One of the most difficult things to do during the season is to find fun summer activities for the kids. Add to the fact that most places are currently under lockdown with no access to common summer attractions like parks, beaches and camps and you’ve got a double whammy on your hands.
Parents with multiple kids are most likely going out of their minds trying to come up with fun activities for kids at home. You certainly can’t take them to the local ice cream spot or water park, and it only takes them a few days (and sometimes a few hours) to get bored with new toys.
So, what’s a parent to do?
I did some research to find out the best summer activities for kids and consulted with child development experts to find out which of these are actually helpful to your little ones.
Here’s to peaceful work calls and sipping margaritas by the pool while the kids have fun in the sun!
“It always seems impossible until it's done. – Nelson Mandela
Spend Some Time Outdoors
Staying inside the house all day can become very boring and stressful for kids, which in turn makes it harder for you too. I strongly recommend going outside and enjoying the sun.
However, you don’t need to go to parks to enjoy the outdoors, you can do it from your backyard. If you have the space, take advantage of it! Take your kids outside to play for a few hours and if you have a pool, hang out there and play pool games if possible.
Play with Beach Sand
Kids simply love playing on the sand, and adding a sandbox to your backyard can be a great investment to keep your little ones entertained.
A fun way to play and get involved with them is to use beach sand to map out streets. This is a great activity to do with your kids while teaching them about direction.
You could recreate all of their favorite routes on the sand and even practice geocaching. There are many different scavenger hunt ideas that you could try, too.
Try a Themed Party
Create your very own themed party, battle or toy parade with the kids using blocks and toys that they already have. Here are a few ideas:
- You can make a karaoke night
- You can have a costume and cosplay parade
- You could set up a tea party in one room, castles in another and a tower in another room
Play Games
You can also play puzzles and board games with your kids to help improve their social, turn-taking, logic, math, and reading skills.
Some of our favorite games to play with kids include:
- The Junior version of Carcassonne
- Ticket to Ride
- Mancala
- Trouble
- Monopoly
- Snakes and Ladders
Take Part in Creative Projects
When it comes to summer activities for kids at home, it doesn’t get better than sensory and creative sorting projects.
The best part is that you don’t have to buy anything and this allows your children to fully use their imagination. Just make use of whatever you already have at home!
All you need are creative supplies like:
- Crayons
- Pens
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Paper
You can also use other things to spark their imagination, such as ribbons, paper clips, pipe cleaners, and buttons.
Let your kids go wild and create whatever they wish from these amazing materials.
Read Riddle Books
Reading riddle books will spark your kids’ curiosity. You can even create your very own "reading fort" made from pillows and blankets.
Kids love it when you read aloud to them and you can take it a step further by playing audiobooks when they’re in the car with you.
Our favorites include:
- The Hobbit
- Cleary’s Ramona
- Jason Reynolds’ As Brave As You
- Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet
- Virginia Hamilton’s Timepieces: The Book of Time
- Roald Dahl’s BFG
Do Practical Projects
Has your child always been interested in doing something with their hands?
Whether it’s knitting, carving, baking or sewing - now’s a good time to spice up remote schooling with something practical that they’ve always wanted to learn.
It doesn’t even have to be some complex skill. Building a LEGO world is already a great way to have fun with your child while advancing their hand-eye coordination skills.
Final Thoughts
With a little creativity and some ingenuity, it’s not hard to find fun summer activities for kids.
Most of these are so accessible that you can start implementing now and you don’t have to purchase any new toys or gizmos to ensure that your child continues to develop healthily while having fun.
These tips are proof that you can have fun with your kids without breaking the bank or losing your hair.
The best part is that playing is a great way to alleviate stress for all involved, and it’ll serve a much-needed respite for kids and pets who are most probably bouncing off the walls with energy at this point. Plus, you get to promote your kids’ healthy development while you’re at it.
Finding time to work and take care of the kids can be tough, especially if you already have the whole house to clean. Contact a local cleaning company and take advantage of some extra free time!
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