It’s Summer Break! That time of year most parents look forward to and dread at the same time. Your kids have completed another year of school and you need fun and educational summer activities you can do together. If you’re at a loss for activities other than swimming, horseback riding, or just running around the house, here are a few ideas for you to try out.
Book Related Activities
On the hottest of days, when no one wants to be out in the sun, instead of vegging in front of the tube, find a good book! It’s important to keep learning through the summer, and you can find books and magazines on your child’s current interests at your local bookshop or library. Try using Mad Libs or a Plot Generator to create fun games everyone can join in on. My kids are all grown, and we still laugh about some of the crazy scenarios we created years ago.
If your kids like to write, you can encourage them to create their own stories, comics or graphic novels. Help them explore plot lines, character development, and dialogue. Read out loud to each other and even act out the parts for some added fun. You never know what they might come up with. My kids are still developing some of the stories they started as kids, and all plan on publishing in the future. And if you or your kids come up with a SciFi or Fantasy story you think might be good enough to publish, feel free to let me know!
Arts and Crafts
How about a little Arts and Crafts? You can even throw some science into the mix by making your own play dough, slime, and tempera paints. Make a tornado in a bottle to teach about weather or create leaf and flower collages or rubbings to bring the outside in. If you sandwich artwork in clear contact paper, you can decorate your tables and walls with these handmade gems.
Take a stab at fabric painting and jewelry making. Tie dying isn’t hard or you can create personalized reusable bags using fabric paints or markers. Search your local second hand shop for beads, jewelry findings, and other odds and ends for some really unique creations. If you know basic sewing techniques you can even create customized book marks, lunch bags or phone pouches.
Out and About
When you’re ready to venture out of the house, there are many moderate and low cost activities to look into. Some bookshops and most libraries have children’s book clubs or book related activities. Visit your local zoo or science and art museums, most even have special ‘free’ admission dates you can watch for. Children’s museums or activity centers are a great way for kids to roam on their own, get out some energy and learn new concepts. Most people never visit tourist sites where they live, so pick a few places and be a tourist for a day. Or just venture out on foot or bike to take in the local scenes. Try searching your city or state for summer activities specific to your area.
Need some more inspiration?
Try out this list of 60+ Awesome Activities to do with your Kids for more ideas and details on some of the suggestions I made. And here are a few more lists with activity ideas: 38 Free or Cheap Summer Activities for Kids, 50 Fun Summer Activities for Kids, and impressive list of 101 fun things to do with kids this summer.