To many, summer means long days full of sunshine and heat. To parents, the summer season means children bouncing off the walls and getting overly excited during their break from school.
You may have visions of your children amusing themselves by running a lemonade stand or playing out in the street, but the likelihood is that your children will rely upon you to come up with fun activities for them to do.
The summer is a good time for children to socialise with their friends outside of lessons. You could encourage your kids to invite friends over to play games or participate in whatever fun summer activity you have organised for that day.
It can be daunting trying to come up with ways to keep your children entertained over the summer holidays. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of fun ideas of activities that you can organise for your children.
Summer activities for kids
There are tons of fun summer activities that you can do with your children as a whole family, or things for them to do on their own. This includes sports clubs, arts and crafts and day trips out. It’s a good idea to give your children physical activities to do, along with mental stimulation to keep their minds sharp over the long summer weeks.
Children can also give back to the community by volunteering over the summer. There are plenty of charities and organisations that would appreciate a helping hand with events and everyday tasks. The summer is also a good time for children to learn new skills such as cooking or to relax whilst watching a family movie.
Continue reading to find out our top picks for ways to keep your kids occupied this summer!
Volunteering
There are plenty of rewarding volunteering opportunities that your child can participate in. They will learn useful life skills such as teamwork, time management and persistence. Volunteering is also a good way for your child to gain experience in a certain industry or career. For example, your child may want to become a vet when they are older, which is why it would be a good experience for them to volunteer in a local animal shelter.
Your child will also gain a sense of community and learn empathy for other people. Some volunteering roles are also based outside, which has the additional benefit of letting your child get fresh air and exercise. You can also choose how many hours your child volunteers for, depending on your and their other commitments.
As with many of these summer activities featured on the list, volunteering is a great addition to your child’s CV and will be a good talking point at future interviews. There are so many skills that your child will gain through volunteering and the experience will help your child to stand out from the crowd in future applications.
Team sports
Sports activities are a great way for your child to keep fit and healthy over the summer. The clubs encourage teamwork and fair sportsmanship, along with self-discipline and time management. Team sports can also help your child to see the benefits of being active, which can help them to pursue a healthy lifestyle in the long run.
There’s nothing better on a hot summer day than taking part in a friendly game of cricket or football. Many clubs offer classes for older kids as well as younger kids in order to cater to their varying abilities.
You can also organise a backyard obstacle course for your children and their friends or a homemade sports day as a more affordable alternative to organised clubs. A good way to keep the kids cool after a day running around in the sun is ice lollies and a nice cold glass of juice.
Summer schools
Not only do summer schools keep your child busy, but they can also benefit their studies during term-time too. You can enrol your child on a course to help them improve their knowledge of a subject area that they have previously struggled with or a subject that they have shown particular interest in.
Your child can learn from tutors that have an expansive knowledge of specialised subjects, which may encourage them to encourage their studies into further education. Summer schools are also a good way for your child to experience what life is like and other institutes, such as university, which can help them to make the transition to higher education in the coming years.
There are various other featured activities that most summer schools offer aside from academic studies such as excursions in the local area and guest lectures from subject experts. These schools are also a good opportunity for your child to meet other students from different backgrounds and cultures, as well as a chance for them to practice their language skills.
Summer schools can also help to improve your child’s CV, especially if they are held at a world-renowned institute such as the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge. Future academic admissions boards and employers will appreciate that your child has chosen to engage in extra-curricular activities as it shows initiative and drive.
Cooking and baking
They are important life skills to learn, which is why you should introduce your child to cooking and baking from a young age. There are lots of kid-friendly cooking recipes that you can do alongside your child to teach them how to prepare food in a safe way. Teaching your child how to cook can also help your children to make healthier choices when it comes to food as they can see which ingredients go into each meal. This lets your children enjoy all the fun of making a mess in the kitchen, along with learning valuable cooking techniques.
Aside from the physical creation of the food, you can also teach your children about meal planning and grocery shopping. You can incorporate money management into your discussions about buying ingredients if they are old enough, which is also an essential life skill.
Younger children will need more supervision in the kitchen, but there are still plenty of tasks that they can do to help with the preparation, such as stirring the mixture or decorating the baked goods.
Arts and crafts
We often get rain in the midst of summer, which is why it’s a good idea to have plans up your sleeve for bad weather. Some of the fun things your child can do on a rainy day include making collages from old magazines, printing on fabric using vegetables and finger painting. These crafts can be done with children of any age, which is why they are perfect for families with older and younger children.
There are many benefits to getting your child involved in arts and crafts, aside from keeping them busy. Art can help improve your child’s fine motor skills, as well as encourage a creative output to help them express themselves and improve their problem-solving abilities. Art can also help to improve your child’s concentration, which will benefit them when they return to their studies.
You can encourage your children to participate in short craft activities if they have a short attention span, or help them work on bigger projects that last the whole day. it can give your children a real sense of accomplishment once they see the finished piece, which could inspire them to pursue art as a hobby in the long run.
Day trips
Children don’t want to be stuck at home all summer, which is why arranging a few day trips is sure to go down well and will keep the kids busy. The trips can be organised with an educational purpose in mind, or solely as a way to burn off energy. A nature walk has the benefit of encouraging outdoor play, whilst a trip to the local park provides the opportunity of socialising with other children.
There are plenty of places to visit with your children over the summer, including wildlife parks, historic castles and even trampoline parks! You can pick a few places that you want to visit when the weather is good and a few inside venues that you can use as a backup plan when the storm clouds roll in.
