Scarlett Moffatt, known for her appearances on Gogglebox and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, has shared five tips to keep children entertained during the six-week school holidays. The 35-year-old, who is pregnant with her second child, admits her toddler son Jude gets bored easily.
Creating a 'Costa del Garden'
Her first suggestion is to transform outdoor spaces into a mini beach club with towels, sunglasses, snacks, and a summer playlist. This brings a slice of the Spanish coast to the back garden.
Next, she recommends bringing kids' clubs home, dedicating time to crafts, games, dancing, snack time, and quiet time to keep children occupied and fend off boredom.
Turning teatime into tapas
Scarlett suggests making teatime into tapas, involving children in preparing Spanish-inspired picky bits, fruit skewers, colorful drinks, or an ice-cream station. This keeps both minds and tummies satisfied.
For indoor entertainment, she proposes a kitchen disco, family quiz, or mini talent show to make an ordinary afternoon feel like a holiday evening.
Easy escape plan
Finally, she advises having an easy escape plan: when everyone needs to get out of the house, go outdoors and explore.
Scarlett has teamed up with Google Gemini to help parents use AI to recreate holiday fun at home. She said: "Jude is only a toddler and already gets bored easily, so I can only imagine how tricky the school holidays can get."
She added: "Gemini is like having a creative helper in your pocket, giving you ideas that work for your budget and your family and taking some of the stress out of summer planning."
Parental pressure and guilt
According to Google Gemini research, 82% of parents feel pressure to entertain their children during the summer holidays, and 78% struggle to find activities that suit different ages, interests, or energy levels.
Cost is a major concern, with 46% citing it as the most stressful part, while 60% say coming up with new creative ideas is the hardest. Parental guilt is also prevalent: 25% almost always feel guilty about not doing 'enough', and 84% feel guilty at least sometimes.
In response, Google has launched 'Gemidorm', using AI assistants to turn everyday spaces into low-cost, high-energy family escapes.
The research shows children love simple holiday activities that are easy to recreate at home, such as swimming (51%) and going to the beach (35%). Kids' clubs and discos (29%), trying new foods (25%), and family time (18%) also rank highly.
Laurian Clemence, Head of Product Communications at Google UK, said: "The summer holidays should be full of fun, not six weeks of parents trying to magic up new ideas while the snack cupboard disappears before their eyes. Gemini is designed to help with exactly those everyday moments."
She added: "Whether you need a holiday-inspired menu, low-cost day out, a kids' club-style schedule or a quick activity that works for different ages, Gemini can help turn 'what are we doing today?' into something simple, fun and doable."
Scarlett's top five tips
- Create your own Costa del Garden: ask Gemini to theme the day around your children's ages.
- Bring the kids' club home: ask Gemini to build a schedule so you're not constantly thinking of the next activity.
- Turn teatime into tapas: Gemini can suggest simple, budget-friendly ideas using what you have.
- Bring out holiday entertainment with a kitchen disco, family quiz, or mini talent show.
- Have an easy escape plan: tell Gemini your location, budget, children's ages, and time, and ask for a day-out itinerary.
