Life balance:

With the school summer holidays looming, Emma suggests ways to keep younger children happy at home

How to keep bored kids entertained

Many parents have risen to the challenge of homeschooling, and I suspect lots are dreading the thought of the summer holidays and having kids at home without schoolwork to occupy them – especially parents working from home. With children, boredom isn’t all bad – you can’t be creative without free time to come up with exciting ideas and games. The outdoors is your best friend, and even if you live in a high rise, you can benefit. Open a window, and ask them to listen to the sounds they can hear. Give them a list of noises to listen out for. If they hear them all by the end of the day, they get a reward. I worked with Harry and Izzy

Judd to create an imaginative play pack – you can find it on Boots.com. Colour-code days of the week to divide your holiday up. Monday could be outside arts and crafts; Tuesday may be your kids cooking meals and so on. A plan helps your kids feel summer will be full of fun activities, and scheduled entertainment means you’re more likely to stick to it. While not all activities will be on, the Hoop app can tell you what’s open in your area, plus activities to do at home. With older teens, set chores to break up their day and give them cash or a reward. Help them set aims, like a physical goal, such as running 5k by the end of the summer, an emotional goal, such as keeping a mood diary or using a wellbeing app, and a social goal, like seeing friends. While kids will also want to enjoy screen time and gaming with their mates, too much sedentary activity isn’t healthy, so make sure they balance this with fun outside.