Summer is officially here! While I am sure you’re excited to have more time to spend with your children at home, it can be a daunting task filling those longer days and curious minds with entertainment. So I have put together a few simple suggestions of summer activities the whole family can engage in.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Take advantage of the warmer weather and head outside. Nature provides endless opportunities for your child to explore and learn. Consider visiting local botanical gardens, zoos and nature parks. If you’re short on time, take a walk around your neighborhood. If you’re more athletic or want to make a day out of it, take the family on a hike and pack a picnic lunch. Click here for The Best Los Angeles Area Hiking Trails for Families.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health.” In addition to the obvious fitness benefits, exposure to green spaces for even has shown to help reduce ADHD symptoms, stress levels, and anxiety. Spending time outdoors can improve your child’s critical thinking, social interactions, sleep and even vision, so be sure to head into the sunshine regularly this summer break!
Schedule Play Dates
During the school year, it’s often difficult to set up one-on-one social engagements because there always seems to be multiple competing schedules. With the summer break, there’s plenty of free time AND a real need. While your child may get to connect with his/her peers at school, the summer can be isolating without that daily interaction. Instead of falling back on digital entertainment like movies and video games to fill the void, create opportunities for your children to connect face to face with their friends.
Here are 5 simple steps tips for planning a summer play date. And to keep any damage to your clean house to a minimum ????, organize some backyard games like these or these (which offer some great rainy day options). This way you can keep the fun contained without dampening the spirit.
Involve Your Child In Decisions
If you’re planning a family vacation, why not involve your child in the process? Depending on their age, you can ask them to: calculate the cost of the trip, determine which package is the better deal, choose the location or side excursions (determined by price), chart out the driving route, plan a picnic lunch for the car ride or road trip games to play. Take a look at this Wall Street Journal article to see how other parents made this idea a reality and how you can best guide your child as they take a more active role in your family activities.
Teach Your Child To Cook
It’s never too early to teach your child about healthy eating and important life skills. While initially it make take longer to get them used to the kitchen and its rules (safety first always!), the summertime is ideal for testing out the waters. You’re not nurturing the next Master Chef Junior, just teaching your children some basic cooking skills so they can, at the very least, make themselves a simple breakfast if they happen to get up before you in the morning. Here are some easy recipes for kids.
Set Out On An Imagination Adventure
This is the perfect time of year to read new books with your children. If leisure reading was put on the backburner during the school year, make it a priority in your house again this summer. Schedule a time each week for the whole family to relax together with a book. And you’ll already be prepared with one more activity for rainy days!
Here are some book lists by age:
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What do you have planned to fill those long, sunny, summer days? Let me know in the comments below, and we can add to the list!
