Happy first day of summer! The days are hot and your kids are already bored. In the spring you could take them outside or head to a playground, but in the summer heat those become activities reserved for early mornings and late evenings. What to do for the rest of the day? This may or may not be my summer bucket-list, by the way!
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1. Go to the Library
The library is always a great place to go with kids, but it becomes an absolute haven in the summer. It's cool, there are usually fun things like puzzles and toys, and if you get bored you can always find
The library is always a great place to go with kids, but it becomes an absolute haven in the summer. It's cool, there are usually fun things like puzzles and toys, and if you get bored you can always find
a chair and read a practically endless number of new books. The library where we live is an absolute dream; JK and I could stay there all day. Join the summer reading program while you're at it!
2. Find a Sprayground or Splash Pad
These places are awesome! I didn't know about them until a few years ago, but they seemed to have popped up in almost every town overnight. It's just an area with water that sprays up for kids to run around and play in, but it is amazing for little ones with pent up summer energy. We live within walking distance from one and we go at least two or three times a week.
These places are awesome! I didn't know about them until a few years ago, but they seemed to have popped up in almost every town overnight. It's just an area with water that sprays up for kids to run around and play in, but it is amazing for little ones with pent up summer energy. We live within walking distance from one and we go at least two or three times a week.
3. Pillow Forts
An old standby for sure, pillow forts are endlessly fun for children. I don't know why, but kids love to be in anything that's as small as they are. Maybe it's the privacy or maybe it just makes them feel big to have a place they control. "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" Grab some sofa cushions, pillows, and sheets-- pillow forts are no longer a winter-only activity!
An old standby for sure, pillow forts are endlessly fun for children. I don't know why, but kids love to be in anything that's as small as they are. Maybe it's the privacy or maybe it just makes them feel big to have a place they control. "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" Grab some sofa cushions, pillows, and sheets-- pillow forts are no longer a winter-only activity!
4. Check out Local Museums
Museums aren't just for vacations anymore! Many museums offer free days or deals for children. Learn new things like how people lived in ancient cultures or how to make modern art while beating the heat. Then try to recreate what you saw with finger paints and play dough when you get home!
Museums aren't just for vacations anymore! Many museums offer free days or deals for children. Learn new things like how people lived in ancient cultures or how to make modern art while beating the heat. Then try to recreate what you saw with finger paints and play dough when you get home!
5. Check out a Nature Center
Nature centers are a wealth of information and great fun for youngsters. There are usually interesting things to see like stuffed wild animals, sliced open trees, and dioramas that can help your kids learn about nature, climate, and the water cycle.
Nature centers are a wealth of information and great fun for youngsters. There are usually interesting things to see like stuffed wild animals, sliced open trees, and dioramas that can help your kids learn about nature, climate, and the water cycle.
6. Tie-Dye
As a hippie born in the wrong generation, I've always loved tie-dye and I'm pretty sure most kids do too. Who wouldn't? You get to make a huge mess while creating something new and colorful, and then wear it around to show off!
As a hippie born in the wrong generation, I've always loved tie-dye and I'm pretty sure most kids do too. Who wouldn't? You get to make a huge mess while creating something new and colorful, and then wear it around to show off!
7. Play Dress Up
I have a box of costume and dress up accessories for the kids to play with, stocked with animal ears and tails, princess tiaras, firefighter and police hats, wigs and cheap jewelry. Kids never get tired of dressing up, and it's good practice for little ones just learning to dress themselves. Plus you just might find your next Halloween costume early! Scour stores in the weeks after Halloween for massive savings. Dollar stores are also a great place to find items.
I have a box of costume and dress up accessories for the kids to play with, stocked with animal ears and tails, princess tiaras, firefighter and police hats, wigs and cheap jewelry. Kids never get tired of dressing up, and it's good practice for little ones just learning to dress themselves. Plus you just might find your next Halloween costume early! Scour stores in the weeks after Halloween for massive savings. Dollar stores are also a great place to find items.
8. Work in the Garden
It doesn't have to be a chore! Weeding the garden, watering, learning about plants, and watching them grow can be lots of fun for kids if you bring the right attitude. They'll also enjoy the fruits of their labor- make a stir-fry with the vegetables and put some fresh-cut flowers in a vase. JK loves eating peas right out of the pod in our garden.
It doesn't have to be a chore! Weeding the garden, watering, learning about plants, and watching them grow can be lots of fun for kids if you bring the right attitude. They'll also enjoy the fruits of their labor- make a stir-fry with the vegetables and put some fresh-cut flowers in a vase. JK loves eating peas right out of the pod in our garden.
9. Cook without Cooking
It's too hot to turn on the oven and make brownies, but you can still make plenty of food with the little ones. Try a fruit and veggie house with graham crackers and cream cheese, or a fun animal made from apples and raisins. Boil eggs and make ducks with carrot beaks. The list goes on and on!
It's too hot to turn on the oven and make brownies, but you can still make plenty of food with the little ones. Try a fruit and veggie house with graham crackers and cream cheese, or a fun animal made from apples and raisins. Boil eggs and make ducks with carrot beaks. The list goes on and on!
10. Camp in the Great Backyard
Nothing's more fun for a kid than setting up a tent and sleeping under the stars. It feels so adventuresome! (And yet you're only seconds away from a clean working toilet and running water.) Grill burgers, hot dogs or brats, light up the fire pit and toast marshmallows, and relax in the hammock as the kids run around trying to catch fireflies. Bonus points for an outdoor movie projector, or bring out the portable DVD player and watch a movie in the tent. Don't forget flashlights for shadow puppets and (not too scary) ghost stories!
Nothing's more fun for a kid than setting up a tent and sleeping under the stars. It feels so adventuresome! (And yet you're only seconds away from a clean working toilet and running water.) Grill burgers, hot dogs or brats, light up the fire pit and toast marshmallows, and relax in the hammock as the kids run around trying to catch fireflies. Bonus points for an outdoor movie projector, or bring out the portable DVD player and watch a movie in the tent. Don't forget flashlights for shadow puppets and (not too scary) ghost stories!
11. Have a Picnic
Find a shady spot and lay out a blanket or plastic table cloth. Bring any food or snacks you want-- sandwiches, chips or crackers and some fruit like apples and berries plus plenty of water is a fun and easy option. Pull out all the stops: a real picnic basket, some of their stuffed animals, a tea set, and bubbles for extra fun!
Find a shady spot and lay out a blanket or plastic table cloth. Bring any food or snacks you want-- sandwiches, chips or crackers and some fruit like apples and berries plus plenty of water is a fun and easy option. Pull out all the stops: a real picnic basket, some of their stuffed animals, a tea set, and bubbles for extra fun!
12. Set Up an Indoor Obstacle Course Race (That's Secretly Getting them to do their Chores)
All the rules about no running in the house are out the window for one day. Have them start at their beds. First, they make their bed, then they race down the hall to a laundry basket where they must match 5 pairs of socks, then they have to jump over pillows and throw the pillows on the sofa afterwards, then pick up a spray bottle and spray and wipe a window, then fill the laundry machine with dirty clothes... You get the idea!
All the rules about no running in the house are out the window for one day. Have them start at their beds. First, they make their bed, then they race down the hall to a laundry basket where they must match 5 pairs of socks, then they have to jump over pillows and throw the pillows on the sofa afterwards, then pick up a spray bottle and spray and wipe a window, then fill the laundry machine with dirty clothes... You get the idea!
13. Wash the Car
On the subject of getting kids to clean things for you, set up a car wash! Make a Pandora station with songs like "Car Wash" and anything by the Beach Boys, fill up a bucket with some soap and sponges, and put the spray nozzle on the hose. Everyone can wear their bathing suit, but don't forget the sunscreen!
On the subject of getting kids to clean things for you, set up a car wash! Make a Pandora station with songs like "Car Wash" and anything by the Beach Boys, fill up a bucket with some soap and sponges, and put the spray nozzle on the hose. Everyone can wear their bathing suit, but don't forget the sunscreen!
14. Art in the Park
Head to the park with sketch pad, paint, crayons, sidewalk chalk, etc. Pick a nice spot under a tree and create! Have the kids paint what they see or anything from their imaginations!
Head to the park with sketch pad, paint, crayons, sidewalk chalk, etc. Pick a nice spot under a tree and create! Have the kids paint what they see or anything from their imaginations!
15. Have a Dance Party
Kids acting nuts because they are so bored from sitting inside in a hot day? Put on some tunes and shake, wiggle and giggle those sillies out! You can even let them dance on the sofa if they're super careful.
Kids acting nuts because they are so bored from sitting inside in a hot day? Put on some tunes and shake, wiggle and giggle those sillies out! You can even let them dance on the sofa if they're super careful.
16. Start a Band
If you're like us, you have enough toy (and real) musical instruments for a marching band. Get them all out and start a band! Jam, write songs, and practice, then put on a show for family, neighbors, or at the park.
If you're like us, you have enough toy (and real) musical instruments for a marching band. Get them all out and start a band! Jam, write songs, and practice, then put on a show for family, neighbors, or at the park.
17. Go to the Fair or a Festival, or Make Your Own at Home!
Fairs and festivals can be lots of fun, but they can get expensive too! ("Corn dogs are HOW much?!") If you don't want to go to one or there aren't any in your area, set up your own at home. Fill the kiddie pool or a bucket of water and put tape on the bottom of your kids bath toys with a colored dot, shape or number. They win a prize if they get a match! Have them toss water balloons into a bucket from a distance. Have them do potato sack (or pillow case) races and wheelbarrow races. string up their stuffed animals and toys and let them "win" them back. Make your own fair foods like corn dogs, "turkey legs" (using chicken legs), corn on the cob on a stick (or honestly anything on a stick), and kettle corn to really nail the festive feel.
18. Take a Road Trip
Find something, anything interesting within a few hours of you and hit the road! If you live in the city, take a trip to the country to ride horses or see a farm! If you're in the country, go to a city for a big day out. If you're in the suburbs, the choice is yours! Pack lots of road snacks, a cooler for water and juice, and games to play on the road. You can even make or buy an activity book in advance with road bingo, tic-tac-toe, the dot game, hangman, cross words, word search, mad libs, the license plate game, and more!
19. Make Ice Cream (or Popsicles... or Frozen Yogurt)
When I was a kid, my family loved to make homemade ice cream in the summer. My grandpa would get a huge bucket of ice and rock salt and we'd take turns cranking the handle until the ice cream was finished. It was always a delicious flavor that was in season: peach, strawberry, blackberry, or raspberry... Now you can have the same experience without all the cranking (unless you want a workout too!) Get a mechanical ice cream maker or just make popsicles or froyo at home. I like to make smoothies and then pour them into popsicle molds. You can also mix fruit, gummy bears, sprinkles, or chocolate chips in yogurt and freeze in a paper cup with a popsicle stick. When they're ready, just tear off the paper and enjoy!
20. Connect Deeply with your Kids
Sure, summer is a great time to run around doing lots of fun activities, but it's also a great time to check in with your kids. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Play games like "What's your favorite...?" Have them write or draw in a journal about their likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, fears, complaints, etc. Don't get so involved in keeping them busy that you forget to take time out just to be with them mindfully.
Sure, summer is a great time to run around doing lots of fun activities, but it's also a great time to check in with your kids. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Play games like "What's your favorite...?" Have them write or draw in a journal about their likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, fears, complaints, etc. Don't get so involved in keeping them busy that you forget to take time out just to be with them mindfully.
And don't forget to have an amazing summer!!
What do you like to do with your kids in the summer? What's on your bucket list this year? Comment below!
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