Summer is here and along with it comes glorious weather and sunnier days, but it also means the kids are out of school and back at home for a couple of months. If you don’t have the entire summer planned with a fun getaway, you might find your kids feeling a bit restless at home, which is never a good sign! To counter those dull days, we’ve put together a fun list of activities that you can create for your little ones to keep them busy, entertained and help them keep their creativity intact until they’re ready to go back to school.
Living Room Picnic
The best part about summer is taking the living outdoors, but on those days when the temperature rises too high, you can bring the outdoors in. Instead of just sitting the kids in front of the television, have an indoor picnic in your Great Room. Start off by creating a comfortable space – move the furniture around to open the room and bring in extra pillows for the kids to lay on. Next, set the scene: lay out your picnic blanket, put some fresh flowers in mason jars and bring out the food. You can have classics like cheese, meats, and fruits, as well as more kid-friendly options like chicken nuggets, pizza bites, and cake pops. Best of all, no sunburns, no pesky bugs and if you forget something, your kitchen is right there!
Transform Your Loft/Bonus Room
Now that daily homework is out of the way, you can rethink the spacious loft/bonus room in your home that you were utilizing as a study space for the kids. Moving their desks to the garage frees up and allows you to transform the loft into something fun like the ultimate playroom. Instead of a boring couch, set up a yurt where the kids can hang inside, read and play on their iPad. Fill the room with challenging games like puzzles that will keep them busy for hours, an easel or an arts and crafts table. This room will be their fun zone where their creativity can flourish.
Camping
Cool summer nights present the perfect opportunity to go camping, but it’s not always the most convenient activity for families as it requires a lot of planning, preparation and sometimes hours of driving. If camping isn’t part of your summer plans but you want to do something outdoorsy for the kids, consider letting the kids camp outside. Set up their tents in the backyard, fill them up with blankets, stuffed animals, snacks, toys, and games. Create a scavenger hunt and have them running around all day burning off that excess energy. End the night with scary stories and stargazing – but be careful, the kids might love the experience so much they’ll never want to come back inside!
Create a Drive-in Theater at Home
These days, drive-in theaters are elusive, but with the help of a projector, your garage, and a little imagination, you can create a unique experience for your kids. Simply hang a projector screen, which you can make yourself out of something as simple as a sheet in the garage, set the scene with some popcorn and soda and let the kids sit in your parked car and enjoy the movie. If you have a spacious car, park the car backward and open the backdoor to provide more room for the kids. You can also turn this into a community activity – invite the neighborhood kids over, hang the projector screen off the threshold of your garage, create faux cars out of cardboard boxes for the little ones to sit in and park them in the driveway.
