Great Summer Activities for Kids

Summertime is always a fun time, until the afternoon thunderstorms roll in. But you can enjoy the earlier part of the day with lots of fun activities for the whole family. It's important to get the children outside to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. Try some of these:

• Water Balloon Fights – always a fun time
• Hose Fights or Slip-n-Slide – there’s no getting away from it
• Relay Races – usually barefoot and in bathing suits
• Softball/Baseball – local summer leagues for kids
• Water Slides – weekend family fun
• Scavenger Hunts – a little competition never hurt anyone
• Tennis – exercise is important
• Swimming Pool – races, chicken fights, and cannon balls sure bring back memories
• The Beach – If you live near the coast
• Picnics – with lots of hand sanitizer and finger food complete with dipping sauces
• Horseshoes – an old fashioned game that will never go out of style amongst men
• Horseback Riding – who wouldn’t enjoy a ride into the woods, mountains, or on the beach
• Shell Hunting – again, if you are near the coast
• Sand Castle Building – if you are at the beach or a lake
• Basketball – summer tournaments can be a great deal of fun
• Playground – for the younger children, playground time is always fun. It releases much of the pent up energy the children have.
• Kickball – Old fashioned game that will never lose its appeal.

Take advantage of any rainy days when you will be at home or inside a day care facility; It assists in making your children well rounded and appreciative of the musical talent.Expose them to as many genres as you can.

• Making a band is fun, and gives you the opportunity to expose the children to many genres of music.You simply play a song on your medial player, and assign instruments to each child. One will play the drums with wooden spoons and pillows. One child will be the bass player with the household broom. If you have another child, you can use a ruler for a flute, a washed banana for a harmonica, or a small hand weight for singing.
• Finger painting and/or coloring (both inside and outside of the lines) will expose them to their own sense of creative art
• Have a talent show - to teach them about competition
• puppet show – to expose them to creativity and laughter
• Have a dance-a-thon - great physical activity
• Play board games – to exercise their brains
• Have a scavenger hunt – to hone in on their detective skills and competition
• Write and illustrate a children’s book, collectively as a team – to practice working with others
• Write letters to the troops – to show patriotism
• If you intend to go out on a rainy day, might I suggest the following:
• Roller skating – great physical activity
• Bowling – great physical activity
• Movies – time for rest and relaxation
• Read books - time for rest and relaxation
• Ballet or Musical Theater - to expose them to the Arts
• Window shopping and people watching at the mall is usually a hit

*activities are dependent on the age of the children.

On rainy days out, here are some fun ideas:

• Science Museum – for our future doctors
• Zoo – for our future veterinarians
• Planetarium – for our future astronauts
• Library – for our future scholars
• Art Museum – for our future artists
• Theater/Musical – for our future actors and dancers
• A Live Concert - for our future musicians
• A Historical Museum – for our future historians
• Spelling Bee – for our future writers and authors
• A Cultural Event or Festival – for our future foreign relations
• A Court Room visit - for our future judges

Have a safe and healthy summer. Don’t forget sun block, sun glasses, and hats when you go outside.

"Be kind to one another" ~ Ellen

God Bless You ~ Margaret Sullivan