Here we are at the end of July. Summer camps are finishing up, and our kids have been to the pool dozens of times. There are only a few weeks until school begins, so parents of school aged children are getting into a school-prep mindset. While we parents are leaving our summer mindsets behind, our kids are not. They are still off from school, but they are probably getting bored. And while it can be good for our kids to work through their boredom, it’s nice to have a few ideas to help them. So here are 5 ways to fight your kids’ summer boredom.
Find something different to do outside
Your kids have probably spent a lot of time outdoors this summer. So when heading outside has become something to groan about, maybe we can come up with a new outdoor activity or two.
Perhaps we can get up early and go out to watch the sunrise – and, hey, this will help your school kids start adjusting to earlier mornings. Along the same lines, we could plan to watch a beautiful sunset from a great spot.
Do your kids have a regular playground that they go to? Maybe it’s time to explore a new playground, or even go to a different playground each of the next times you head out to play.
If you haven’t tried a campout in the backyard or in the living room, there is still time to squeeze one in. And this is the perfect planning activity to assign to our bored children.
Simple creative projects
Kids love to make stuff. So here are a few creative ideas to bring out some new creative energy in your kids.
Have your kids made slime yet? My kids and their friends have spent hours working on batches of slime and playing with them. There are lots of homemade slime recipes and tips online. For a super simple activity that kids love, try making slime.
For a quick coloring page or an easy Handy Craft, check out our resources at Signing Time.
Since summer is such a good time to be outdoors, challenge your kids to find flat or smooth rocks to paint. They can paint pictures on wider, flat rocks, or just decorate any rock. At a local park, they are building a snake out of painted rocks. Is there an animal or another fun design that your kids can create out of painted rocks in your yard?
If your art supplies are usually put away somewhere, try taking them out. Maybe even set up an art caddy or an art supply station to encourage your kids to go ahead and make something.
Creativity is a great way to fight your kids’ summer boredom!
New summer food
Food is part of the fun of summer, but at this point in the season, we might be growing weary of our typical summer food. So maybe it’s time to look up a couple of new summer recipes that our kids can help with. Or bring home some new summer snacks, like a new flavor of frozen treats.
For a whole food activity, try making popsicles from some delicious summer produce. Just chop up the berries, melon,peaches or whatever fruit you want, and add that to a blender. Then add some liquid (milk, juice, water) to make the blending go more smoothly and to add another flavor if you want it. You could also add yogurt for a creamy addition. The fruit might be sweet enough, but you might want to add at least a little of your sweetener of choice to help the flavor of your popsicle. Blend it all together, and freeze the mixture in popsicle molds or ice cube trays or anything you can think of. Remember to add a popsicle stick if needed. Once they’re frozen, your kids will love eating the treat they helped to make.
Can you think of a way to fight your kids’ summer boredom with a new summer food?
Fun summer learning
Sometimes we just need some down time in the summer, but that doesn’t mean we have to watch brainless stuff or only do video or tablet games. There are educational games and shows too, and our kids can enjoy those and learn while they are at it.
At My Signing Time, we’re proud to offer a variety of educational shows for different needs, different ages, and different interests. We have our Baby Signing Time and Signing Time sign language shows for babies, young children, and special needs kids to learn to communicate better.
For phonics and nursery rhymes, we have several shows you can check out here.
We have Rachel and the TreeSchoolers for preschool science, and our new science show, SciShow Kids with all kinds of scientific exploring for kids.
For art, we have Art Time at the TreeSchool and Bailey’s Art Hub for Kids.
We also have fitness and dance shows to get your kids active, like Active Adventures and Hip Hop Hopkins.
These shows are all available on any device in your My Signing Time digital subscription. If you don’t have a subscription, you can try it out with a 14-day free trial right here.
Try a new show as a way to fight your kids’ summer boredom.
Find the last of the local summer events
Every town has some schedule of summer events for the community. There could be Friday night movies at the park, community fairs, or other community events. Before they’re all over, look up what might be going on in your community, and see if there’s another community summer event to participate in before it’s over.
So, will you choose a way to fight your kids’ summer boredom? Let us know in the comments what you’ve come up with!