Summer Ideas to Keep Young Minds Alert & Active

I believe in kids having summer vacations. Some of my best childhood memories are of my carefree summer days, riding bikes with my friends, playing man-hunt, catching fireflies, having picnics, and swimming in the streams around my home. However, now that I am a mom, I look at summer differently. My parents weren't very involved in my day to day activities and were happy if we were out the entire day. With no cell phones I can't imagine how they did it. We were so young, under 11, roaming until.....

For my kids, summer is about spending time together, going to the local beach, playing in the sprinkler, watching movies, playing games, doing crafts, and sitting at the table for some structured "mommy school". There schedule stays pretty much the same, bedtime no later than 8:30-9:00ish because they are tired by that time anyway and mom and dad need quiet time. 

When my sister-in-law visited last week, and saw all the workbooks and worksheets set up for Handsome and Goddess, her comment was, "looks like a fun-filled summer".  I just told her that the kids love it! They really do. They love the attention of one-on-one time with Mommy at the dining room table. They love the high fives and "I am so proud of you" when they do a great job! If my parents had done half of this, I might have been better than a "C - D" student.

Thanks to Mom Select I heard about a Primrose Schools and reading what they have to say, tell me that I am doing the best thing for my kids. 

Primrose Schools is the leader in educational child care, recommends encouraging imaginative play and having a plan in place to keep children's minds engaged during the summer months. Studies show that without stimulation, children can lose up to 60 percent of what they learned during the school year. 

Dr. Mary Zurn, Vice President of Education for Primrose, has come up with the list of ideas below as a starting point for summer activities that offer a balance between the freedom of child-initiated play time and more structured activities.

Here are 11 ideas parents can use to keep young minds active during the summer months:

1.       Boredom Buster Jar: At the beginning of the summer, sit down with your family and brainstorm a list of activities that can be done alone or that you can enjoy doing together. Encourage your children to share their own ideas and help you decorate and label a simple jar as the family "Boredom Buster Jar."  They'll feel more involved in the project and more likely to think this is a "neat" idea, if they participate in the creation and idea generation. Next, write everyone's ideas down on slips of paper and as a group decide which ones should go in the jar. Anyone in the family can pull any idea out of the jar to fight the summertime boredom blues.

2.       Stories Alive: It sounds too simple, but reading is one of the most important waysto keep young minds engaged during the summer.Make reading even more fun by finding ways to bring the stories to life. For example, in the book Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, children create a make-believe town in the desert out of rocks, boxes, and their imaginations. Read the book with your children and then challenge them to create their own town with materials they find in the backyard.

3.       Art Start Box: You'll need to gather basic art supplies-child safe scissors, glue, markers, tape and construction paper. Put them in a special box along with empty oatmeal boxes and paper towel rolls, colorful magazines and bits of aluminum foil. Occasionally add a special surprise like chalk, stickers, or stamp pads so there's always something new for the children to find. Even if you normally have these supplies around the house, it's fun for children to know that the Art Start Box is just for them. They'll probably have some good ideas of other household items that can be recycled to fuel their creative energies.

4.       Family Performances: Break out old clothes or costumes and encourage children to make up characters and create a play to act out.  They are the directors, actors, and producers.  They can also make musical instruments out of pots/pans, wooden spoons, empty canisters and have a parade; or everyone can play along to your family's favorite songs. Record or video the performances, and enjoy the replay.  You'll also be capturing a bit of family history everyone will enjoy for years to come.

5.       Family Dance Party: Crank up the music and encourage your entire family to boogie down. Dancing gives children a great outlet for self-expression through their own motion and helps build self-esteem. It also enhances motor and coordination development by incorporating skills like jumping, landing and leaping.  Dancing is a great activity that can involve the whole family and doesn't take very much preparation.

6.       Fort Building: Children love to build all kinds of structures--from small towns to large towers. Constructing forts or tents is an activity that can keep children focused and problem solving for hours. All the items you need can be found around the house- some chairs, cushions, blankets, and of course adult supervision.

7.       Cookbook Fun: Have you ever shared your favorite cookbook with your children?  Take it out and ask your children to choose a recipe to try. Measuring can be a fun and easy way to keep math skills fresh.

8.       Summer Scrapbook: All you need for this project is a spiral notebook. Encourage everyone in the family to draw pictures of favorite activities and collect mementos from special events throughout the summer.   Children love to go back through scrapbooks and albums and tell about what happened at each occasion.  They will also be building their storytelling skills at the same time.

9.       Listening Game: Lie down in the backyard, in the den or at the park and listen.  What do you hear? Do you hear what I hear? Can you imitate the sound? This is similar to watching the clouds and naming the shapes, and it encourages everyone to slow down and focus on listening.

10.    Camping Out: Pretend to campout in the backyard. Plan a meal, pack a backpack and set up a campsite.  You might even decide to spend the night!

11.    Scavenger Hunt: Make a list or picture cards of common household items and have your children find the items on the list. Invite friends or neighbors to join in the fun to make it a competition.

These are great ideas and you will never hear, "I'm bored!" again. 

Head over to the Dr. Z and Me website. She has tons of parenting ideas that are really thought provoking and interesting.

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a gift card in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.