Summer is right around the corner! Summer is celebrated around the country with fun, leisure, and special activities. With some planning and intentionality, you can make this a summer to remember!
The Key to a Fun Summer: Planning
At the beginning of summer vacation, you feel like you have all the time in the world. It’s easy to let a few weeks go by–but before you know it, the first day of school is right around the corner. Take advantage of your summer break with just a little planning!
Plan the Big Events First
Put the big items on your calendar first: vacations, day trips, visiting family, or other out-of-town trips. Summer camps can be a week or more out of your summer vacation, so these need to be scheduled in advance.
Reach out to friends and family for playdates. It takes collaboration to meet up with friends because they have schedules, too! Putting these get-togethers on the calendar early will help you take advantage of every opportunity
Don’t Forget About the Work
Summer is about fun, but work still needs to be done. Write out some household or yard projects, planning for no more than one a week.
Summer is an excellent time to include your child in these projects! Let them help you paint the fence in the yard, plant or weed the garden, or hang pictures on the wall. Putting these special projects on the calendar will help you feel accomplished at the end of the summer.
Look Up Local Events
Once you have planned the big items on your calendar, you can fill in the gaps with fun local things to do.
Social media pages, local news sources or magazines, and neighborhood bulletins can help discover local events, new parks, parades, and so much more! You can also search for “summer events near me” in a search engine.
Don’t Be Exhausted From Your Summer Break!
When planning your summer activities, be sure to schedule regular breaks. Your child shouldn’t be exhausted from their summer break–if they are, they may struggle when school starts. Be sure to schedule a few days off a week for leisure and to recover from busy activities. Take your child’s personality into consideration, too: some children need more rest, while others can handle more activity.
Ready for some fun and free summer activity ideas? Here are our favorites!
Tap Into the Library
If you haven’t discovered the resources in your neighborhood library, summer is the perfect time! Most libraries have weekly scavenger hunts, baby-kindergarten story times, arts and crafts events, culinary events, LEGO play dates, science experiments, and so much more!
Many libraries have reading challenges where kids can win prizes. These help children stay motivated, improve their reading skills, and keep their brains sharp during the academic break.
Most events at libraries are free and require no registration, so they are the perfect activity to add to your calendar.
Camp In the Backyard
Camping provides many wonderful childhood memories. Luckily, you don’t have to pack up your whole house or forfeit indoor plumbing when you camp in your own backyard!
Children are just as delighted with pitching a tent, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire, and stargazing in their backyard as they are in the middle of the forest. Backyard camping is a low-risk activity because if things don’t go well, you can just go inside! But if your child loves camping, you can try an official campground later.
Watch an Outdoor Movie
Going to the movies can be expensive and you’re limited to what you can watch. But with just a projector, a big sheet, a speaker, and some blankets and pillows, you can have a memorable outdoor movie experience!
Invite over some friends or keep it small; go all out with a candy and s’mores bar or just pop some popcorn. The details are up to you! Either way, your kids will love watching their favorite movie outside.
Nature Hike and Picnic Lunch
There’s only so much video gaming and television watching that a kid can (or should!) do in the summer. Time to get outdoors and explore nature! Pack a picnic lunch and find a local hiking trail. Many parks in your area have walking paths or easy hiking trails. Even better, pick a park that has a splash pad and pack a swimsuit to cool off after your hike!
To make your nature hike more engaging and educational, bring along a bird or insect identification guide, print out a scavenger hunt page, or bring along a bag or cup to collect interesting nature items and flowers for a bouquet.
Enjoy the Water
Children of all ages love to play in the water, even if it’s just splashing in a shallow pool. While adults typically think of swimming in a pool as the main summer activity, this isn’t always possible from a time and financial standpoint. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on water fun! Here are some easy ways to enjoy water activities:
- Splash Pads: Many local parks have splash pads in addition to their playground equipment. For extra fun and creativity, bring some plastic cups or bath toys.
- Water Balloon Fight: There are countless ways to enjoy water balloons on a hot day: games, races, battles, and more! Make it a neighborhood event or keep it small–either way, it’s sure to delight your children!
- Sprinkler: This old-fashioned backyard water fun never goes out of style! While there are hundreds of colorful blow-up sprinklers, any yard sprinkler would do!
- Squirt Guns: Another favorite that never gets old! Similar to a water balloon fight, you can make a squirt gun battle a social event or keep them handy for when boredom strikes.
Have a Nature Evening
Nature is full of beauty and magic at night, but children are often sleeping by the time it gets dark. But one night, plan a special night to soak up all the beauty and enjoyment of nature, even if it goes past their bedtime:
- Watch the sunset
- Catch fireflies
- Stargaze on a night with a full moon
- Find the constellations
No matter what your summer plans include, there’s always time to make memories with your children that will last a lifetime!
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!