Blog

Schools out for summer (cue Alice Cooper) which can bring a love/hate experience for parents. On one hand, you're excited to be done with another year of scholastic hustle & bustle and dress up days but on the other hand, now you have to figure out filling in the next few months with activities to avoid boredom. Here are five activities you can do with your kids to help reduce boredom.

Five Activities to do with Your Kids

1.Take a Nature Walk.
Summer is the perfect time to get outside, get that Vitamin D fix, and see all the wonderful foliage Spring brought our way. If you have a local trail near you, take the kids out to explore identifying certain trees or plant life. Take some photos and bring them back home to research. If you live by the beach, switch this up to types of shells or sand particles.

If you live the city life, focus on building architecture. Explore colors, building shapes, or how many windows are on each building. 

2. Enjoy Some Pizza at Sunset
A handful of years ago, I started a tradition with my kids where we purchased a pizza from Dominos, then walked to the beach and sat on a blanket and ate the pizza while the sun set. This activity became a family tradition we still do today and is easy and cost-effective to do with your kids that they will definitely enjoy.

Not near a beach? No problem. The goal for this activity is dinner at sunset so if it's on a hill, the rooftop of your apartment building, or a park, the focus is to have the dinner during sunset to talk about your day. 

3. Have a Movie Fort Night (not to be mistaken for the Fortnite game).

Growing up, it was so fun snagging sheets and blankets from the closet and setting up a fort in the living room. Throw in a favorite movie and some popcorn and you've got a movie night fit for the best summer nights. 

Looking for some blanket fort design ideas? Check out this article by Laura Rogan from Secret Los Angeles: IKEA Reveals Instructions For 6 Different Types Of Blanket Forts

4. Create a Movie watch Checklist Poster 
My 17-year-old son currently has a 100-movie poster in his room which we are currently working on completing. If you don't have a poster at home like this one, then create one! Make a list of any movies your kids would like to see this summer. Thes movies can be either at the theatre or at home. Start crossing it off as you watch them and make it a game! Maybe throw in some older movies from your childhood to introduce them to.

If you'd prefer to purchase a movie checklist poster instead, you can find some on Amazon here.

5. Visit Your Local Library

When we lived in San Diego, our public library had a Where's Waldo scavenger hunt through downtown. My kids thought this was an absolute riot plus it gave us an opportunity to see local businesses within East Village. The object of the scavenger hunt was to find the hidden Waldo within several local businesses. Once you've located Waldo, you inform staff, and they mark their shop off your list. Once all Waldos were found, participants were entered into a drawing for a massive Where's Waldo package filled with books, stickers, and a beanie. My son actually won the drawing which was so rad!

Your local library might be loaded with fun free activities for your family to enjoy. From book readings to crafting activities, the library can be a great place to get out of the heat and into some literature. 

I also have FREE activity and coloring sheets on my website here.