7 Ideas for Summer Fun with Your Kids

summer fun with kids

Every year parents look forward to having summer fun with their kids through a vacation, but a few days spent cooped up in the house can make everyone a little crazy. If this sounds familiar, check out these seven ideas for summer fun.

1. Make a T-shirt 

Most kids love to make crafts, but crayons and construction paper get boring after a while. Instead of pulling out the art supplies, head to your local store or garage sale and purchase some inexpensive, solid-colored t-shirts. Kids can use fabric or acrylic paint, markers, dye or just about anything to make a shirt that they can wear proudly. You can also do this with hats or visors and inexpensive canvas sneakers. 

2. Go on a Picnic 

Enjoying the great fun outdoors is a must during the summer, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by going on a picnic. Gather your kids up to make a menu and get them involved with the cooking and preparation. Assign each child an important job to do (gather silverware, make sandwiches, count juice boxes), and pick a table at your favorite park or even a sunny spot in your own backyard where you can enjoy your meal. As an added bonus, you and the kids can bake cookies or cupcakes for your excursion. 

3. Have a Scavenger Hunt 

This one is a great summer fun for new readers who need to keep their skills sharp during the long weeks spent away from school and can be as easy or as elaborate as you would like. Simply make a list of common items your kids can find in your house or yard. These might include a rock, a coin, a red toy, a blue crayon - you get the idea. If your kids can't yet read, draw pictures or cut them from magazines. Have a prize ready for whomever finds all of the items.

4. Arrange a Reading Contest 

This one helps your kids stay on top of their education and it can be fun, too. Set up a goal number of books and any other rules you may want to include (such as books must be at least 20 pages long) and whenever your little readers reach a certain milestone reward them with stickers, trips to their favorite parks, sweet treats or movie night. Save the biggest reward for the largest number of books. 

5. Go Camping Inside

This one doesn't involve a tent or even the outdoors for fun. Allow your kids to set up camp in your living or family room by bringing pillows, blankets, sleeping bags and a bag of their favorite toys, books and snacks. Pop some popcorn and put a movie in the DVD player to add some extra joy. Summer fun may not always be done outdoors.  

6. Have Your Own Summer Olympics Fun

Summer is a great time of year to get your kids moving, and what better way to do that than having an Olympic-style competition? This isn't your average Olympics, though. Depending on how much money you want to spend, you will have to get creative with your competitions - three-legged races and egg and spoon races are always fun. You can set up obstacle courses with lawn furniture and use items such as beanbags, water balloons and bubbles to create other competitions. Just don't forget medals or rewards for the winning kids so they enjoy fully the summer fun.

7. Volunteer at Your Local Animal Shelter 

This idea is inexpensive and can teach your child about helping others. Most animal shelters allow people to come walk or play with the homeless pets. Just be sure you check ahead of time to make sure there are no age requirements for volunteers.

Summer time can be a great bonding time between the parents and the children. Make your summer worth remembering by trying to do at least two or more of the 7 ideas for summer fun with your kids.  

Allison Smart loves planning summer activities for her family, which includes her husband, Mike, and three kids, Luke, Matt, and Sara. A favorite family activity is boating at the nearby lake. When they needed a good rate on their boat insurance, Allison and Mike looked no further thanhttp://www.boatinsurance.org/

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7 Ideas for Summer Fun with Your Kids  is a blog post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children