Articles

Ten Unusually Fun Things To Do With Your Children This Summer
By Julia A. Keirns

(This article was published at ChildrensMall.com in June, 2001)

It’s a dilemma for us all. No matter how much we love our dear sweet children, they will no doubt be driving us all nuts within two weeks of school letting out. At that point, a lot of moms will be desperate for some new ideas. So what do you do with your children when they get bored? I asked a few moms I know for their ideas and this is what I got…

• One mother of three children has an Art Day each week. Her and the kids take all their supplies outside. This includes paper, poster board, crayons, markers, chalk, paints, and whatever else you can think of. They have to draw, color or paint something that they see. One child even drew his picture with chalk on the driveway and it stayed for several days until it rained. She said sometimes they will be outside for hours without even realizing what time it is. This sounds like a fun idea to me. I think I will try this one with my own three children.
• Make a trek to the local library. If it is close enough, walk or ride bikes. Most libraries have a young children’s story hour once a week. Some even have a special craft day once in a while. Check out what is available at your local library. Some of the projects can include making picture frames out of seashells, homemade musical instruments, and bird feeders made out of 2-liter bottles. While the kids are occupied in story time or craft time, maybe Mom can get a few minutes to herself.
• Going along with the library theme, another mother stated that they pick out a good book, a classic like Swiss Family Robinson, or Treasure Island, and have story time each day. Reading one chapter a day in a book like this takes less than an hour. The kids won’t get too tired of it and it will keep them interested for days. Be sure to pick a book that will interest your children, depending on their ages. The older kids can even take turns reading sections and it is a great way to encourage their reading throughout the summer break.
• Of course, almost all the moms I interviewed will quickly pack a picnic lunch, grab a large blanket, and take the kids to a nearby park with a nice big playground. Does Mom like to read or write? Take along a favorite book or magazine and relax while the kids play for a while. It is a fun idea to take along balls or frisbees, too.
• One mother shared about her Entomology Days. Her and the kids would go outside, find bugs, and then figure out what kind of bugs they had found by looking in books and encyclopedias. Of course the internet is available now too. She also shared about her Science Experiment Days. One such experiment was as simple as filling one ice cube tray with cold water, and one with hot water, and finding out which one would freeze first. My 13-year-old quickly said the cold water would freeze first. I said hot. Guess what experiment we are doing tomorrow to find out?
• Do you live near the ocean? Ever heard of a Snorkeling Party? One mother who has lived on both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans told me of many memorable summer days spent snorkeling to see who could find the most interesting item. Some of the treasures they took home were shells, clams, brightly colored stones, dead fish bones, and broken pieces of coral. (Yes, she said they even took home the dead fish bones!)
• Do you live near a zoo? Grab another mother friend with children same ages as yours and go spend a day together at the zoo. Going alone is fine, but would be more fun with friends. Kids like to have friends around, and so do moms. Moms need time with other adults. I know! This kind of an outing can kill two birds with one stone. The two moms can encourage each other while the children enjoy a day out with some friends.
• Along the same lines, another mother mentioned how she just likes to invite over a friend with her children for lunch and a swimming party in their backyard pool. The kids love having friends over to swim, and the mom gets to visit with an adult friend too.
• Go for long family walks or bike rides. Mom can do this during the day if she wants while dad is at work, or it can be a family evening event after supper. We used to ride bikes to the local ice cream shop and get everybody a cone or a special treat. On long boring summer days, the exercise from walking and biking is greatly needed.
• I was given many great ideas, but could only choose ten. So last on my list I have decided to mention spending the afternoon at the local reservoir. You can play at the playground, go fishing (children do not need a fishing license), hike the trails through the woods, play tennis or basketball, and walk all the way around the reservoir. We live near three such places and a day spent at the reservoir is always a success and guarantees me three tired children who go to bed and sleep all night.

I hope some of these ideas work for you. Use your imagination, be creative, and make the long summer days fun for both you and your children. After all, they are only young for a short time. Time flies, and before you know it they will be grown up, moved out, and having children of their own to contend with. This will leave you home alone on long summer days, bored yourself with nothing to do, and no one to share your day with. You will wish you had some young children around to entertain. That’s when the grandchildren come in handy. So enjoy it while it’s here, and enjoy your children this summer.