Originally posted August 25, 2014.
Please welcome guest blogger Holly Easterby to BirthTouch! Holly is committed to promote the welfare of children. She understands that children need proper guidance and education to be the best that they can be. Her love for children shows in her education and child-oriented websites, which discuss healthy snacks, motivation, and children’s fashion. She writes regularly for Bonza Brats and other similar blogs. In this blog, she discusses the things you should do to prepare your kids for summertime activities. She also gives several examples of outdoor activities you can do with the kids.
Kids love summer, not only because school is on break, but also because it’s time for fun under the sun. It’s fun to take advantage of the hot weather to finally find the time to move about and just be active. For kids, activities outdoors is always fun, since they get to spend time with other kids their age. You can be creative in coming up with exciting activities for kids during summer. You can choose to use your own backyard or take time to travel. Wherever you are, activities for summer will always be a fun way to bond with the kids.
The Fun Begins
When it’s hot, it’s always fun to go out and have fun with the kids. It’s an opportunity for them to explore and experience things with your supervision. Part of their development is to engage in different activities such as the following:
1. Playing with water
You know very well that all kids love to get all wet. You can just let them get crazy with the garden hose and the kiddie pool, or you can set up a water spray war. In a water spray war, you need to have empty plastic soap bottles with caps or empty spray bottles. It’s like playing tag with water. The one tagged will then perform the next bout of squirting. You can change the consequence by just telling the kids to freeze up when they get sprayed. If you want this as a pool game, your kiddie pool should have waist-deep water. That way, it’s hard for anyone to escape the water sprayer.
2. Treasure or Scavenger Hunt
Kids are known to love treasure hunts. They are fond of finding all sorts of things. You can plan on having the treasure or scavenger hunt outside your home. A treasure hunt allows your kids to work together in finding the ultimate prize. A scavenger hunt makes your kids search for a list of specific items. Remember to make it a safe hunt for the kids, since they will be looking outside or your home.
3. Make some mess
Outdoor activities are opportunities to get all messy. This is definitely one of your kids’ favorite things. Dress your kids up in their swimsuits or old clothes. You can give the kids some paint, clay, sand, bubbles, chalk, and other things that they like to make a mess with. You can even encourage them to make an elaborate science project.
4. Turn indoor activities into outdoor activities
Journaling, housework, drawing, and reading are just a few activities you can do outside your home. You can also make outdoor playhouses for your kids. The larger backyard is always a good place to play make-believe.
5. Bubble contest
It is very easy to organize a bubble blowing contest. Just make a simple bubble solution and construct bubble blowing tools out of wire loops, drinking straws, or funnels and you’re all set. Tell your kids to make a pile of bubbles on the table. You can also make this a contest such as “The Prettiest Bubble”, “The Longest Lasting Bubble” or “Blowing a Bubble into a Bubble”.
6. Bedding Plants
For this summer activity, you will need a mixture of potting soil, used cans or containers, plastic wrap, milk cartons, and an assortment of seeds such as sunflowers, tomatoes, parsley, poppies, and squash. Prepare the seeds before summer. Get the cartons and half fill them with soil. Water them lightly and plant the seeds. Water them lightly. Label each carton according to the seed you planted in it. Cover the cartons with plastic wrap. Place them in a dry and dark place, so that the seeds can germinate. When summer comes, remove the plastic wraps and place the cartons under the sun. Water them regularly. When the seedlings are about 2-3 inches high, transfer them into plastic containers. You and your kids can already sell them in just a few weeks.
7. Races
Kids love to race as well. Adrenaline rushed through them as their friends cheer them on. The potato sack race and the egg on a spoon race are always crowd pleasers.
8. Water Balloon Tossing
This is an outdoor game that’s perfect for summer. Just be sure you have a steady supply of water and balloons. You can divide the kids into teams and create a contest. They have to really toss the delicate balloons to one another and not hand them to each other.
9. Garden Creation
You can also help your kids create a simple garden made of gourds, sunflowers, pampass grass, date palms, roly-poly squash, and Chinese lantern plants. Be creative and different in your garden concepts.
10. Playing with toilet paper
Use each square of toilet paper as a ticket to say a fact to one another. This is a way to review for the coming school year.
Keeping Cool
It’s your responsibility as a parent to make sure that the outdoor games produce sportsmanship and more friends. The weather is already hot enough. Squabbles should be prevented. Make sure that all games are done fairly. All activities for kids during summer should bring out the best in your child and their friends.
Start gathering materials for your outdoor fun in the sun. Your kids will surely love to spend quality time with you, their friends, and their pets this summer, outside the confines of your home.
Author: Holly Easterby
Holly just loves children and it shows in her work in many websites for children and education. She likes to talk about motivation, children’s fashion, and healthy snacks at Bonza Brats. Holly loves to spend time with her family during her free time. Catch her via Twitter and Google+.