School is out, the temperature is up, the days are longer...Summer is officially here! With summer comes more free time for the kids and more opportunities for screen time. And hey, we get it. We're parents too! There will be days when the kids have exhausted all other activity possibilities (or so they’ve told you over and over with the classic “I’m bored!”) and you’re exhausted too. It's easy to tell them to go Netflix and Chillax.
But sometimes the mom/dad guilt creeps into the back of your mind and you just wish they’d find something to do besides plop down in front of the TV or iPad.
Here’s a list of fun things kids can do this summer that don’t involve any sort of gadget!
- Set up an obstacle/Ninja warrior course in the backyard
- One word (or is it two words!?) CarWash!!
- Set up a lemonade stand
- Play a board or card game outside on the grass, picnic style
- “Tune up” the bikes (turn a couple of bikes upside down so on the handlebars & seat and let the kids “check” the tires and pedals - make sure they’re careful not to touch the wheels when they’re spinning)
- Do a nature scavenger hunt
- See who can do the most jumping jacks in a row (or if you’re feeling ambitious, the most squats or push-ups!)
- Set up the biggest KULLERBU creation possible!
- Run through the sprinkler
- Organize the playroom (hey, it’s worth a shot, right?)
- Turn the driveway into a sidewalk chalk city, driveable by bike and scooter
- Make sponge bombs and launch them at each other (more eco-friendly than water balloons because they’re infinitely reusable!)
- Build an outdoor fort
- Play “simon says” or “red light, green light”
- Trace interesting objects with sidewalk chalk
- See who can pull the most weeds out of the garden (bonus if there are prizes involved - we hear ice cream is a great motivator!)
- Collect wild flowers and press them into a book
- Make and blow homemade bubbles
- Lay in the grass, (but don’t look directly into the sun!) and try to find objects in the clouds
- Collect rocks and paint/decorate them
- Write a list of things you are thankful for
- See who can stand on one foot the longest
- Gather up all the stuffed animals in the house, make a sign and open a zoo
- Take a popsicle bath (in the bathtub or baby pool!)
- Go for a walk around the block and pick up trash - mother earth will thank you!
Now print the list out and cut each line into strips. Then drop them all into a jar or a hat and every time the kids cry "I'm bored", you hand them the bored jar. They can either find something to do or play "bored jar roulette"! Roulette you say? Because if you're feeling bold, you could sneak some slips of paper in there that have chores on them too!
Because hey, we care about you!
Happy Summer!
Love, HABA USA
Leave a comment