We are almost a full month into summer here are our house. How is your summer going, have you heard the dreaded words, "MOM!, I am so boooored!"? I thought today I would share some ideas that I have collected and some that we do here at our house to burn off that summer energy and to keep from hearing the most annoying kid complaint of the summer.
* I make my kids read everyday. We do it right after lunch during the heat of the day (and before we head out to classes / errands or to the pool). Take advantage of your local library and any summer reading programs they might have. If you think you don't have a reader, you just haven't found what they might be interested in yet. I had a son who hated to read and we explored some different types of books until we found something he really likes. Now that he is getting better at it, he really enjoys it. If you have an e-reader (like a kindle or a nook or a tablet / ipad) let your kids use those to read a book, or better yet, find an audible program that would read a classic to them. Do you remember having those read-along books when we were kids? You can still get those from the library if you have the equipment to use them.
* We wouldn't survive a day in the summer without water. Water always equals fun! If you have to water your lawn and run the sprinkler, let the kids run through it. Let them play with the hose and stay in the area of the grass that needs to be watered. We go to the pool a lot, if you are able to buy a punch pass it is usually cheaper and here where we live there is an awesome outdoor community pool, and that makes the indoor pool much much cheaper. (and I don't have to worry about sunburn). And nothing burns off energy like kids swimming. We picked up some super cheap water toys like pool noodles and dive toys at our local dollar store, as well as a pair of goggles and flip flops for everybody. We keep it all in a giant mesh bag and we are always ready to grab and go. It is a special treat after working hard in the yard or when they are especially energetic and need to burn off their wildness. Look for specials with groups that you are a member of, - bank customer appreciation night, school sponsored nights, or coupons in the local paper.
* Do some crafts if you need quiet time and engaging activities. The internet is chock full of ideas for free, fun frugal crafts for kids of all levels. We don't have too many crafters here at our house. It usually ends up just being a big mess that I get to clean up after it has dissolved into a fight. But if you have crafters, I suggest you spend some time on the internet because there are a bazillion ideas out there.
* Check out local free events in your area! The big home improvement stores have free workshops for kids.
One of the major craft stores has free kids classes, and another has them for half price with the coupon available on their website. I mentioned the library reading program but there are other reading programs like This one from Barnes and Noble, This one from Think Stretch, and This one from Scholastic where kids can read for the world record! Visit your city's official website and see what they have planned for local parks, zoos, museums and other local attractions.
* If you are looking for some things at home to just burn off bursts of energy, I recommend a mini trampoline. We couldn't live without ours. We bought it locally off a classified site for 15$ and there isn't a day that goes by that my kids don't use it. I have the little ones jump on it while they try and count to 100, I have the big ones jump on it and listen to their ipods. It gets used in all the obstacle courses that they make. I think we need another one. :)
* Lastly, put your kids to work in the kitchen, I mean.... Let your kids help in the kitchen. Teach them how to make macaroni and cheese or pancakes. Let them experiment with recipes that they think they might want to try. This will end up being one of the greatest things you ever teach your kids. It will help you both out.
