For many of us, the kids have been home for quite a while now. Many have returned to school on a limited schedule. Although they have been home, most of their days have been filled with virtual or in person learning as well as independent work from home activities. But summer is almost here, and they will no longer be logging on to a computer during set hours or leaving the house for a few hours a day. They will be looking for things to do to keep busy. Sure, they can continue on the iPads, laptops, and video games. But after over a year of countless hours of screen time, maybe it's time to encourage less screen time and more active and interactive activities at home. Below is a list of 10 simple, fun, and almost free ideas to use with your family.
Mileage Chart
Get your kids moving daily. Make it a habit to get out a few times a week to take a walk or run around the block. You don't have to go far and with the heat starting to rise, you can even walk around inside your house. Make it a game to see how many times you went from the kitchen to the bedroom to get to one mile. There are numerous types of wearables to track your steps all at various prices. You can go fancy or simple. I recommend simple for the little ones who will only use it for step counting purposes. Older children and adults may want something a little bit more with heart rate check, time, etc. If you or your kids don't have one yet, shop around first to find something that will work best for you and your family. Keep track of your steps all summer long and maybe give a prize, such as a foot massage, to the person who walked the most steps.
Don't stop at the end of summer. Take the Healthy Fontana Challenge each month. Register at https://www.fontana.org/2768/Fontana-Walks. You will receive free face coverings & wristband pedometers, while supplies last, when you register.
Guinness Book of (your family name) Records.
Come up with a list of activities. Test who can get the most impressive results. Ideas could be, Most jumping jacks, Runs across the backyard the fastest, Jumps the farthest, Catches the most balls in a row, Makes the most baskets in 2 minutes, etc. The possibilities are endless. Let your kids come up with ideas as well. Take pictures and make a chart. Or for those with more time, why not create a whole book to share with family and friends. You can even have monthly family events to try and break a record. If your family has a wide range of ages, group the categories accordingly by age. We don't want the little 3 year old upset because he can never beat 15 year old brother in a backyard race. In cases like these, time them against them self - and see if they can beat their own record a few weeks to a month later.
Scavenger Hunt
Create a scavenger hunt. For younger children, you can do a color or alphabet scavenger hunt. Pick about 10 colors and have them find things in that color category or choose some letters and have them find things that begin with the same letter. Also works with shapes. For older kids, make it a photo scavenger hunt. Send them out with a camera and have them search for various items. To add a little creativity, if you have the kids search for recyclable items or leaves, twigs, etc. you can have them create a robot, a house, or anything they want using the items they found.
Obstacle Courses
Create an obstacle course. Use items you have around the house to do this. I love doing this with my kids because we can keep changing and redesigning. I let my kids come up with course and then test out their ideas.
Balloons & Pool Noodles
Balloons and Pool Noodles are great fun. Blow up balloons and hit them with pool noodles in a giant battle of dodgeball or basketball (have the kids hit the balloons into a laundry basket). (Dollar Stores carry both pool noodles and balloons so you don't have to spend a lot.)
Water Balloons
Water balloons are always a big hit. You can purchase fast fill water balloons, which can be a bit more pricey but faster to get a lot of balloons filled at once. Or what I recommend is the Tie-not Water Balloon Filler which takes more time filling one balloon at a time but kids can tie their own balloons. I personally purchased the Tie-not and I love it. My son who just turned 5 years old fills up and 'ties' his own water balloons. My 3 year old is not quite there but he actually did get 2 tied on his own.
Here are some ideas you can do using water balloons: water balloon toss, water balloon toss using towels, hot potato, musical chairs, buy a water balloon sling shot, water balloon number or sight word target practice, basket toss, and water balloons on a spoon race.
Sensory Boxes
Water beads. Rice. Sand. Noodles. Box of Water. Giant block of ice filled with toys. Get plastic bins to reuse the items. Add cars, figures, plastic trees and plants. This is an opportunity for lots of creative play. So find random items that you kids love with various textures, and let them play away.
Sidewalk Chalk
Hopscotch, Shadow Art, Letter matching (capitals and lowercase), obstacle courses. The list goes on. Kids of all ages seem to like using chalk. Weather they are free drawing or playing a quick game of tic tac toe, chalk is simple and a fun way for kids to get creative.
Bubbles
Bubbles are always a big hit with the little ones. But older kids can have a blast with them as well. Have the kids create their own bubble wands using pipe cleaners, floral wire, a metal hanger, yarn and sticks, etc. Then have them challenge each other to see who can blow the largest bubble. For the little ones, I highly recommend a bubble machine. If you do not have one yet, you can find some inexpensive ones online. Blowing bubbles nonstop is not easy. And if you have toddlers, they would rather catch and pop the bubbles, not blow them, so it's all up to you. Don't want a bubble machine. I recommend the Play Day Bubble Maker Sticks. They come in a 6 pack for under $5. The reason I recommend these is because the wand is large enough that you can easily just swing it in the air and the bubbles will fly out. No need to blow, although your arm may get a little tired. They are easy to travel with as well.
Dance Party
Turn up the kids favorite songs and dance. It's that simple. You can turn it into a dance competition. Many kids seem to enjoy showing off their moves. You can even wait until dusk, turn off all the lights, grab some glow sticks or light up toys, and have a glow dance party. This is one of my kids favorite activities. So on many nights before our bedtime routine begins, we turn up the music and dance to get that last bit of energy out.
Paint Night
Get out some paint and paper and start creating a masterpiece. As a family you can decided if you want a theme for your paint night or simply a time to just be creative in your own ways.
Theme: have everyone dress up to match the theme of the night. Get snacks to match the theme as well. (ex. Animal theme - Animal Crackers)
Canvass ideas: piece of paper or cardstock, cardboard (cut off the sides of the packages you had delivered to your door), purchase canvasses at a store. Do you have old frames you just don't know what to do with? Use the paper/cardboard inserts and once your painting is done, frame it.
Plan: Will the paintings be for the family to display? Will they be used to create one larger image when placed together? Or will they be given as a gift to friends or family?
Just Because
Don't let those writing skills go down. Have your child choose a different person each week in the summer to write a letter to. They can include drawings or pictures but the goal here is to have them writing at least once a week all summer long. Be sure to encourage added details and to be specific. (I got a new yellow pail and green beach ball. Not - I got new summer toys.) Sure you can have them read a book and write a book report. Some kids really enjoy that. But not all kids are the same. So try and find other ways to make writing fun.
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