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The weather is warm and the days are long, that combination means that kids need to be kept busy. That doesn’t mean more screen time, keep little ones to tweens occupied with super summer activities.
With camps and recreational activities closed to the coronavirus, kids will be home this summer and parents will have to fill the breach. It’s easier than you think. Check out these nine great indoor and outdoor activities for families to do together.
Bring the Water Fun Home
Do your kids love to ride on slides that drop you into a splash pool at water parks? You can create your own mini water adventure in your backyard. Put a wading pool under your conventional slide and let your kids experience a cooling splash at the end.
Make a giant Slip N Slide with these easy to follow YouTube directions from I Like to Make Stuff. Not enough room? You can purchase a conventionally sized water slide online from Amazon.
Other ways to get wet is to have a water gun fight using super soakers or any other large capacity water gun or just turn on a sprinkler and let your kids enjoy running through it on a hot day.
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Indoor or Outdoor Picnic
You don’t have to go outdoors for a picnic. Pack a sandwich and watermelon lunch and eat it on a blanket on the living room floor without worrying about ants or mosquitoes. Make a picnic on your balcony. Or if you live nearby a park that you can keep socially distant at, take a walk to your picnic spot. Indoors or outdoors, eating a meal in a different location is always fun for kids.
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Make Your Own Ice Cream Parlor
Miss going out for ice cream? Turn your kitchen into a make your own sundae ice cream parlor. All you need are some summer themed tablecloths, ice cream scoops, and old-fashioned ice cream dishes from your local dollar store. Buy an assortment of ice cream flavors, toppings, and sprinkles and you have everything you need to turn your kitchen into an ice cream parlor.
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Summer Reading
School may be out for the summer but reading is definitely in. Set aside a time every day for older kids to read and for story time for little ones. Sign your kids up for Imagination Library to receive free books in the mail. Take a walk to a Free Little Library if there is one in your neighborhood, but don’t forget to carry disinfectants with you to clean the books. Some local libraries are sending books home to kids by various means including one in Virginia that is delivering books using drones.
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Take a Hike
Getting outside is good for kids. Let them soak up the vitamin D and get healthy exercise on a hike. Even communities with strict shelter-in-place policies allow people to go outside for exercise. Check to see which local trails have socially distanced hikes using AllTrails to find a suitable hiking spot near you.
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DIY Crafts
Make staying indoors fun by reaching out to your kid’s creative side. Good Housekeeping has a list of home craft ideas for kids from tots to tweens that will keep them busy for hours. You can make your own scented bubbles, tie dye a picnic blanket, paint rock babies, or make your own slime. Or save popsicle sticks to decorate pots for an indoor garden so your kids can grow their own food.
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Family Bike Ride
Mornings or evenings are the perfect time to take a family bike ride. Many communities have bike paths or ride in a nearby park. Experienced riders can ride bicycles on the Great American Hiking Trail that goes from coast to coast. So put your little ones in a bike carrier, put on your helmets and go pedal yourself some family fun.
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Indoor Vegetable Garden
Introduce your kids to nature by showing them where food actually comes from. You can easily grow herbs indoors on windowsills or outside on your balcony or garden. Some of the easiest herbs to grow are parsley, basil, cilantro, and dill. Herbs germinate quickly and grow fast so kids can really see results.
The easiest vegetables to grow indoors according to allrecipes include: carrots, scallions, peppers, radishes, microgreens, and tomatoes but you must stake these up and smaller varieties do better indoors.
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Family Olympics
The Summer Olympics may be cancelled but the sports can still go on. You can set up a basic archery set in your backyard. Badminton sets can also be set up in small yards as well as T-ball bases or softball bases depending on the age of your kids. Install a basketball hoop in your driveway for older kids.
If you don’t have a yard, you can do a gymnastic floor routine on mats in your living room or set up an indoor golf set and see who can get a hole-in-one. Use your imagination to think of other sports events and reward the winners with ribbons.
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