Surviving the Summer With Kids
by: Darlene Hull
You know what it’s like – kids are desperate to start the summer holidays,
you’re anxious to reduce the clutter in your calendar, everyone’s looking
forward to the warm weather, and then suddenly, after one week of summer bliss,
the whine sets in:
“Mom, I’m SO BORED!”
This, from children with
a room so bulging with activities, games, toys, crafts, and who knows what all
else, that they can’t keep it cleaned or organized.
However, even with
all of this, suddenly, you’re expected to be the entertainment committee. You
need to have wonderfully stimulating activities for your kids, up your sleeve,
ready at a moment’s notice – but you, too, are needing a break. What’s a mother
to do?
Well, here are some tips:
1. Let them be bored. By
jumping in with solutions all the time, you are not allowing your children to
use their own creativity. Ignore the bored whine if you can, and simply suggest
that they go look through their rooms for something to do. If that doesn’t work,
give them chores whenever they say they’re bored.
2. Have a planned
activity each day that stimulates their creativity. Do prepare one activity a
day – supplies for a water fight, an art project or science experiment, a hike,
etc. Do something that gets them out of the everyday, and triggers their mind to
think of something different or unusual so that they can stimulate their own
creativity.
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3. Get them outside. Send them outside every morning, before
the “dangerous sun times” and make them stay there until lunch. There are
playgrounds, bicycles, sports and games etc. that can keep them going for hours
if they are bored enough to find something to do. The sunshine will also
stimulate “happy hormones” which will have them (and you!) feeling much better
about life. If it’s raining, dress them appropriately, and send them out for at
least an hour. They can do puddle jumping, rescue earth worms, make mud pies –
the list is endless.
4. Give them a routine. Create a daily,
loose-but-structured routine that gives each day some framework. Include chores,
scheduled activities (meals, screen time, outdoor play, a planned activity,
etc.) Don’t over schedule or you’ll be doing them (and yourself!) a disservice.
Kids’ lives are so over-booked these days that they never have time for dreaming
or self-discovery.
5. Restrict Screen Time. Try and keep “mindless
entertainment via a screen” to an absolute minimum. Let kids schedule one TV
show plus one hour for games each day, and then let them use the rest for other
things.
Well, that should get you started. The Internet has a wealth of
information on this topic, so do some searching, gather your “ammunition” and
get ready for a great summer!
For more great activity tips see our FamilyPlanet Activity Center!
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