Schools Out for the Summer! Now what?

Schools Out for the Summer! Now What?

So, school is wrapping up for another year. Kids are ready and so are their teachers, but are you ready parents? Do you have things planned for your kids to keep them occupied? Because about two or three days in you’re going to hear two words, “I’m bored!”

I know most kids are going to want to sleep, watch TV and play videos games all day. But, is that a good thing? I would say “no” for so many reasons. I have been talking with parents who are gearing up for summer and what they can do with their kids to keep them busy. I have seen ideas come across my Facebook of what others suggest.

So, as someone who has worked with children in a variety of settings, I suggest put down the remote or video game controller and go outside. I had one parent say their rule was, if it is warmer than 65 degrees their children were not allowed to play video games that they had to be outside playing. This seems like a good rule to me. There are so many things kids can do outside.

When we adults were growing up there was no cable TV or videos games to watch mindlessly for hours on end. I could watch a little TV but then I had to be outside. I live in Northern Michigan, you know, God’s country. We have beautiful beaches, festivals, parades, and other tourist things to do. There were many days I would go to the lake and swim and cool off. I would go play with neighbor kids, ride my bike, and in general get dirty!

For many parents now, they are pretty much forcing their kids outside to play. Those outside activities haven’t changed. They are still there. Let your kid have a summer and be a kid. Let them play with other kids, run through the sprinkler, ride their bikes, camp in the back yard, build forts, and just be a kid and get dirty!

They will thank you for it.

Take them to the beach, the library, send them to camp, involve them in sports, send them to community activities (find a church with an awesome Vacation Bible School program), many kids go to day camp. This is where they make friends and have fun! Check on line or your local paper for what things you can do as a family too.   

I know many parents have to work and don’t have the ability to be home with their kids during the day, so finding a quality summer day camp program is important. I suggest finding something where there is a variety of activities, field trips, swimming, playing outside, crafts, organized games, and other activities your kids would enjoy.

So, how do you structure your time if you are home with your kids? Do you spend your whole day at home? Do you go out for parts of the day? Ask your kids what they would like to do. Make a plan. Make it something your kids look forward to. A day at the zoo, or the beach, spend the day with friends and do a big group outing. Kids need structure even in the summer. It can be fun structure, but they need it.

I saw something come across on my Facebook that went something like this:

Read for 20-30 minutes

Do something creative (Legos, a craft, play a game)

Play outside for at least 30 minutes

Do something for someone else in the family

Do these two or three chores around the house

Then AFTER all of this you can play video games or watch TV for 1 hour.

I really liked these ideas. Also, get your teens involved in something. Let them volunteer in the community, let them babysit, or do yard work to make extra money. I spent my summers babysitting. I know kids who have worked all summer and saved their money and then got something they really wanted like a bike or a car.

What to do if it rains? Have an indoor picnic, play board games, read a book, play with toys, let your child use their imagination! Check out Pinterest! There are all kinds of fun things to do there.

The bottom line, let your kids be kids and have a fun filled summer without being in front of a screen. Have a fun and safe summer!