Summer is one of the most interesting seasons for parents. It can be frustrating to have a long stretch of summer break in front of you when you know that you still have to go to work every day to put food on the table. It’s frustrating because the summer break is designed to give children a rest, but parents don’t get afforded the same thing, which means that trying to find childcare and ways to keep your child busy for those three months is difficult.
If you’re planning ahead for 2025, then you might already be planning on saving for summer camps for kids next year. The Got Game Summer Camp, for example, Is a great place for your children to go for a few weeks or even the full summer break if you can afford to do it. Planning ahead is important though, so that you’re able to afford the fees that come with summer camp. Keeping kids busy during the long summer months is not an easy feat. It can be a challenge when you have your own list of things to get done on any given day and you also have a full time job to worry about. If you want to have good success with your summer but you can’t afford to do a camp this time round, take a look at these options to keep your kids busy during their summer months.
- Bike rides. If you have the time and everyone has a bike then there are plenty of great trails across the country. Biking is a great activity on any given day, especially during the summer months where the weather is the warmest. Family bike rides around town can even be a fun way to exercise and go get ice cream. You can enjoy some sunshine, connect with your kids and take the time to teach them how to ride a bike.
- Set up a reading challenge. If you grew up in the 90s then you might remember the Pizza Hut reading challenges where you used to get a free pizza for every set of books you finished over the summer break. There are books out there for every single child, however, from fictional classics to sports biographies and libraries are free. If you’re on a budget this year, then you need to think about going to as many library visits as you can so that you can meet authors, do the activities and get your child to check out some books to read. A local library gives them a chance to experience new books without having to pay for them, which means that they get to read as much as they want over the summer, expanding their minds and giving their imaginations new leases of life.
- Aim for day camps. Not all summer camps have to be sleepaway camps. There are plenty of day camps where you can send your child to have fun for the day. They can be nature exploration camps, technology camps, sports camps, or even learning camps. For every child there is a camp or some type of educational day out there for you to drop them off and pick them up at the end of it.
- Plan some forest walks. There is so much to learn about nature and getting your kids outside and into the forest can give them some time to exercise and get away from their screens. You can set up a list of insects or birds or even types of plant or tree for them to find so that they can scavenge for these things and take them off of a list. It’s a great way to keep them engaged and if you can get anybody to spot a snake then you can always offer prizes for the weirdest wildlife spotted in the forest.
- Work on building a new routine. For every day of the summer break, dedicate it to something. Mondays could be craft days, Tuesdays could be a day to go out, Wednesday can be a day in the pool, Thursday could be a charity or a community day, and Friday could be a baking day.If you allocate a task to each day, you can change those tasks up week by week. So one week they could be learning how to bake biscuits and the next week they could bake a cake.
- Get them out in the pool. You can set up several paddling pools, you could fill up the outdoor pool, or you can make sure that you have water balloons in a bucket. Either way, you can get your kids outside and enjoy themselves. It’s a fun way for them to let loose and enjoy themselves, which is what the summer break is all about.
- Set up some board games and puzzles. If you are being lashed by the rain this summer, then you need to set up some board games and puzzles so that the kids have something to do on the inside of the house. You can still keep them as entertained as usual, but without going outside. Puzzles are a great way to keep kids entertained, especially if you’ve got 500 to 1000 piece puzzles for them to do. There’s so many skills that they build that comes with puzzle making and board games, including logic and turn taking.
- Encourage them to discover new things. A great way to keep your kids busy is to stimulate their imagination. Encouraging them to discover new things and find new interests is important over the summer holidays. Their passions may be unexpected ones, but if you give them the chance, children have the opportunity to explore something of interest. It’s a great opportunity to help them learn more about how they think and about themselves.
The summer break can be long and arduous for a parent who is looking for ways to keep their child entertained. Now you have these tips, you should be able to do that.