Half term activities for kids at home: ideas by age and weather

This guide offers ideas by age, plans for a rainy half term, low-cost activities, a calm hour for the afternoons, and a few tips for heading back to school without tears on Monday morning.

Planning a half term at home without the stress

A little planning goes a long way, but too much can make a week feel like work. A loose shape is often enough:

• One “big” thing: a day out, a visit to grandparents, a picnic, a film afternoon.
• A few small anchors: the same breakfast time, a walk every day, a story before bed.
• Plenty of unplanned time: children often play best when they are a little bored.
• A list on the fridge of things they can do on their own, so you can get on with your day.

If you are working through half term, take it easy on yourself. Quiet play next to you, a box of craft bits and a long story are all perfectly good.

Half term activities for kids at home, by age

Ages 3 to 5:

• A teddy bears’ picnic on the living room floor.
• Sorting games with buttons, pasta shapes or socks.
• Painting with water on the garden fence or the pavement.
• Making a den from blankets and reading inside it with a torch.

Ages 6 to 8:

• A treasure hunt with written clues around the house.
• Simple kitchen science: a volcano with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, or a cress head.
• Making a comic strip about the family pet.
• Learning a card game, then challenging a grandparent.

Ages 9 to 12:

• A week-long project: building a model, planting a window box, writing a short story.
• Cooking a family meal from start to finish, with you as the assistant.
• Designing a board game, rules and all.
• A reading challenge: three books in a week, with a reward of their choice.

For more ideas by age, our guides on keeping a 6-year-old busy and other ages go into more detail.

Try our sample book together on a quiet half term morning

Rainy half term ideas

British half terms have a habit of coinciding with grey skies. When it rains all week, these keep spirits up:

• An indoor obstacle course with cushions, chairs and a skipping rope.
• A puddle walk in wellies and waterproofs, then hot chocolate.
• A home cinema afternoon with tickets, popcorn and a dimmed room.
• A family bake-off: everyone makes the same biscuits and decorates them their own way.
• Junk modelling with the week’s recycling.
• A dressing-up show, performed for whoever is willing to watch.

Our article on rainy day activities has many more ideas sorted by age.

Low-cost half term activities

A good half term doesn’t have to cost much. Some of the best days need nothing more than time and a packed lunch:

• The local library, for new books and often a story session.
• A long walk with a “nature bingo” card: a feather, a red leaf, a snail, a puddle.
• A picnic in the park, even in coats.
• A visit to a local museum or gallery, many of which cost nothing to enter.
• A swap afternoon with friends: toys, books or dressing-up clothes.
• Baking with what is already in the cupboard.

Children rarely remember what a day cost. They remember who they spent it with and what made them laugh.

A calm hour every afternoon: stories and quiet time

Many parents find that half term goes better with a quiet hour after lunch. Younger children rest, older ones read, draw or listen to a story, and everyone gets a breather.

One idea for that hour: make a story together. With AI-Koma Kids, your child chooses in pictures a hero from our characters, such as the brave bear, the cheeky fox or the dreamy baby whale, up to two companions, a world, an adventure and a mood. You can add a value or a learning theme, such as the days and the seasons or recycling and caring for nature. Their first name, if you add it, appears in the text, and the narrator speaks to them; the child is never drawn.

• Ages 3 to 5: 16 pages, the enchanted forest, a gentle and reassuring mood.
• Ages 6 to 8: 18 pages, the island of a thousand colours, a treasure hunt.
• Ages 9 to 12: 20 pages, the magic castle, a mysterious discovery.

The book is ready in a few minutes, to read on screen or print as a PDF. Your child turns the pages, with a voice generated by artificial intelligence and soft sound effects if they wish.

Make a half term story together: the first book is free

Getting back to school after half term

• Bring bedtime back to normal two nights before school starts again.
• Pack the book bag and PE kit on the Saturday, not the Monday morning.
• Talk about what they are looking forward to: a friend, a topic, a club.
• Keep the last evening calm, with a familiar story.

A little routine in the last few days makes Monday much easier for everyone.

A new story for every week of term: plans from €5.99 a month