10 Fun Things to Keep Kids Busy This Summer!
Summer Holidays- How can you keep the kids busy, making sure they are having lots of fun whilst still helping their development?
Well, here are 10 great items that will keep children of all ages entertained AND learning without even knowing it!
All of these are sold by UK Small Businesses on Shopitnear. Some of the products listed here are uniquely designed by the Small Business owners themselves, other products included in this blog are from well known international brands which are being sold by a UK Small Business. So, whatever your kids are into, you’re sure to find something for everyone!
Can You Spot It? £9.99 from Flashies
When you’re on a long car journey, how do you keep the children occupied without always resorting to screens? The answer is this wonderful card game, accessible for all ages. Who’s going to be the first to spot a fire engine on the journey? A Wheelie bin? A taxi? A dog? In this pack are 36 cards with fun pictures to spot and interesting trivia on the reverse that can be divided amongst the family in the car. This game was designed by experienced Maths Tutor Jo, who owns a Small Business called Flashies. Jo made up this game for her children on car journeys when they were young!
Nujig´s wooden jigsaw puzzle is designed to get children thinking and talking straight out of the box. Its enchanting zones are connected by playful, imaginative links – each a puzzle within a puzzle eg What does a cow have in common with a football? Nujig is a Cambridgeshire based Small Business owned by Jez, who’s passionate about a totally new way of doing puzzles.
Giant Marshmallow Chocolate Lollipop Kit £7 from Artistry in Cocoa
The perfect treat to keep the kids busy and happy on a rainy afternoon.
This kit, from a family run Small Business called Artistry in Cocoa, makes two lollipops and includes two outsized marshmallows, milk and white Belgian Chocolate and sugar sprinkles for decorating, together with lollipop sticks and full instructions. It’s easy enough for older children to do independently and for younger children to do with a little help. Artistry in Cocoa use only fresh chocolate with no preservatives so make sure you sample some of the chocolate yourself, the taste is amazing!
Rapidough Mini Travel Game £9.75 from Lighthouse Toys
Rapidough Mini Travel Game by Drumond Park is a 'taster' version of the classic Rapidough board game - perfect while travelling or on holiday. All teams grab a card and shape the dough according to the word provided and compete to be the first team to guess. Team to guess last will lose a chunk of precious dough. This is a fun, creative game for all aged four and over.
Balance Boards starting from £83.43 from Capikooa
Here is a toy that can be anything your child wants it to be! A boat, a ramp, a bridge, a slide, a seesaw, a step, a table, a chair, a mountain, a bed; they decide, it's their world of play. Capikooa balance boards promote imagination and creativity at the same time as keeping children active without them realising. It is a high-quality toy that will grow with your children; they will use it for different things at different ages and keep exploring and finding new fun ways to use it. One toy with multiple uses, hours of fun!
Nintendo Switch Console £340 from Vitrax
Don’t forget that you can buy international brands like Nintendo from Small Businesses, meaning you get the product you want but your purchase still supports an individual business owner living in the UK, like Vincent, owner of Vitrax. The Nintendo Switch that Vincent has in stock is ideal for the summer holidays, allowing you and your kids to have the same great gaming experience in an aeroplane or in a tent as you do at home. Simply lift the Nintendo Switch from the dock at any time and the system instantly transitions to handheld mode, allowing you to carry on playing wherever your family are.
Tenzi £14 from Lighthouse Toys
Tenzi by Carma Games is a fun, fast game. In a nutshell - everyone has 10 dice, someone says go and everyone rolls together to try and get all their dice on the number they have chosen. It sounds simple but there are many variations of the game so you’ll never be short of fun! There are 10 different ways to play Tenzi in this particular pack which is sold by a lovely Small Business called Lighthouse Toys. Owner Sam says ‘’we are told that teachers are using TENZI to take the 'fear' out of timed tests. Tenzi is brilliant for developing hand/eye co-ordination, decision making and matching skills’’
Swimbandz Hairband £14.99 from Swimbandz
Swimming has to be one of the top summer holiday past-times. But if your child or teenager hates getting their hair stuck to the face then you’ll be pleased to know there is a solution to take away this complaint and make their life easier (and therefore yours!) A SwimBandz hairband is a fantastic alternative to a swimming cap, designed by Elisabeth, a mum whose children experienced this problem themselves. The Swimbandz hairband enables the wearer to enjoy being in the water without getting wet hair stuck on their face or neck. It is available in a range of colours and is suitable for all ages and all types of water sport.
Junior Inventor Optical Science Lab £38 from Lighthouse Toys
The Junior Inventor Optical Science Lab (E3034) by Hape is perfect for young scientists to explore the world of optical science and light. This set has eight experiments and is supported by a free instruction app available on the app store and google play. The instruction booklet included has sequential pictorial instructions to make each of the 8 models. Children will benefit from adults guiding and asking questions to help the children experiment and explore. Why not encourage them to invent their own models as well for endless fun?
Stick Mosaics Butterflies £16 from Lighthouse Toys
Create stunning mosaic pictures with this lovely kit. Follow the easy number coding system to apply the self adhesive shaped foam tiles to the template and create beautiful butterfly mosaics. This set includes 4 designs to decorate, and will keep ages 5-10 happily busy whilst developing their creativity and fine motor skills. Mosaics are useful for practising number recognition skills for older children with specific learning difficulties such as dyscalculia and dyslexia. 
I hope you’ve found something useful for your family in this list and don’t forget this is just a small snapshot of what’s available on Shopitnear. There are hundreds of great products in our Learning and Play section so make sure you have a good browse and you’ll find something perfect for every age and interest!
Have a great summer!