The days of not so patiently waiting for mid June when school was out are waaaayyy over for me. I remember the last day of school, we would usually have a half day. My mom would get out of work early that day and pick me up, I always knew exactly where she would park because I would see the balloons floating above. I would eagerly run to greet her and get my end of the year present. Oh the good old days.
Being that I was an only child with a working mom, I had to come up with fun ways to keep myself entertained while my Grandmom watched me all day. I was a little nerdy academically inclined and spent a lot of my time playing school, practicing my cursive with Grandmom and talking to my many, many dolls (which I played with for way too long I might add!) . When I would go outside to play it was as if I stepped into a fantasy world. Besides all the toys, balls, Skip-Its, jump ropes, and riding around on bikes and roller skates- we played some awesome make-believe games. Have I ever told you my first wedding was actually in 1993 behind the mail boxes? Anyway, there did come a point when we jumped our last rope, threw our last ball and turned to our parents for ideas on “what to do.” Here are some fun activities for you to do with your children this summer, at home, at the beach or even on rainy days.
At home!
Make your own bird house/feeder
Plant sun flowers and enjoy the seeds at the end of the summer
Mother May I
Red Light / Green Light
Sidewalk chalk and blowing bubbles are always fun
Hopscotch- its fun and a great way for younger kids to learn their numbers!
Catching butterflies
Beach vacation!
Create a message in a bottle
Hermit crab races (all kids want to buy a hermit crab on the boardwalk, right?)
Build a boat in the sand – This was my favorite thing to do at the beach (ok I still take part in sand boat building with the neighborhood kids!) You just outline a boat in the sand with two benches and dig around the benches. Once all of the sand is dug out, the kids can sit in the boat. Watch out for high tide… you may get flooded!
Rain days
Make your own apple sauce
Make your own jewelry with gimp, string and beads
Have a talent show
Play dress up
Build a fort with chairs blankets and pillows
I’m sure there are a ton of other activities that you enjoy with your children during the summer months… please share!
