Guest post from Modern Homemakers Society:
It's the time of year the kids look forward to the most (other than Christmas), Summer! As parents, we know what that means…they're home all day long. So how do you keep from going crazy and keep them happy at the same time?
Plan out your list of Summer activities, even if you're just staying home. The more fun you make it for them, the more likely they are to go straight to the list rather than coming to you saying, "I'm bored." Get them involved in making the list and it'll be even more fun and create an even more memorable Summer for them.
The List
Make a list of 30 (or more if you'd like) activities you can do with your kids this Summer that are both fun for them, and friendly on your wallet. Look at your city's community website and see what they have going on to spark some ideas. Libraries usually have tons of activities for kids over the Summer as well.
Here's our family's list of 30, in case you'd like more ideas:
- Go swimming
- Bake cookies
- Picnic on the patio
- Ride trolley downtown
- Carousel at mall
- Splash pad at park
- Philbrook museum
- Go bowling
- Family movie night with all the fixin's (at home)
- Make s'mores by the fire pit
- Go to the dollar movie theater
- Camp in the backyard
- Water gun fight
- Play a board game
- Have an ice cream party (banana splits, anyone?)
- Movie night at the park
- Visit the library
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bubble blowers
- Run through the sprinklers
- Grilling day (hot dogs, lemonade, watermelon)
- Frozen yogurt day
- Start a Summer photo album together
- Backyard obstacle course
- Go to the zoo
- Blue Bell factory tour
- Homemade slime
- Michael's craft class
- Go see a Driller's game
- "Tour" hometown
How to Make the List Even More Fun
I'm a big fan of making things pretty, especially being a mom of 4 girls!
Here's how to make choosing a Summer activity even more fun:
- Create "activity cards" out of cardstock by using a 2-inch round punch, one card for each activity. If you don't have a punch, you can also cut up 3×5 cards into 4 squares. OR you can download the free printable I've created for you here .The first three sheets are filled out for you, the last one is blank for you to fill in with your own ideas.
- Once you have your cards cut up, start writing down the activities on each card.
- Hole punch the top of each card and either tie them together with a ribbon, string, twine, or if you have them, use a small binder ring to hold them together.
You can now let your kids take turns picking an activity from the ring of Summer fun.
Another way you can do this if you don't want to deal with hole punching and tying together is by throwing the cards in a mason jar and letting your kids shake the jar and pick a random activity.
If you choose to go the mason jar route, you can just write the activities on scraps of regular paper and fold them closed. No cardstock or hole punch needed.
Let the Summer Fun Begin!
Now that you have your Summer fun list planned out, anytime your kids start to utter the words, "I'm bored" you can point them to their solution.
I hope you have a wonderful Summer, I know we will!
Vanessa Phelps is first and foremost a child of God, Wife, Mother of (almost) 5, and a Modern Homemaking blogger. Her mission is to use the gifts God has given her to help other women rediscover the lost art of homemaking. She blogs at Modern Homemakers Society on topics such as home organization, cleaning, decluttering, meal planning, and modern homemaking.
