Summer is the time of year with which our kids are excited about. Definitely no classes. Unless, of course they attend summer classes. But there is a problem that we always encounter during summer holidays – how to keep the kids, and the family for that matter, entertained.
The best way to keep them occupied and entertained is to have activities involving the whole family. This way, you will not only have fun and be entertained, but you will also have time to bond with your family.
ARTS AND CRAFTS WORKSHOPS
You can have your kids attend arts and craft workshops during summer. If your child is artistically inclined, this is probably the best way to make his or her summer productive.
They can do painting, sketching, beads and other handy crafts. This may not only make them preoccupied during summer, but it will also be educational and informative for them. A productive way to spend the summer.
SPORTS CLINICS
If your child is athletic, then sports clinics are good ways to spend the summer holidays on. Find out what sport your child favors and look for sports clinics offering that particular sport. It will not only be a healthy way to spend the summer holidays, but it will develop him into a better athlete and teach him positive things like discipline.
FIELD TRIPS
You can also go on field trips with your kids. There are a lot of place to go to which are both educational and fun for the family.
The Zoo – almost everybody love animals. Bringing your family to the zoo will be a worthwhile experience for them. They can get acquainted with the different kinds of animals and if they are that keen and observant, maybe learn something from animal behaviour and habitat.
The Theme Parks – now this is where kids are sure to have fun at. Theme parks are places where they can be free to goof around. They can play their hearts out and enjoy rides, and maybe splash on the pool, and just be kids and have fun. Though we may be adults, these places also bring out the “child” in us.
The Amusement Parks – I can just hear the screams and squeals of kids on different rides. With today’s technology, there are a lot of new rides in amusement parks which our kids can get to experience. Of course there is still the traditional roller coaster, Ferris wheel, the bump cars, and a lot more. But these traditional rides now come with “twists”. In other words, they have been upgraded to fit the times.
The Beach – there are kids who favour the water. So the beach will be a good place to go to. Just make sure you protect them from sunburn and other “hazards” that come along with making a trip to the beaches.
The Malls – well, with malls popping out anywhere like mushrooms, this is the most common place that the family usually goes to bond. Just make sure you have a sufficient budget for mall visits. You can go shopping, watch movies, play in the arcade, or just window shop and eat.
The Basics – this is more like the “old school” stuff. You can encourage them to spend time gardening with you. Let them participate in household chores. Cooking, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, etcetera. You can also go on picnics, fishing, hiking, biking, and other activities which do not need spending too much money, but will give them memories that no amount of money can buy.
MAKE PLANS FOR SUMMER
Plan your summer activities ahead of time. Be spontaneous and make sure you stick to what you have planned. Of course it cannot be denied that despite the meticulous planning and all, there is a possibility that things may go wrong. Have alternative plans ready for when this happens.
But it will not hurt or affect your plans a lot if you come up with a few impromptu activities. This makes it exciting for the kids.
OTHER EXCITING BUT INEXPENSIVE SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Enjoying the summer does not have to be expensive. It is not the amount of money that you spend which counts, but the enjoyment and fun that your kids will experience which must be taken into consideration.
Indoor Games – you can have fun with indoor games. Scrabble, Monopoly, chess, Snakes and Ladders, and a lot more. These indoor games are not only fun, but educational as well.
Hiking and Camping – you can also go nature tripping. With the invention of gadgets, the new generation do not seem to have time for outdoor activities. This activity will help them to understand and appreciate nature better. And it will be good exercise or the family.
Road Trips - you can also go on road trips. While doing this, you can engage the kids to do activities like count how many bridges you pass, or gasoline stations, or schools, and stuffs like that. This will not make the trip boring and make them sleep the whole trip.
Picnics – You can go to open space and have a picnic, the traditional way. This way, you will expose them to a simple way to have fun and enjoy, and probably make them understand and appreciate the activity better.
The most important thing for your kids to have during summer holidays is to have fun. They also deserve to enjoy and take a break after several months spent in school doing homeworks, projects, exams and tests, and a lot more school activities. Not to mention encountering a terrible, monster teacher or principal each day, or the stress that bullies in school can give them.
Remember how we used to enjoy the summer when we were kids? Playing hide and sick, play house on a tree house, having a swing on the yard, building sand castles on the beach, collecting shells and stones, and of course, the fun-filled water fight.
Let us find ways to encourage our kids to do these physical activities. Let us persuade them to keep their gadgets and computers and laptops in the closet for a while and have fun in the sun.
