Avoid Those Boring Summer Days

Hey parents!! Are you ready for that time of year?! No, we’re not talking about Christmas. We’re talking about summer. Those hot, long, days of the kids whining "I'm bored!" over and over. Usually starts by the second week of summer break, right? If not sooner…

You realize that they aren’t really bored, right? They simply can’t think of anything they want to do. But they’re calling it bored, so the first step is to understand why they think they are feeling bored.

According to experts, boredom is a signal that a person needs mental or physical activity that occupies them. They need something that will let them vent their built up energy. Much like how we need food to satisfy our hunger.

So, as a parent, if you give them something to do, or offer suggestions, they will take the energy used in constant nagging, and turn it into negative behavior. And what parent wants to spend a long, hot summer getting phone calls from the neighbors about their kids???

What To Do, What To Do?

We have looked over lists of ideas to entertain the kids, and of course, you need to pick and choose according to their age level. 

1. Be a tourist and take in the local sites. Seeing your hometown in the eyes of a visitor can be an exciting, and educational, thing for children of all ages, and adults too!
2. Visit a different playground once a week in your city or town.
3. Start a flower garden or a vegetable garden. Choose vegetable plants that make flowers!  A great educational source that you can enjoy the benefits from as well as give the kids something to do every day (tending to a garden is a daily task).
4. Set a tent up in the backyard, basement, or den and let the kids “camp out” for a day or two.
5. Have a pizza making party with everyone fixing up their own.
6. Check with local factories and get the schedule for tours. Visit one each month or each week.
7. Check with the fire department for tours and educational classes.
8. Get the schedule for local fairs and festivals.
9. Buy a pack of inexpensive white t-shirts and let the kids tie-dye them.
10. Bring out the old school games like Hide-n-Seek, Mother-May-I, or Red-Light-Green-Light
11. Make brownies, cakes, or cupcakes and let the kids decorate them.
12. Have a backyard picnic with a basket of sandwiches, chips, and an old milk jug filled with lemonade (rinsed & washed out of course!). And bring out the old yard games like Bocce Ball, Croquet, Hopscotch,Horseshoes, or Rollors. Divide the kids into teams, younger kids vs older kids, or evenly mix on each team and play 2 rounds to get best out of 5. If you have enough kids, you can have a “super bowl” play off at the end of the week!