It’s been a little while (we’ve lost track of what day or month it is) since we all started social distancing and staying home as much as possible. Restrictions are slowly easing, kids are heading back to school and we are all getting little glimpses of ‘normalcy’. Nevertheless, with the weather cooling down and school holidays fast approaching, all signs are pointing towards spending more time indoors with our families.
For many families, cabin fever has well and truly set in and it’s become a little tougher than usual to maintain peace between housemates… in particular, the little ones that don’t even pay rent. Since kids have already been spending more time at home than usual, we are sure many parents are completely out of answers to the burning “what are we doing today?” question.
If you have the Baby Shark song scarred into your brain and your house is starting to resemble Shrek’s swamp, we have put together some creative ideas on how to keep your little ones busy and entertained at home. We hope that for a moment you can sit back with a glass of something, get some of that mythical ‘free time’ everyone’s been talking about and think about how nice your next holiday at WAHI will be. All boredom-busters below are inspired by WAHI, of course.
1. Island Themed Arts and Crafts
Time to pull together whatever supplies you can find and let your kids get creative. Some quick and easy activities include underwater-themed colouring in, making origami sea creatures, racing paper aeroplanes and making leaf rubbings. For an activity that you can do together with your kids, print out a bunch of your favourite holiday photos and put together a holiday-themed scrapbook.
2. Put on Your Bathrobes and Have a DIY Spa Day
A great way to unwind on a holiday at WAHI is to head to the island’s local spa—Spa wumurdaylin—and get pampered. While it might not be quite as luxurious, you can whip up a DIY face mask using ingredients that you probably have in the pantry. For a face mask that’s ideal for young or sensitive skin, all you need to do is mix 1 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder. Perfect for even the fussiest of ‘clients’. For full effect make sure to set a mandatory dress code of slippers and bathrobes and make a day of doing manicures and pedicures with a face mask on.
3. Stargazing From Your Backyard
Looking up at the night sky from Hamilton Island is truly something to behold. Without city lights and pollution, the island’s celestial roof glitters. To get in on the stargazing action, set up a sunset picnic in your backyard with everyone’s favourite snacks and wait for all the stars to come out. Sometimes we forget that for kids, exploring the backyard can be an adventure in itself. For bonus fun, pitch a tent and ‘go camping’. You can even set up a bonfire and toast marshmallows. It might not be as glamorous or well-equipped as the apartments here at WAHI, but it’s a great way to feel the excitement of visiting somewhere new and getting back into the great outdoors.
4. Send Postcards to Your Family and Friends
One of our favourite holiday memories as kids was sitting down at the end of a holiday and writing a postcard to send home to family members and friends. It was also just as equally exciting to find one addressed to you in the letterbox! As we can’t travel to visit many of our relatives or friends, now is the perfect time to embrace snail mail. Pick up some postcards or spend the day making some. The kids can add in pictures, recipes, pressed flowers, colourful leaves, magazine clippings or little notes. Make sure to head out for a walk to mail them together to seal the deal.
5. Build a DIY Mini-Golf Course
A family favourite activity here at WAHI is going for a hit of mini-golf on the island’s very own course. Set your kids the challenge of creating their own course using whatever they can find around the house and then enjoy some friendly competition.
We are so excited for when we can welcome guests back to WAHI. One of the best things about a family holiday on Hamilton Island is that there is no such thing as running out of activities for the kids to do. In the meantime, we hope that you and your family are all safe, well and enjoy these island-themed activities.
