During these hot summer months, it can be easy to fall into a routine of staying inside, watching television, and watching the weeks fly by until school starts again. But, what many don’t realize is that, while kids may not have any official responsibilities during summer vacation like going to school and doing homework, they can still keep their minds and bodies active in a way that’s fun and entertaining. In fact, there are so many easy ways to make your summer days a blast and your kids and make memories that will last forever!
Arts and Crafts
When I was younger, arts and crafts projects were a staple at my house and, when it was too hot to go outside, made for a fun way to get creative while beating the heat. Now, there are hundreds of different ways to let your children's imagination go wild and spend their days creating something for themselves or as a gift for others, but I’ll list some that never fail to put a smile on a kid’s face.
Paper bag puppets - If you have spare paper lunch bags laying around, some paint, and some construction paper, you’re only a few minutes away from creating your very own puppet. Using safety scissors, cut out eyes, ears, a nose, and whatever parts you want your puppet to have out of construction paper. Then, paint the paper bag whatever color you want your puppet to be — I always made a blue alien growing up, but any color will do — and leave it out to dry. Then, once the paint is dry, you can glue the construction paper to your bag. And then, voila! You now have a puppet fit for puppet shows, play, and a fun accessory to any room. And, if puppets aren’t really your thing, you can replace the paper bag with a paper plate for a cute toy or piece of wall art, whichever once sounds more appealing.
DIY Moon Sand - Moldable Moon Sand is one of the best ways to build sandcastles without making a mess. While you can buy it in stores, why do that when you can make it at home? Simply combine an 8:1 ratio of flour and baby oil or whatever type of oil you have in your house and mix until all of the oil is incorporated. It still will look like flour, but it's compactable, buildable, and mess-free, just like Moon Sand is. For an extra colorful twist, add in a few drops of food coloring to the mix! If stored in an airtight container, this Moon Sand can last up to a month before drying out, so your kids will have plenty of time to play, build, and have fun.
Polymer Clay Sculptures - While you can’t make polymer clay at home, once you have it, there are endless things to make from it: you can poke holes in clay balls to make beads for jewelry, sculpt cute and colorful animals, or even make canvases to paint. And, unlike most clay, polymer clay is bakeable, so your creation can remain solid and fresh for the rest of summer and beyond! Just bake your polymer clay sculpture at 275* Fahrenheit for 15 minutes per ¼ inch of clay, and your creations will be ready for you to paint, play, and store.
Water Activities
While it’s easy enough to beat the heat by staying indoors, water activities are a great way to cool down while still enjoying the great outdoors. Even if you don’t have a swimming pool of your own or the public pool is too busy, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the thrill of getting wet and wild this summer!
Water Sponge Bombs - While water balloons are what many of us think of when we think of throwing watery projectiles, they're messy and can’t be reused once they pop. However, these sponge bombs can be used over and over again. Just take three kitchen sponges and cut them into three lengthwise strips. Then, using twine, tie the strips together in the middle, double knotting the twine so that it doesn’t come undone. Soak your sponge bombs in water, and toss them away! And, when the fun is over, you can squeeze out the sponges and let them dry overnight until the next water battle begins. You won’t know what hit you until you try it!
Water Bottle Sprinkler - For those of us with no sprinklers, playing in plumes of water from them may seem like a pipe dream. But, not only are they simple to DIY to water our plants and keep our grass happy and healthy, but to also keep the kids entertained! With a liter-sized plastic bottle and a large screwdriver, you are minutes away from having a DIY sprinkler. Using the screwdriver, drill holes all over the water bottle, making sure that there’s enough room for the water to come out. Then, using masking tape or duct tape, fasten the mouth of the water bottle over your hose, turn on the water, and watch your sprinkler shoot that water sky high!
Water Tag - If water guns seem a bit too hazardous for your family, then this fun game is the perfect, low-risk game for you. Simply rinse out an old spray bottle — I’ve found that Windex-sized bottles work best for longer games — and refill it with water. Once your child-friends ‘water gun’ is complete, you’re ready to start playing! The person who’s ‘it’ holds the bottle and tries to spray the other players. Whoever gets sprayed first becomes ‘it,’ and the game continues until the bottle is empty or everyone is too tuckered out to keep playing. Simple, reusable, and loads of fun, this game is perfect for younger children and larger groups.
Water-Free Outdoor Activities
To put it simply, playing outside with water may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and sometimes you just want to enjoy an outdoor game that is strictly water-free. Luckily, even if you want to stay dry outside and just enjoy the sun, there are plenty of ways to have fun and stay active!
DIY Bean Bag Toss - While you can buy bean bag toss games for your backyard, they’re expensive and can be challenging to put together. To make this simplified but still fun bean bag toss, all you need are paper plates, markers, and bean bags or bean bag-like objects. Using different color markers, write 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 on the paper plates. These represent the number of points each player is worth. Once your plates are finished, take them outside and line them up with 10 at the bottom and 50 on top. Now, you’re ready to take a few steps back and, with your best aim, throw your bean bag at the plates. The highest score wins, but no matter who wins, everyone will be having fun!
Extreme Marco Polo - This game is traditionally played in a swimming pool, but it’s so much easier and can be a lot more fun when played on dry land and with a few extra rules. The rules are pretty much the same: one person is ‘it’ and has to keep their eyes closed during their turn while trying to tag the other players. The only way for them to find the other players is to say “Marco,” after which the other players have to respond with “Polo.” Normally, when a player is tagged, the round resets with that player being ‘it,’ but, in this version, now both players are ‘it.’ The round continues until only one player is left who isn’t ‘it.’ While the game lasts longer this way, it only increases the fun!
Water Bottle Bowling - For people who want to enjoy the outdoors without running around, lawn bowling is a great way to score some points and bask in the summer sun. All you need are 10 water bottles and a ball like a soccer ball or a kickball. Fill each water bottle up halfway so they won’t fall over on their own, and line them up in that classic bowling triangle. Once your pins are set up, stand a few feet back and roll the ball, trying to knock down as many pins as possible. When the game is complete, either store the water bottles for another round later or recycle them.
Whether the summer sun or the air conditioner is your cup of tea, there are seemingly infinite possibilities for having fun and enjoying summer vacation while it lasts. Wet, dry, indoor, or outdoors, you can always find ways to stay creative, active and make the most of these months. I hope these quick snapshot activities inspire you to exercise your minds and bodies and maybe even create your own ways to keep you and your family entertained and close! There are always more ways to make the most of the time we have with the ones we love before school resumes in the
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