School holidays have come again in Malaysia. It’s only for a week but it’s already wreaking havoc on offices as hordes of their staff file for leave to take care of their children (if they have problems secure a babysitter) or go on a holiday with the entire family.
You can expect flights to and from KL and hotels all over Malaysia to be fully booked at this time of year, and airfares to be higher than usual. So don’t be surprised if KL-Jakarta-KL ticket on AirAsia now costs RM927 when it usually costs below RM500 if booked at the last minute.
With the current economic downturn, however, more and more families are opting for a staycation, i.e. staying at home or taking day trips to nearby attractions. So I thought it only fitting to list down a few inexpensive ways of keeping the children entertained without creating a significant dent on your bank account, without need for any special expensive equipment, equestrian apparel, or special running shoes.
1. Visit a nearby park. It’s best to go early in the morning before it gets too hot and before the children are too tired or cranky. In Malaysia, most housing areas have small parks located within walking distance. Never mind if they only feature a couple of slides, a few swings and a mini monkey bar. What’s important is to get your children to go out, breathe some fresh air, and release all that energy outside. If you want a bigger park, Taman Tasik Perdana is a nice place to go. So is Taman Tasik Titiwangsa (Titiwangsa Lake Gardens), whose children’s playground was recently refurbished. Bring along the children’s bicycles. And the badminton set that’s gathering dust in your attic.
The newly upgraded children’s playground in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. Click on the image to see a panorama photo taken with my Nokia N82. Photo quality is not that good but it will give you an idea of what the place looks like.
2. Take your children to the local library. If you live in KL area, try the children’s section at the National Library in Jalan Tun Razak. Registration is free. Just bring a photocopy of your child’s birth certificate or passport.
3. Have a movie night…at home. Buy or rent a family movie like ‘Nim’s Island’ or ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ and watch it in the comfort of your own home. Dim the lights and cook some popcorn to complete the cinema experience.
4. Cook with the children. It will be a huge test of patience, but it will keep them occupied and it will ensure that they eat the fruit of their labour. A simple dish to make is pizza. Buy pita bread, grate some cheese, prepare a selection of toppings. Your children will go wild! (The mozzarella cheese can be quite expensive, but it’s a lot cheaper than taking everyone to Pizza Hut or Domino’s.) Cookies are a cheaper option. Choose a simple sugar cookie recipe and give the kids free rein with the cookie cutters.
5. Create your own bubble solution and let the kids play with bubbles in your front yard. Take some dishwashing detergent, mix with water, and add the sticky sap from the inside of a hibiscus flower. The sap will make the bubbles last longer and not burst too easily. A simple trick I learned from 3rd grade science class.
6. Wash your car with the kids. They’ll end up getting more soap and water on themselves than on the car but it will keep them occupied for a good hour or so. They probably won’t even stop unless you tell them to. No guarantees on getting your car cleaned properly though ;)
7. Go fishing. Children love to fish. You’ll be surprised at how patient they can be as they wait for the fish to bite. No need for expensive fishing gear. Just take a long stick, tie nylon thread at the end, attach a small hook and sinker, get some bait (stale bread will do) and you’re all set!
8. Get crafty. Scour the internet for simple craft projects that utilize everyday objects like old newspapers or empty boxes and bottles. ArtAttack is a great site for ideas.
9. Take your children swimming. If you live in KL and your children are below 10 years old, take them to the wading pool in KLCC Park, where admission is free. Or drive to Ulu Langat, Ulu Yam or Janda Baik to enjoy the cool river waters. Bring along a small charcoal stove, some marinated meat and shrimps, some corn, leftover bread, butter and kaya (roti bakar on charcoal tastes infinitely better!) and have your own barbeque. The children will enjoy being so close to fire for once (under constant adult supervision, please!), and they’ll have so much fun playing in the water, they’d be too exhausted for the rest of the day. Ulu Langat entrance fee is very cheap, something like RM2 per person, chalets are optional.
Too tired to drive anywhere? Fill up the bathtub or a huge basin or an inflatable pool with water (bubbles optional) and let the kids play until all their toes and fingers are as wrinkled as prunes. Water and kids always go together well!
10. Take the kids for a visit to their grandparents, if they live nearby. Your parents (or in-laws) will be happy to see their grandchildren and your children will enjoy being spoilt for a good few hours.
Do share with me some other inexpensive ways of keeping children occupied during school holidays!
That is what excatly the thoughts of Michel when I asked her if I should book a holiday this summer (july august in france)
Ok i answered him.
But, Im discouraged, because I want to get out of France as much as I wanted, away from the smell of work and the chores at home.
he said, money are getting tight.
Ok.
We can have holidays maybe next year…
Ok.
Then, I found a trip to Thailand for 800 euros(50,000php) each all included (plane france to bangkok, round trip and a week stay in a hotel with bfast….
He said: Oh yeah? When.
i need ideas like these. i don’t want my daughter spending the whole vacation playing! grabe, she plays with her friends from waking up to about dinner time. [which is so like me when I was young.] but i want her to have some different activities this summer.
i love #8. what about encouraging them to make their own stories with drawing books? or putting on a puppet show? ;-)
Game nights are fun too, and camping (even just on your own backyard!) :)
“what it looks like” not “how it looks like” :-)
That’s a pretty good list of inexpensive things to do.
those sound like fun. and yes, inexpensive.
but my family and i went to cameron Highlands for our 1 week break. Kids enjoyed it too.
btw, thanks for the copies of the twilight series. you are very generous.
that’s a beautiful, not to mention very colorful, playground! it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time in parks and playgrounds now that spring is here and come summer vacation. :)
weng: malaysians LOVE colour. one of these days, i’ll post a pic of fabrics in the textile shop. you’ll be amazed at the colours…and probably shocked at some of the colour combinations!
weng: malaysians LOVE colour. one of these days, i’ll post a pic of fabrics in the textile shop. you’ll be amazed at the colours…and probably shocked at some of the colour combinations!
janet: glad to know you’re enjoying the books ;) yet another twilight ‘victim’ haha!
a-moms-diary: in these difficult times, parents have to be more creative than ever!
professora: thanks :)
j: unfortunately, in the hot and humid tropics, mosquitoes take all the fun out of camping :( but yes, games are great. i forgot to include that. my kids sometimes even invent their own games.
caryn: puppet shows are lovely. but i can’t afford to have 5 pairs of hands making puppets in my house. it would be chaos! a major nightmare of a mess!
kg: kids these days have to be shooed out of the house, unlike in ‘our’ time. (doesn’t that make you feel so old??)
weng: malaysians LOVE colour. one of these days, i’ll post a pic of fabrics in the textile shop. you’ll be amazed at the colours…and probably shocked at some of the colour combinations!
janet: glad to know you’re enjoying the books ;) yet another twilight ‘victim’ haha!
a-moms-diary: in these difficult times, parents have to be more creative than ever!
professora: thanks :)
j: unfortunately, in the hot and humid tropics, mosquitoes take all the fun out of camping :( but yes, games are great. i forgot to include that. my kids sometimes even invent their own games.
caryn: puppet shows are lovely. but i can’t afford to have 5 pairs of hands making puppets in my house. it would be chaos! a major nightmare of a mess!
kg: kids these days have to be shooed out of the house, unlike in ‘our’ time. (somehow, saying that makes me feel so much older ugh!)
francescainfrance: hay naku! you’re earning in euro. siyempre, a holiday in asia sounds very cheap to you! ;)
well very nice suggestions. we do most of them when I go home for vacation and my budget is shoe string.
BTW I add you to my blog roll!
je-mel: kids (not teenagers) are usually quite easy to please. i’m not sure yet how to deal with my kids once they hit their teenage years!
Hi Mimi, I’m writing a guidebook called Fun for Kids in Malaysia and would like to include an excerpt (no. 9) from this post in the book. Please email me. Thanks.
hi lydia, sure, you may quote the excerpt. just specify my URL in the credit. thanks :)
Great tips for when we visit Malaysia next year, particularly the swimming pools and playgrounds! Could you recommend any children’s books that are typically Malaysian? We love Kampung boy, which we bought when we visited Malaysia 10 years ago, but I’d really like to find some other books to help prepare them for our trip. Thanks!
victoria: malaysia is just like any other cosmopolitan city in the world, except that you’ll see lots of mosques and ladies wearing scarves. but unlike in the middle east where women are covered in black from head to foot, malaysian women are in very colourful garb. then there are the indians in their sarees (some of them, coz most of them wear western clothes for daily use). the chinese are probably the most ‘westernized’ of all, wearing shorts, jeans, spaghetti tops. generally, clothing in malaysia is more modest though.
if you’re coming with kids, you must go to the bird park. the whole place is covered with a net, so the birds fly/roam around freely.
KL is very like London, where we have people of all nationalities and religions, so many Muslims who wear headscarves and quite a few mosques. I was meaning more that we enjoy reading about things that are different about Malaysia, like durien fruit and kite flying. I think the children will enjoy their trip more if they have some ideas about the country before they go there. The bird park sounds great. I’ll add it to my list of things to do!
ah, in that case, look for ‘upin & ipin’ with english subtitles on youtube. they’ll provide some insight on malay culture. sorry i misunderstood yr question :)
Thank you, I will!
I think Desa Water Park is a good way to spend an afternoon with family, reasonable price while children could have great fun, realised that there is great deal offering @ http://www.jackcow.com
hi… searched on holiday with kids and landed on ur page :D thanks for the ideas!