Summer vacation calls for activities for our hyper children. Six weeks of vacation is a bit long, and we need additional stimulation and activities for our kids this summer.
1. Museum Hopping (with a Museumkaart)
If you cannot file for a long vacation or you are filling up the afternoons with activities, Museums are your go-to. The Netherlands have an abundance of museums and activities for that matter, notable ones if I may say.
Note that it is a good thing to purchase a Museumkaart, so you can save a lot of money. Admission fees for most of the museums are usually free if you have a subscription/Museumkaart. If you plan to visit 4-5 museums a year, it is practical to get a Museumkaart for the cost will offset the fees to visit to 4-5 museums.
2. Attraction Park / Theme Park
Weekends or a day or two of vacation leave can be spent on Attraction Parks/Theme Parks. There are different attraction parks you can explore in the Netherlands as well as its neighbouring countries.
Efteling would be one of the most famous in the Netherlands. It has been claimed to be fairytale-like. There are also other theme parks that cater to certain age group of children. For example, the Sprookjeswonderland in Enkhuizen is catered to younger children and Walibi and Toverland is for the older age group. Nevertheless, you won't have any problems for entertainment as in general children loves these places.
3. Camping by the beach, forest or lake
This is one of the reasons that moving to Europe was a good idea. Long gone are the days where you are holed up in hotels in big cities for vacation (which is typical in Asia). Here in Europe, there is an abundance of camping grounds and parks where you can explore different cities and their respective nature reserves.
Camping is mostly for the whole immersive experience. Some people may not prefer it, for their idea of a vacation is to have convenience and not to have any more stress. I mainly view camping as practicing some life skills and immersion with nature. I never imagined myself enjoying camping (partly because hotels are too expensive and restrictive). It makes sense now to have a Eurotrip (Europe roadtrip) for it is convenient to visit different countries for the duration of your trip.
Do you have other suggestions for activities for this kids summer vacation?
A tired parent would love to read it in the comments below!