Kids look forward to summer “vacation” while parents have mixed emotions about it – loving summertime but fearing the task of keeping the kids busy and out of trouble. Planning for the summer with a stack of activities can make summertime fun (and productive) for everyone.
Let’s start at home where a lot of activities can be planned and carried out.
Summertime Starts at Home
It doesn’t have to be raining outside to focus on having fun inside. There is a host of activities that can be planned regardless of the weather. Some are educational, like cooking in the kitchen. Kids can learn to prepare foods and help with the cooking. They can learn about ingredients, mixing, using different spices, cooking temperatures and timing, making salads, setting the table, folding napkins and so much more. And that’s just in the kitchen and eating area.
It’s always possible that your children’s friends will visit or your children will be going to their houses for a play date or sleepover or maybe a picnic will come up. Preparing some simple foods ahead of time will get them ready to roll when the time comes. Cubes of cheese and vegetables can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator. Making cookies or cupcakes adds some creative fun to the cooking tasks and the reward is being the first to do the taste testing.
Some families come up with butcher paper and tape it to the kitchen or dining room table. Mom gives the kids crayons or pencils or watercolor brushes and paints – or even finger paints – and lets the kids do what they want. Let their imaginations run wild. Summertime is big for crafts of all kinds.
Summer is a great time for reading. Kids can be encouraged to read and discuss what they read with the family. Some families like to stage plays with everyone acting out a part for a book the read or a movie they saw. Some parents will provide a reward system with prizes for books read during the summer.
Family game nights are fun, too.
Summer is also a good time to practice responsibility in the home. Parents ask their children to clean up after breakfast, clearing the table, washing or wiping dishes, loading the dishwasher, making sure the bedrooms are neat, and maybe helping get the laundry started. All this is done before kids are “released” to go have fun.
Similar situations occur in the evenings when kids are asked to put away toys and things they used or played with during the day. Bikes and go-carts, doll buggies, wagons, Legos, balls, and everything else gets put away before bedtime, and often, before dinner.
Another aspect of discipline that many parents feel is important is limiting screen time for all electronics including television, video games, cellphones, laptops, tablets, and home computers. One mother suggested creating a set of “technical sticks” made of Popsicle sticks. Her children did chores to earn one technical stick good for 30 minutes of screen time.
And don’t forget the yards – a great place for exercise and education. Cutting grass and trimming shrubs is good for older children. Younger children can learn about planting and gardening and how plants grow. They can be given plants to care for. They can cultivate the vegetables they grow, bring in lettuce and tomatoes and make their own salads.
Neighborhoods are great for bringing kids together during the summertime. Get together with other families and plan a neighborhood scavenger hunt for the kids.
Summer Camps and Programs
Town libraries have summertime programs that keep children interested in reading. They have calendars of activities that should be checked out by every parent with young children.
Local schools and colleges have summer camps and summer programs for students interested in various subjects, some of whom plan to attend that college when they are old enough. Many towns offer summer camps with swimming and daily activities that keep changing. Some towns and YMCA/YWCA organizations offer special summer programs, too.
There are also recreational opportunities in addition to swimming and activities at camp. Kids love to go bowling, go on picnics, or see the newest summer movie. You can take them to a nearby garden center or outdoor nursery where they can see a myriad of different flowers, shrubs,and plants.
Day Trips
Hop in the car and head for a farmer’s market. Share your knowledge and experience with different fruits and vegetables with your kids. Let them pick out some that they are familiar with and like. Let them wash and prepare what they pick for a later snack or to go with a family meal.
Or go one step further and take your kids to a farm. See how crops are grown and managed. Talk to the farmers about their challenges and how they plant, grow, and cultivate. Ask to see any animals on the farm (or visit a ranch or zoo).
Summers are a great time to visit museums. That’s where book knowledge becomes alive with the excitement of personal experience and interaction. Locate a museum for art or history or science. Plan a day trip. Maybe do a little reading or research on the museum before you get there. And let your children enjoy the experience of walking around and learning more about what interests them.
Visit an aquarium or experience a nature cam at a university or conservatory.
When you get home, continue your discussions of what you saw and have your children do another activity like draw pictures, write a story, or do more reading on the subjects.
Summertime is concert time, too, and many older children (and young adults) love to go to concert venues as often as possible (if they can get tickets).
Many families take extended vacations of a week or more during the summer. You can take advantage of this time to bond with your children no matter where you decide to vacation. It could be at a theme park, an amusement park, a national park, a wildlife refuge, a cabin in the woods, a mountain retreat, an oceanfront, a lakeside resort, or visiting grandmother in another state. All that matters is that you share family time and give your children time to have fun.
As important as it is to plan for the summer and oversee the activities your children enjoy, don’t forget to allow some downtime, too. Kids need time to chill and not have to “worry” about getting ready for a trip or “always” cleaning up or taking care of their brothers or sisters all the time. A little idle time, a little personal time, is OK, too.
