Skip to content
the gingerbread house blog
Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Brand Ambassador
      • Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018
      • ASK Italian
      • Aquabeaders
      • Bahlsen Book Club
      • Bandai STEM Ambassador
      • Baker Ross Blogger Network
      • Blogger Board Game Club
      • Bostik Family Craft Bloggers Network
      • Build Your Own Brand Ambassador
      • Britax Mumbassador
      • Dunelm Mill Blogger
      • Friends of Sylvanian Families
      • Happy By Nature
      • Hasbro Toy Tribe
      • KDUK Mumbassadors
      • Lindam Munchkin blogger panel
      • Maped Helix Blogger Ambassador
      • Miffy Mums
      • Morphy Richards Innovator
      • Netflix Stream Team
      • Peppa Pig Holiday Blogger
      • Pinty Plus Ambassador
      • Playmobil Playologist
      • Quinny Caster
      • Sizzix
      • Staedtler Try It Tribe
      • Stamptastic Ambassador
      • Toys R Us Toyologist
      • Twinkl Blogger
      • UKMums.TV Preferred Blogger
    • 50 before 50 bucket list
    • Mailing list
    • Privacy Policy
  • Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
      • Advent crafts
      • After school crafts
      • Apple Day crafts
      • April Fools’ Day
      • Back to school crafts
      • Bonfire Night crafts
      • Children In Need
      • Chinese New Year crafts
      • Christmas
      • Crochet
      • Dr Seuss Day craft
      • Duck Tape crafts
      • Earth Day crafts
      • Easter
      • Elf on the Shelf
      • Elmer Day
      • Fairy garden crafts
      • Fathers Day
      • Food crafts
      • Fourth of July crafts
      • Free printables
      • Garden crafts
      • Gingerbread
      • Gingerbread houses
      • Grinchmas crafts
      • Halloween
      • Handmade gifts
      • International Women’s Day
      • Kids crafts
      • London crafts
      • Lego crafts
      • May Day crafts
      • Minecraft crafts
      • Mother’s Day crafts
      • Nature crafts
      • New Year crafts
      • Painted rocks
      • Pancake Day crafts
      • Pokemon Day crafts
      • Recycled crafts
      • Roald Dahl crafts
      • Royal crafts
      • Sports crafts
      • Star Wars crafts
      • STEM activity
      • St George’s Day crafts
      • St Patrick’s Day crafts
      • Thanksgiving crafts
      • Toilet roll crafts
      • Tutorials
      • United Kingdom crafts
      • Upcycled crafts
      • Valentines Day crafts
      • Wizarding World crafts
      • World Bee Day
      • World Book Day ideas
      • World Otter Day
    • Crafts for Adults
      • Baking
      • Bento inspiration
      • Craft book reviews
      • Cricut Maker
      • Die cutting crafts
      • List of National Days and Awareness Days in the UK
      • Mollie Makes crafts
      • Paper cut art
      • Patchwork & Quilting
      • Pinty Plus projects
      • Sewing projects
      • Subscription box reviews
  • Family life
    • Charity shopping finds
    • Days out with the kids
      • Sculpture trails
    • Gift guides
    • Parenting tales
      • Siblings
    • What I’m reading
  • Travel
    • days out
    • Bedfordshire
    • Berkshire
    • Buckinghamshire
    • Cornwall
    • Devon
    • Dorset
    • East Sussex
    • Essex
    • France
    • Hampshire
    • Hertfordshire
    • Isle of Wight
    • Kent
    • London
      • Camden
      • City of London
      • City of Westminster
      • Harrow
      • Hillingdon
        • Ruislip
      • London Borough of Bexley
      • Haringey
      • London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
      • London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
      • London Borough of Southwark
      • London Borough of Wandsworth
      • London Borough of Westminster
      • Southwark
      • Tower Hamlets
      • Wandsworth
    • Norfolk
    • Suffolk
    • Surrey
    • the Netherlands
    • Warwickshire
    • West Sussex
    • Wiltshire
    • National Trust
    • Sculpture trails
    • Local Review
Menu
How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids

How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids

Posted on July 26, 2017 by jenny

My children got brilliant school reports this year. I am so proud of them and all the hard work they do at school. With the 6 week school holidays I do worry a little about them losing some of the skills they have learned. I’m not a pushy mum (honest!) but I’ve introduced a few things to make sure their learning doesn’t slide over the holidays.

For the last few years we’ve taken part in the Summer Reading Challenge run through our local library. This is as simple as reading 6 books during the school holidays for which they are rewarded with Starborg cards and other things. My 7 year old is making a weekly vlog of the books he reads and what we thought about them. We’re also using the Summer Reading Challenge website for the first time as he loves using my laptop.

Every year we keep a Summer scrapbook. This year I’ve bought them their own books so they can keep a Summer Smash Book. I bought then both an A4 Kraft Notebook and set of Felt Alphabet Stickers, both from Hobbycraft. Towards the end of term I gave them to them and they decorated them with their names and the stickers (some lego tape has been added too).

How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids

My 7 year old has been using his to keep a diary and stick in cinema tickets and other things he picks up over the holidays. My 5 year old has been adding drawings and stickers as she can’t write quite so much.

How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids

We’ve started to make a weekly vlog of the best bits of our Summer adventures. I’m hoping these will be fun to look back and remember all the things we squeeze into the holidays, especially as we have some amazing adventures lined up for them! Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube to see more.

We’ve also got a Summer holidays reward chart. Both my children are pretty well behaved but this is more a reminder to do a wide range of activities every day. The list includes normal things such as brushing their teeth but also playing outside, building lego creations, reading books and baking!

I’m hoping these things will keep them on track over the holidays. I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Related Posts:

  • {book review} All-New 20 Felt Flowers to Make
    All-New 20 Felt Flowers to Make
  • Make a Vision Board: A Manifesting Collage Book by…
    Make a Vision Board book cover
  • The National Trust Book of Biscuits {book review}
    The National Trust Book of Biscuits {book review}
Category: crafts, holidays, Summer

7 thoughts on “How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids”

  1. jennifer durrans says:
    July 26, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    What a brilliant idea for these rainy summer days! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Madeeha says:
    July 26, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    This is super nice idea to be more productive. I will introduce my nephews to this as well

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Why you should make a Summer scrapbook with your kids - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
  4. Pingback: Free Summer activities with the kids - Summer Reading Challenge - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
  5. Pingback: Simple Summer activity for kids - den building - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
  6. Pingback: How to Have a Stay at Home Summer Camp
  7. Pingback: {Free printable} Beach Scavenger Hunt - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to the gingerbread house blog. I’m Jenny, London mum of two teens. Craft and family lifestyle blogger, occasional baker of gingerbread. Find out more about us, our latest crafts, and be inspired by our days out. Contact me jenny@the-gingerbread-house.co.uk

Search

Latest posts

  • The Weekly Edit {Week 23/2026} June 8, 2026
  • Kith & Kin: the Quilts of Gee’s Bend June 6, 2026
  • Creative Junk Journalling (book review) June 5, 2026
  • From Kitchen to Coffee Corner: Designing a Home Barista Setup June 4, 2026

2005-2026

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Popular posts

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

All content strictly copyright Jenny 2005-2026

2026 Reading Challenge

2026 Reading Challenge
Jenny has read 0 books toward her goal of 24 books.
hide
0 of 24 (0%)
view books

We hope that you enjoy using our free printables. Please note these printables are for personal use only. Not for redistribution. All images are copyrighted.

© 2026 the-gingerbread-house.co.uk | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme