Summer’s here and, after spending ten months keeping their brains engaged every day at school, it’s easy for kids to get bored over the annual two-month summer break. Happily, there are plenty of inexpensive and fun activities that kids can engage in that will not only keep them occupied but will also provide learning experiences and creative outlets.
Here are a few suggestions to get your summer started:
Outdoor and Nature
- Plan a scavenger hunt – Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, a scavenger hunt is always fun. With several different themes, you can have a scavenger hunt nearly every day.
- Nature journaling lets kids learn first-hand about nature.
- Gardening can be done indoors or outdoors, whether you live around the Sonoran Desert or up in the Flagstaff area.
Creative and Hands-On
- Make slime, playdough, kinetic sand and more!
- Building with cardboard boxes – Make forts, rockets, castles, and so many other projects.
- Construct easy DIY bird feeders or birdhouses.
Learning and Exploration
- Join a library summer reading program.
- Visit local museums, zoos, or nature centers.
- Stargazing – Whether it’s finding constellations, planets, or the space station, the summer sky is filled with amazing objects and is a great place to learn about science and astronomy.
- Backyard archaeology – Discover the history in the area around your home by finding archaeological treasure in the ground right in your own backyard.
Social and Active
- Start a neighborhood lemonade stand.
- Put on a backyard play or talent show.
- Use summer vacation to start a community volunteer project, like a food drive, picking up litter, or planting wildflowers
Rainy Day … or 110-Degree Day … Indoor Favorites
- Put together puzzles or play board games.
- Create some stop-motion animation with toys
- Origami and paper crafts
- Create a comic book or illustrated story
- Build an indoor blanket fort
Kids of just about any age love anything that mixes a little creativity with some physical activity— and it gets extra kid approval if it feels slightly messy or adventurous! So, when you hear your kids saying, “I’m bored!”, the above projects should alleviate the monotony of the long summer break, and the days will seemingly fly by.
