Summer Activities: Keeping the Kids Busy

Summer means the kids are home, and that generally means they find ways to be bored. Since I work from home, I find that I have to keep them occupied or all the uglies break loose.

I don’t want them to just do mindless things, though. The iPads are handy for a little while, but their brains may turn to mush if they stare at them too long. So, Math Man and I have thought of a list of summer activities to keep the kids busy while they’re home.

At home

• Reading challenge – If you have children of reading age, pose a challenge! Make a list for them to fill in as they finish a book, and decide together on rewards for meeting goals. Miss Sassy Pants once set a goal of 100 books in a summer. She didn’t make it quite to 100, but she sure had fun trying!
• Daily schedule – Think about it: if you have school-age children, they are jumping from a highly scheduled day at school to an unstructured day at home. I have found that children yearn for structure. When Miss Sassy Pants was first in elementary school, we created a summer schedule for day to day routine. It helped her know that we wouldn’t be doing the “same thing” all day long. It also helped her learn to be patient, watch and read the clock, and
• Tackle the big projects – If you’re home with kids, you have your own little army of minions to help you tackle the projects you’ve been putting to the side. While it may feel like you’re going to simply be bothered by their presence, use them! Kids love to help, and they love having a purpose. We give our kids the opportunity to help by putting items in a bag or in the trash. They find treasures in the closets and under the beds as we clean (and that keeps them busy for a few moments)!

Out of the home

• Library programs – Check with your local library. Most likely, they are sponsoring a reading program for the summer. Our local library has a summer challenge happening this summer. Focused on super heroes, there are weekly presentations by different groups. Some are local groups. Others are hired and brought in.
• Local parks and recreation centers – I have lived in my area for 20 years and just 2 weeks ago finally found a Splash Pad in a neighboring county. A friend of ours invited us to join her there, and I was amazed that I didn’t know about it before. Check with your local area parks and recreation centers to see what hidden treasures you have in your back yard!
• Museums – You know that you have museums around you (if you’re lucky enough to have them), but have you checked on the programs that the museums might be offering? In our area this month, a dinosaur exhibit is coming. Our boys will enjoy that, so we’re budgeting the time and cost for that excitement!

What other ideas do you have for keeping the kids busy but happy during summer break? Share in the comments below!

Check out these other posts from my bloggy friends about summer.

Baking in a Tornado’s Summer Sundae Cake

Someone Else’s Genius’s Pineapple Paradise Memory Wire Bracelet

The Lieber Family’s Summer Sit Upon

Home on Deranged’s How to Choose the Best eReader for your Summer Leisure

Tags: bloggingwithfriends, parenting, summer