One constant complaint I hear from mothers in the summer holidays is how to keep the kids busy. Children need constant entertainment and moms are looking for new ways to keep themselves occupied. Till last year, there were many summer camps available and kids could be enrolled in any of the summer activities for kids according to their interest.
The situation this year is different as no camps are being held for kids due to COVID-19. Kids have been locked in the houses and it has indeed become a problem to keep them occupied. However, there are still various options available when it comes to summer activities for kids.
The summer classes are a brilliant way to keep the child occupied and also, help them to learn new things. The child has a routine and they can choose activities as per their interest. Many online classes are happening for various things and these are still an option to sign up for if your kids have an interest.
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Summer Time Activities for Kids
Little Miss A is four and she is not the kind of child who can do structured activities for a long time. She did not enjoy her online school classes too much as well. I also believe that holidays are supposed to be fun and relaxing. I wanted her to enjoy her holidays like we used to with unstructured play and routine. She has a life ahead of her which will all about working like a machine, so why not let them enjoy these few years of life.
Not enrolling her for any class is a tough decision, but in the last two months I have done lots of things with her, and now, there are many summer activities for kids that we can manage to do with her. The idea is that she enjoys her break and so do we. Some of these activities you can do at home and some you can try if the situation improves.
Let me tell you a few of the things you can do with your child depending on their interest and age:
Reading
Reading is a great habit for kids of all ages and can be a very good activity to keep your child engaged throughout their summer holidays. You can encourage your kid to read certain books like storybooks, kids magazines etc. for a certain time of time within a day. By doing this, you are keeping them away from boredom and also inculcating the habit of reading in your child from a tender age itself which will be helpful for her/him going forward. When possible, you can take them for visits to the nearby library as well, where they can find a variety of books and feel more interested in reading. Little Miss A does not read on her own yet, but she keeps bringing books from her book shelves and we read a lot.
To know about some of the amazing books that your baby will love click here
Playful colored dough
There is colored dough available in the market for children which can be used to give various shapes. Your kids would love to give shapes to this colorful dough; in turn, keeping them busy for hours and also encouraging innovation in them. Moreover, you can prepare this playful dough at home also and provide it to your kids for playing.
Visiting museums and botanical gardens
You can take your kids for an outing to museums and botanical gardens. These places will give your children a great scope for learning new things related to nature i.e. plants, flowers, birds etc. In museums, your kids can see and learn about historical events, geographical and scientific inventions. This would be a great summer time activity for kids, along with some interesting learning experience and you can do this quite a number of times throughout their holidays. We hope the situation improves soon and we can take the kids out.
Swimming classes
As of now all public pools are closed. If they open and you are comfortable sending your child for swimming, you can get your child enrolled in swimming classes during their summer holidays. This will be the perfect time for them to learn swimming. They will enjoy being in water during summers and will learn swimming and of course, stay healthy and fit.
Water is one thing most kids love. You can buy the inflatable pools for the kids to enjoy their summer break chilling in the water. You should see my post, Awesome Swimming Pools for Kids to Enjoy Summers.
Gardening
You can teach your kids gardening by planting some flower or vegetable plants in your home and instruct your kids to water those plants daily. If you have a back yard, then you can easily show them the process of digging the soil, planting the trees etc.
Sometimes, kids might be tempted to pluck the flowers or leaves from the plants but this can be a good opportunity to teach them about how to overcome such temptations. This can be quite a good learning summer activity for your children.
Buying gardening sets for toddlers inculcates the love for plants and gardening among them. You can also get some cute Sow and Grow Kits for the little one to be able to grow their own plants.
Exercising
This can be a very helpful summer activity for kids. You can make a routine for them and set at least 20-30 minutes in a day for exercises. This will help in keeping your kids healthy, improve their immunity and also keep them busy. You can teach them simple exercises like sit-ups, push-ups, squats, stretching, jumping etc. which can be practiced daily indoor.
Furthermore, activities like running and cycling are very much helpful for kids in their growth and can be practiced outdoor during late afternoons when the sun rays are not too harsh. Free play in the park is an amazing way to ensure physical activity and fun.
There are some very nice and simple videos available on Youtube. One yoga video we have loved doing in the lockdown is my Cosmic Kids. They use movie and book themes and make the kids exercise in a play way.
Playing indoor games
Indoor games like carom, chess, Pictionary, simple card games etc. are very much beneficial for kids. They improve their thinking and logical reasoning abilities, color co-ordination power etc. Other fun games like hide and seek, treasure hunt, Simon says etc. can be taught to your kids and can be played indoors during summer holidays. This will keep them busy and prevent them from getting bored.
Visiting playground during Evenings
During the late afternoons and evenings, once the sun rays are no more direct; you can let your kids go outside and play. You can take them to the nearby park or play ground where they can run, jump, and slide, meet their friends and enjoy.
As kids are not able to play much these days, they can cycle or play in a safe area. This will make them active and more energetic for the rest of the day. Going to the park is the favorite time of the day for my little one. To know about the health benefit of nature for your young baby click here.
Early morning or evening walks
Walks during the early mornings or evenings during summers are very refreshing and beneficial for health. You can make a routine for your kids to go for a walk during early morning or evening daily. If it is early morning, then it would also help in making your kid an early riser even during holidays.
Puzzle solving
You can have jigsaw puzzles handy during your kid’s summer holidays. Solving these puzzles helps in keeping your kids mentally active. By solving these puzzles for some time during a day will keep your kid engaged as well as she/he will have a very good mental exercise.
Make ice-cream
This can be one of the really exciting summer activities for your child. Ice-creams are one of the favorite eatables of children and making ice-cream at home will just multiply their excitement. You can buy molds and ask for your kids to help while making the ice-creams. You can see and feel their real enthusiasm during the entire process. To get some amazing and simple ice cream recipes you can check this post on How to Make Creamy Ice Cream with Just One Ingredient.
Watch movies
You can fix up timings within a day or every alternate day to watch movies with your kids. It can help them in learning and also spending family time together. They can also see some recommended educational videos and stories. There are some great options on Netflix and Amazon and you can choose something you all will like watching together.
Crafts and Pretend Play
Many moms feel they cannot do crafts with their kids because they are not creative. Trust me, you cannot be as bad as me. There are many ideas available on Pinterest, Youtube and Google which are easy to do with things available at home. These are a great way to encourage their creativity and do things with them. Age appropriate sticking and painting work helps in the developmental of their gross and fine motor skills.
Pretend play is another amazing way to work on the imagination and other developmental skills of kids. We all have grown up playing these and thus, I do not need to give ideas. If you let the kids be they come up with their own ideas and it is wonderful to watch them play these cute games they create.
Time to Have Fun
With some simple activities, you can make the summer holidays for your kids interesting and enjoyable. These activities can help in keeping your kids busy, learning new things and not getting bored. You have to see the interest of your child and create schedules for them. Some part of the day should be structured and some should be kept for free play.
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