School is out in one month in some areas of the country. For parents, their children’s elation at a two month reprieve from homework quickly turns to “We’re bored.” Even more worrisome is how many kids will quickly spend their summer months in front of TVs or gaming systems. Sometimes you don’t want to go on costly vacations and you may be looking for ways to save. I know that I have to be creative to compete with an Xbox. If you have to play cruise director or camp counselor this summer, here are a few suggestions for fun activities to keep your kids occupied and your sanity saved.
Throw Back Fun for the Outdoors
When we were kids, riding bikes around the neighborhood and staying out until dusk was the norm. Today, kids have less freedom to roam. However, even in the backyard, they can get an awesome work out. Set up games like croquette or bocce that can be played in any size yard. You can find relatively inexpensive sets from vendors like Target. A scavenger hunt will have them searching high and low for various items. Blowing bubbles is an inexpensive but delightful way for one child or many to spend a warm summer afternoon. You can find a giant bubble tube at any discount retailer. Hula hoops are another throw-back to our childhood that today’s kids might find fun yet challenging. Host a contest to see who can keep theirs up the longest. Since this is a great waist whittler, you may even want to join them. Don’t forget the joy of running through sprinklers; it can bring a smile to even the most tech-oriented boy or girl.
Crafts with a Twist
If ordinary painting and drawing doesn’t thrill your kids, they might enjoy squirt gun painting. Supply them with heavy cardboard set up on easels and have them dress in old clothes. Next, hand them squirt guns filled with liquid water colors paints. Let them go crazy squirting at the canvases. If you’d rather not fill the squirt guns with paint, have the kids paint on the canvas then squirt water immediately on the paintings for a watercolor effect. If you’re really brave, fill balloons with paint and let your kids throw them at the canvas. If you haven’t already guessed, these are outdoor activities.
Another fun painting activity involves bubble wrap, a giant sheet of paper, and paints. Wrap your child’s feet in bubble wrap and have him or her walk over the canvas. Give them alternate colors for a lovely effect.
For an indoor activity, gather everyone into the kitchen to make “lava lamps.” Start with a cleaned, clear two liter soda bottle from which the label has been removed. Fill the bottles 1/3 of the way with water. Fill the rest to the 1-2 TAB with vegetable oil. Next, add drops of food coloring. Now, for the piece de la resistance, add a broken Alka Seltzer tablet. This will produce your lava lamp.
Create an “I’m Bored” Bucket
Paint several popsicle sticks in different colors, and then write different tasks or activities on the sticks. Stick them in a small bucket and label it “For the Bored.” Vary the activities from baking cookies, to creating something from the craft box, to watching a favorite movie, to reading a book for an hour. When your kids say they’re bored, have them draw from the bucket. Let them know they can’t trade and they can’t complain. Whatever the stick says, that’s what they have to do.
Camping at Home
Summers are for camping. Even if you don’t enjoy trekking to a campground and pitching your home away from home, you can experience nature in your own backyard with your children at your side. If you don’t have a tent, ask a friend who camps if you could borrow theirs. You can also find reasonably priced tents at Walmart or other discount retailers. Pitch your tent in the backyard. Pack coolers and chairs. If local ordinances permit, you might light your fire pit, roast marshmallows, and tell ghost stories. Look for shooting stars in the sky. In the morning, you can do a jungle breakfast in which your kids search the yard for individual cereal boxes and cartons of milk hidden throughout.
Free Summer Activities
Local recreation departments often have summer arts or sports programs during the afternoon that are low cost to free. Don’t forget to check with the children’s section of your local library for story times and other club-based events that ignite the imagination. Some movie theaters even have special low cost matinee showings of recently released children’s films. Check their websites for times and activities.
Earn a Trip to a Special Activity
Encourage your children to help around the house and discover goal setting this summer. Set a goal for special treats that’s within your budget and have your kids do chores to earn this opportunity. Let them track their progress.
There are lots of ways to beat the “I’m bored” syndrome. The best part is almost of them can fit any parents budget and talent level as well.
Enjoyed our tips? You can head over to Bills.com’s Way to Save Calculator to learn more ways to save!
