifespan of your batteries, take a look at our guide on How to Store Batteries in a Tropical Climate for more pointers. Check out GP Batteries’ wide range of power solutions today and power up in preparation for a fun school holiday season!