School holidays are around the corner, and to help parents keep their restless kids entertained, we’ve shared a list of five holiday activities that will not only keep children busy but also nurture empathy, financial literacy, creativity, and kindness!
South Africa (05 October 2025) – School term holidays are approaching with all the subtlety of a sugar-fuelled toddler at 6 am!
Soon, your little ones will be bouncing off the walls, you’ll hear “I’m bored” seventeen times before breakfast, and you’ll be wondering if it’s too early to start counting down to the new school term.
Sure, you could let them binge-watch their way through the holidays, but what if there was a way to keep them busy that didn’t involve screens and actually reinforced all those life skills they’ve been learning at school?
With thousands of children across the country in need of a little extra kindness this festive season, the school holidays present the perfect opportunity to teach your child the joy of giving.
Here are five ways to turn holiday boredom into meaningful memories and life lessons:
Screen Time with Soul
Sit down with your child and explore giving opportunities online together. Whether it’s a local toy drive or a children’s charity website, this small, shared action makes giving a conscious choice and establishes a team goal.
It’s also a low-stakes introduction to digital literacy and navigating websites with purpose. For older kids, it becomes a valuable lesson in commitment and seeing a project through from its exciting start to its rewarding finish.
Choose a Child Like Them
Empathy is built by imagining yourself walking in someone else’s shoes, and this step helps your child do just that. When selecting a recipient, encourage them to connect with someone of the same age and gender. This creates a bridge of understanding, helping your child think, “This is for someone just like me”. It transforms the abstract concept of “a child in need” into a tangible, relatable person, making the act of giving deeply personal.
Pay It Forward
Turn a routine shopping trip into a mission with real-world stakes. Give your child a specific budget to purchase items for their chosen cause. Let them be in charge of the calculator and decision-making (with your guidance, of course). This becomes a hands-on lesson in basic mathematics and financial literacy. Your child will learn to make choices, prioritise needs over wants, and understand the value of money.
Write from the Heart
In a world of fleeting texts and emojis, a handwritten letter is an act of connection. Encourage your child to share their name, age, hobbies, or simply a warm holiday wish. This is one way of practising handwriting, spelling, and grammar without it feeling like homework. More importantly, it teaches your child how to structure their thoughts and communicate with kindness and clarity that will resonate long after the letter is read.
Creativity for a Cause
Transform your dining table into ground zero for creativity, accept that glitter will be found in random places until March, and watch your child turn humble materials into their masterpiece. Pro tip: hide the good scissors, lay down newspaper, and prepare for the kind of concentrated focus you usually only see when they’re trying to avoid bedtime. This is fine motor skills development disguised as fun.
CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project, Deb Zelezniak, adds her take:
“The beautiful thing about teaching kids to give back is that they accidentally become better humans in the process.
“They’re learning that happiness isn’t just about getting stuff, it’s about the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing you made someone else’s day a little brighter.”
Sources: Supplied
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