With the summer holidays approaching, families are increasingly seeking information about holiday clubs and childcare options. Ensuring that holiday clubs, as well as before and after school programs, are accessible to all students is crucial. Children from low-income households may face barriers to participation, leading to reduced peer interactions and increased risks of social isolation or unhealthy habits during the holidays.
Free Holiday Clubs
Did you know about the Uk governments Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme? This programme aims to continue to provide free holiday club placements for children from a range of financial backgrounds. The initiative offers children opportunities to stay active, eat healthy, socialise and learn during the holiday period.
School Holiday Club Ideas
It is important to offer a diverse range of activities catering to different interests and hobbies that ensures every child finds something engaging and fun to get involved with. Find some suggestions below for holiday clubs your school could offer!
Sports
Organising training sessions or tournaments in popular sports like football, tennis or rugby can open up opportunities for a school to receive sign-ups from students. Depending on your school’s indoor facilities, options such as volleyball and dance can also be included. Sports clubs are a great way to keep children active and social during the summer. To keep things engaging, introduce multi-sport days where children can try different activities and discover new interests. Encourage participation with fun incentives like medals or certificates, ensuring a positive and engaging experience throughout.
Arts
Creative activities provide an outlet for children to express themselves through art, music, or storytelling. Offering a mix of hands-on projects like painting, sculpture, and DIY crafts using recycled material can give children a creative outlet to be able to have fun while being able to create something of their own. Organising themed days depending on upcoming holidays or anniversaries can keep things dynamic and interchanging. If your school has facilities and equipment available like musical instruments, music sessions or singing workshops can be a great way to engage children to try new things, while creative writing and drama activities can help development in children’s confidence and storytelling skills. Through this, your school can create a fun and supportive environment.
Languages
Learning a new language can be a fun and engaging way for children to develop new skills over the summer. Before school ends, send out forms to your families and ask whether they’d be interested in a language club or anything similar. Offer beginner friendly sessions in popular languages like Spanish and French using interactive games, songs and storytelling to make learning enjoyable. Encourage cultural exploration by incorporating traditional music, food or simple craft activities related to languages being explored. Organising language themed events like treasure hunts and roleplay can create a more welcoming environment. By making language learning playful and immersive, children can gain confidence while having fun.
Games
Games are a great way to keep children entertained while building teamwork and problem-solving skills. Organise outdoor activities like sports days including relay races, capture the flag and tug of war. Include indoor options, if possible, like board games, trivia challenges, or team-based puzzles. Introducing fun competitions with small rewards can encourage participation from all children. By offering a mix of active and strategic games, children can stay entertained while developing important social and cognitive skills.
Are you a parent? Check your eligibility for free holiday clubs and find holiday clubs near you!
Managing school clubs and collecting payments can be tricky. Have you ever thought about using an online payments system to facilitate these processes? SchoolMoney helps your school staff save time and improve parental engagement. Easily check sign-ups for each club and chase parents and guardians on any outstanding payments. Make your holiday clubs worthwhile for students, their families, and your staff too!
Book a demo with our SchoolMoney team to learn more about club management today!
