5 Activities For Your Kids To Try This Summer
School is out for three months. The daylight stretches deep into the evening. And chances are, the kids are getting bored by the time the first week of summer vacation is over. If you want to spend plenty of time with family this summer and ensure that everyone keeps healthy and active, you'll need plenty of activities to try.
- Enroll in a Summer Sports League
Most towns have summer sports leagues that your kids can join. Grab a few youth baseball gloves and head to your local park or recreation center to find out whether there are Little League teams to join. If your kids aren't the type to play baseball, you can look into soccer, football, or even track and field options. Of course, those teams need cheerleaders as well, so your kiddos who prefer to cheer from the sidelines can still join in the fun by joining a youth cheerleading squad.
- Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Spend an afternoon exploring your neighborhood by going on a scavenger hunt. Don't worry. You don't need to spend a lot of time planting clues or drawing maps. Make it simple for yourself and fun for your kids by creating a list of things that you know are in the neighborhood and then have them take pictures of each item to mark them off the list. Some ideas include finding something red, taking a picture of a squirrel, asking a neighbor to take a selfie with them (if you know and trust your neighbors), finding a four-leaf clover, and so on. As an added bonus, you can pick up a small reward to give to the winning person or team.
- Build a Fort in the Living Room
Sometimes, those late afternoon summer storms send the kids scrambling into the house and out of the rain. When you find that you're confined to the living room, you need to make the most of it. Bring your kitchen chairs into the living room and grab the blankets off of everyone's beds. Use them to create the best blanket fort you can. Grab some snacks, some pillows, and a couple of tablets, and let the kids play games or watch their favorite shows inside their new fort. Who knows? They might get so comfortable that they take a nap and give you a few minutes to relax at the end of the day.
- Spend Time in the Water
Cool off and have the kids run off some of their energy at the same time by having a water day with the family. If you already have a pool in your backyard, make it extra engaging by adding water balloons, sprinklers, or playing fun water games like Marco Polo. If you don't have a pool at home, check out local pools, lakes, or splash pads that offer swimming or other types of fun in the water. Remember to teach the kids about water safety and wear protective gear where necessary.
- Spend the Day as a Tourist
How many local attractions have you visited? If you're in the city or near enough to spend the day in one, why not take the kids and spend the day as a tourist? Depending on your kids' interests, there are history, art, science, and children's museums that you can look into. There are historic trails, fun restaurants, walking ghost tours, escape rooms, and a range of other activities to look into in your nearest city. When choosing your activities, be sure to keep your kids' ages and personalities in mind, too. If you have a child who's been scared to sleep alone at night, you probably don't want to take him on a ghost tour, for example.
Whether you're staying at home or venturing out for a day or the weekend, the summer doesn't need to be long and boring. A bit of imagination goes a long way when it comes to introducing your kids to fun summer activities.
