Top 6 Ways to Entertain Your Kids This Summer
Keep your kids entertained this summer with enriching activities for the whole family. Consider some ideas for summer activities kids can enjoy — try these or use them as inspiration to come up with your own fun ideas.
Plan a Backyard Pool Party
Is there anything better than a summer pool party? Throw your own backyard pool bash for family and friends — all you need is water, sun, and some refreshments. If you don’t have an in-ground or above-ground pool, opt for an inflatable pool. They come in sizes and styles for all ages; there are inflatable pools for small children and larger ones for tweens, teens, and adults. Even letting the kids run through the sprinklers can be a fun summer activity that can help them stay cool.
For kids’ swimsuits that last all summer, choose chlorine-resistant fabrics. Swimwear for girls and boys with UPF 50 provides sun protection for covered areas but doesn’t replace the need for sunscreen. When your child isn’t in the water, they can wear a rash guard cover-up over their swimsuit for more coverage. Water shoes are a must-have because they help protect your child’s feet while they’re in the pool or even walking around the yard.
Enjoy Arts and Crafts Time
Let your kids express their inner artist with some arts and crafts time. You don’t have to give them a set activity; simply providing plenty of art supplies is enough to get their creativity flowing. Crayons, markers, pens, pencils, and plenty of paper are essential supplies, although you can adjust the list depending on your child’s age. Nontoxic water-based paint is always fun for kids of all ages; give them large sheets of poster board and let them finger paint or provide them with brushes and sponges.
Make sure your kids wear comfortable, machine-washable clothes while creating their masterpieces. Girls’ and boys’ polos are good choices; look for performance fabrics like polyester and acrylic. Some fabrics are treated with a stain-resistant finish for added durability. Kids can wear sweatpants, leggings, or jeans for arts and crafts time; put a smock or apron over their outfit if you’re worried about stains.
Teach Them to Cook
Another activity that calls for comfy clothes is home-cooking class. This is another activity that should be tailored to your child’s age and ability level. Young kids can set the table and perform tasks such as stirring. Older kids can peel vegetables, grease and flour cake pans, and operate small appliances such as a hand mixer. These are only examples of kitchen tasks for kids; consider your child’s personality and unique skills when thinking of other cooking tasks.
Teach kids how to read and follow along with a recipe. Even young children can do this, although you’ll have to do most of the work. Older kids can create easy to intermediate recipes with minor assistance. If you have teens, you can likely award them the task of cooking dinner or preparing dessert.
Schedule Reading Time
Quiet time with a book is always a good thing, regardless of the season. On mild summer days, let your child read outside on a beach towel. They can wear a T-shirt and a pair of boys’ or girls’ shorts with flip-flops or sandals; sunglasses are also recommended to protect their eyes from UV rays. For indoor reading sessions, give your child a cozy throw blanket and/or personalized pillow to cuddle up with while they read.
Have Weekly Movie Nights
Once- or twice-weekly movie nights are an activity the whole family can enjoy. On each movie night, let a different member of the family choose the movie they want to watch. If you’ve got two kids, consider a double-feature night where each child picks a film. As with reading time, comfy essentials are a must. Dress your kids in pajamas or loungewear and give them a throw blanket for snuggling. You could even create a picnic on the floor by moving the coffee table and putting a blanket down. Provide kids an assortment of healthy snacks, such as air-popped popcorn and fruit slices with yogurt dip.
Play Old-School Board Games
Another family activity for summer is game night. Dust off your old board games and let the kids choose what they want to play. Make sure to choose games that are designed for your child’s age range. For young kids, go for Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. Older kids can enjoy word games like Scrabble and Boggle or even a strategic board game such as Monopoly. When it comes to dressing for game night, a pair of comfortable jeans and a T-shirt is one idea; you could also let everyone wear their favorite comfy pjs.
Consult with your kids and see what they want to do this summer. You don’t have to go on vacation to have fun; using these ideas and your own, you can plan plenty of entertaining activities.