Things to Do With Your Kids in the Summer Holidays

Kids in Abu Dhabi have longer holidays than some of their peers and also have to contend with it being the hottest time of the year. Here we take a look at some great to do with your kids over the summer to keep them happy and entertained (and yourself sane!)

Camps

There are lots and lots of organized activities that you can send your child to in Abu Dhabi- there seems to be camps for everything including football, languages, ballet, dance, maths, brain training, swimming and lots of mixed activity camps run at schools or nurseries offering multi- discipline activities.

What’s great about the camps is that most of them are flexible so you can book one week or even just one day a week and see which your child enjoys and gets the most out of. Check out our big list of all the summer camps in Abu Dhabi. Take Me there>>

Projects

You could do your own projects with your kids at home. Look into growing vegetables,baking projects, craft and art projects as well as language projects. You could create your own theme of the week and plan lots of activities around that. This will stop you all getting bored. There are so many websites with the resources and ideas you will need. We recommend:

Martha Stewart>>
Kaboose>>
Activity Village>>
Disney Family Fun>>
Kids Spot>>

Learn a new life skill

The summer hols are a great time to relax from studies but also to learn a whole new skill. All kids should be able to swim so it might be time to book in the swimming lessons, or how about a first aid course? There are all sorts of things to consider learn more Arabic, learn sign language- anything you can think of that will benefit the future life of your child.

Charity work

Look at taking part in some of the many charity initiatives in Abu Dhabi- from helping out with special needs kids to taking abandoned dogs for walks- there is so much you can volunteer for. Contact the charities direct to see how you and your family could help. This one will give such a great sense of satisfaction and will really make use of your free days over the summer.

Local activities

Keep an eye on what is going on locally- there is a big festival celebrating Summer In Abu Dhabi and they always have a full program of events that you can go to. It’s held year throughout the holiday Find Out More >>

There’s always lots going on in the malls that will be great fun for your kids and have the benefit of being inside.

You could also take a visit to Al Forsan International Sports Resort. It's the perfect day out for your entire family with sports and leisure activities for all ages with hands-on activities that your kids will love a clubhouse with indoor and outdoor children’s play areas and special family events throughout the year. Visit www.forsan.com for more information.

If you can face the heat, Ghantoot beach is a lovely place for a day out, very quiet compared to the on island beaches, so makes a lovely spot for a day out. The sand is beautifully white and soft, the sea is turquoise. Quite close to the beachfront is the Golden Tulip Hotel, so it’s easy to wander up there and eat a leisurely lunch and be indoors in the cool for a time. The hotel runs water sport type activities, and it is easy to arrange a couple of hours banana boat riding. Head out towards Dubai and take the Ghantoot exit, follow the signs for ‘Bungalows’ and once you come to a roundabout, Ghantoot beach is signposted. It costs 100Dh to access the beach.

Travel local & learn

Even if you’re not going home for the summer you could still plan a small local trip away. Over the summer and during Ramadan hotels have great rates for residents to encourage occupancy. You could plan a trip to Fujairah, Al Ain, Liwa, Ras Al Khaimah, Dibba, Khasab, Dubai, Sharjah or Muscat… they are all within driving distance. You could make a quiz about the places or check out the local history and musuems- making it a fun but also educational trip with lots of discoveries.

Get some exercise

Don’t let the heat be an excuse to miss out on exercise- it’s so important for you and your child to still keep active during this time and not spend the summer vegging in front of the TV. Before 8am and after 6pm the temps are slightly cooler so plan any outdoor exercise during this time.

You can also buy exercise games for your games console or buy some DVDs that have exercise activities on for indoor use. Build this into your daily routing during the summer hols.

You could try these DVDs- you can order them from Amazon and they cost between 60 and 100 AED

Care Bears Fitness Fun
Teletubbies: Go! Exercise with the Teletubbies
Yoga Kids
Get Fit America For Kids Workout
Bend & Stretch With Stick Kids

Games wise you could look at:

Nickleodeon Fit- for the Wii
Just Dance Kids- for the Wii
Junior Fitness Trainer- for the Wii
Big Brain Academy- this will exercise their brain

Have friends over

Your kids are used to seeing their classmates every day and they may get lonely during the holidays. Plan to have some of their friends round to play or to meet them on one of your outings.

This will encourage social interaction and give you all something new to talk about. You could get their friends involved in one of your activities or do something simple like go to the cinema. It will provide a nice break and a change of scenery too. Plus you may get some other adult company too and be able to swap time busting ideas with other mums.

So really it’s all about a combination of activities that will keep your kids interested and active whilst spending the summer in Abu Dhabi. They are used to a schedule with school so if you have a plan, albeit a flexible one, this will make your summer holiday much more enjoyable for the whole family. Don't forget to have some down time too!