5 Simple Ways of Keeping Kids Entertained Throughout Summer

Now that summer is upon us, it’s time for parents to prepare for the months ahead. The summer recess is one of the highlights of any American child’s year, but they can’t make it special on their own. Summer should be a time where families are out basking in the sun, taking a break from the monotony of day to day life.

What no parent wants is for their kid to spend the entirety of the summer bored or locked away in their rooms. Fortunately, there are numerous fun and entertaining activities that any parents can do with their child over summer. Here are five ideas to get you started.

Get Them Gardening

Some children love the outdoors and need absolutely no encouragement to spend most or all of their lives outdoors. With these children, it is often a lot easier finding them something to do, as the yard is a playtime paradise for a child with imagination. Unfortunately, things often aren’t quite so easy.

Less outdoorsy children, those who have discovered the cold endless joy of smartphones and televisions, can be harder to keep satisfied when it’s blazing hot outside. With their rooms being too hot to be comfortable in, and the yard holding no allure for them, more indoorsy children often find summer difficult.

Gardening is a fantastic choice of activity for both sets of children. In the case of those who enjoy being outdoors anyway, gardening will give them another activity they can pursue outside and will also teach them about the world they love to immerse themselves in. Children who aren’t as taken with the outdoors can still get a lot out of gardening. Even if they aren’t quite as interested in the plants themselves, gardening enables children of all types to experience a relaxing and meditative pursuit.

There are a whole host of plants and flowers out there that are easy enough for a child to grow. They will no doubt need supervision at first, and make sure you always supervise the use of sharp tools, but before you know it, they’ll be able to sow and ultimately pick their own plants and flowers.

Get Them In The Yard

If, in spite of your best efforts, your children just have no interest at all in gardening, you should still try and get them to spend more time in the yard. During the summer, it isn’t just the mercury that rises; all of us are prone to worse moods and shorter tempers when it’s especially hot outside. If you don’t keep your kids occupied with plenty to do, it won’t be long before they’re back to annoying one another, or you.

Anything you can do to encourage them to spend time outside and to use up all that excess energy that they need to vent is good. If plants and flowers aren’t their thing, look for other things that might encourage your kids to go in the yard. There is a wide range of jungle gyms and other climbing equipment you can add to your yard, so your kids actually have something to do out there.

If you have sporty kids, why not find some outdoor activity equipment that allows them to train and develop muscles and skills. Alternatively, take this as an opportunity to encourage your kids to be more active. For example, you could add a trampoline to your yard, something any kid would be thrilled with.

If you're one of the many families with an old neglected trampoline in the yard, head on over to justtrampolines.com and see if they have what you need to fix it. They stock parts from many leading brands, including sportspower trampoline parts. If you have a trampoline in need of repairs, this is a great place to start.

Wholesome Hikes

Of course, you shouldn’t be looking to get rid of your kids entirely over summer; some quality family time is essential. There are in fact a number of ways that you can combine family time with getting your kids outdoors, and one of those ways is to go on a hike.

You might not think that there’s anywhere suitable near to you, but this is almost always wrong. You don’t have to stick to established hiking trails and routes if you don’t want to; there’s nothing stopping you from finding a brand new hike all of your own. Different people have different tastes when it comes to hiking, so don’t be disheartened if you can’t find a great hike straight away.

History and Culture

Combining fun and education for children is a tricky balancing act. Some children love to learn and will want to visit museums and art galleries, but for most, this isn’t going to be the case. The trick, from the perspective of the parent, is to get your kids to engage with any historical or cultural artifacts you come across.

Many museums today will have special exhibits and features just for children to enjoy. Have a look online at what museums are near you and what they can offer. If your goal is to teach your children a little history, it might be better to go to a site of historical interest and experience it first-hand, rather than experiencing it via museum exhibits.

Rainy Day Plans

Even in the summer, the weather isn’t always going to be on your side. When the sun decides to take a day off, that’s when you need to swoop in as a parent with a plan to save the day. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of potential activities you can do with kids indoors.

If you don’t mind cleaning up the resulting mess, a bit of art and crafts can be a lot of fun for creative kids. Whether this means doing collages or trying their hand at drawing and painting, art is a wonderful way of encouraging children to engage with and think about the world around them.

With a plan of action in mind, you should find summer a lot less stressful than it would otherwise be. The above ideas make for an excellent starting point, but you know your children better than anyone. You know the things they will and won’t enjoy. If you make the effort, summer can be a very special time for the family.