Ideas to Keep Your Kids Busy During the Summer

It can be tough to keep your kids busy during the summer. With school out, they often have too much free time on their hands. This can lead to them getting into trouble or becoming bored and restless, which can be exhausting for parents. We’ve assembled a few ideas for keeping your kids busy this summer – so let’s dive in!

Summer Camps

One great way to keep your kids busy is to enroll them in a summer camp. This can be anything from a sports camp to a music camp to an art camp. Summer camps provide structure and activities for kids to do during the day, which can help them stay out of trouble and avoid boredom. But, camps are far different than they used to be, specializing in specific interests to make sure that your child is getting lots of stimulation and fun from what they are most passionate about. For instance, if your child loves to swim, you could enroll them in a camp like Aqua Surf. Your kids will come home from camp happy with new skills and interests.

Community Classes

Another option is to sign your kids up for classes at your local community center. These can be anything from dance lessons to cooking classes to martial arts. Giving your kids the opportunity to learn new skills and explore their interests can help them stay busy and motivated during the summer. And, like with camps, many community centers offer a variety of different classes so you can find something that’s perfect for your child. If your budget is tight, give them a call and ask to speak to someone about grant opportunities, they usually have programs for free or reduced-fee tuition.

New Hobby or Project

Another great way to keep your kids busy is to get them focused on something artistic. Check your local shopping apps for free or cheap furniture pieces, perhaps a small table, or bookshelf. Let them choose paint colors and some brushes and see how artistic they can get with that piece of furniture. If you can use the piece, great! If not, try selling it to earn money for school supplies or new clothes!

A cloth chair or ottoman is another fun project. If there are designs on it already, great – it’s time for embellishments! If not, it’s a blank canvas. Add a large pack of fabric markers and some kids’ creativity and you’ve got hours of entertainment. Then comes the game of keep it, or sell it!

Educational Workbooks

During a long summer break, it is common for kids to forget many of the things they learned in school during the previous year. Some of this can be counteracted by grade-appropriate educational workbooks. It doesn’t have to be labor-intensive–just have your kids use their workbooks for 30 minutes each day to keep up their knowledge throughout the summer while still enjoying a relaxing break from typical academic rigor.

Service

Lastly, one of the best ways you can keep your kids busy during the summer is by teaching them the joys of serving others. Donating time to animal shelters, helping a senior with gardening or cleaning, making sandwiches, and bagging meals for the less fortunate at a food bank, are all humble activities that your family can take part in to make a difference in your community. Being kind to your neighbors takes energy and compassion, two things that kids have an abundance of.

When it comes to keeping your kids busy this summer, try to implement some unique ideas. They will spend that abundance of energy on being creative, and making a difference, and the fond memories will follow them forever.