10 Ways to Keep Children Active and Engaged Over the Summer Holidays!
Summertime is upon us! While kids are looking forward to a quiet and enjoyable school break, some of us may be concerned that youngsters will remain hooked to television and the internet or may loaf around the home out of boredom.
According to research, children who have an abundance of free time without any structure and few educational activities may experience summer slip (a condition where they fall behind in their studies).
The good news is that it’s simple to keep young minds engaged and learning over the summer vacation.
How you ask.
Well, read on to know.
Ten Ways to Keep Children Engaged Over the Summer Holidays
Grow A Garden Together
If you want to support your child’s “save the environment activities”, you may have them make planters out of old mason jars, broken cups, coffee cans, plastic bottles and so on.
These repurposed planters are ideal for developing wall-mounted gardens in homes and balconies!
Explore the Unexplored
There’s a saying that goes like “Money may fill our pockets, but travel fills our soul.”
Summer holidays are perfect for planning family adventures, both near and far. Exploring new places exposes children to different cultures, histories and ways of life.
In addition to traveling to new destinations, you can also enjoy local outings. For example, you could visit the zoo, go hiking, explore exhibitions at art galleries or museums and much more.
Join a Team Sport
If you like sports as much as your child does, you may utilize this time to improve your own talents. Many societies have specific sports facilities (e.g., badminton, football, cricket, swimming) and local academies provide monthly training sessions.
Joining a sport will not only keep you and your child active but will also provide him/her with opportunities to connect with others.
Unwind With a Family Staycation
Backyard cookouts, board games and movie marathons seem enjoyable, don’t they?
Summers are ideal for family staycations with friends and family. These playdates, family breakfasts and games will allow you and your children to create many summer memories with your loved ones.
Start a Collection
The art of gathering items requires a variety of talents and some complex activities (like searching, locating, researching, sorting, organizing, classifying, storing, displaying and maintaining).
If you or your child likes collecting random things (e.g., stamps, buttons, coins, leaves/plant samples), you might transform it into a group activity of creating personalized collections.
Encourage Journaling
Journaling is a fantastic way for youngsters to express their thoughts and feelings via words and art. It also helps to enhance penmanship, creative expression, thinking and reflection abilities.
Thus you may encourage your youngster to write about their daily experiences with friends and family or to keep a summer journal/travelogue.
The older ones might use it to organize their ideas and express their emotions. It would encourage them to ponder on their thoughts and be grateful for their blessings.
Try Different Book Genres
Bedtime reading helps you relax and bond with your child. If your youngster enjoys storytelling or reading, you may read several types of books to them.
Examples include action, thriller, science fiction, narratives, legends, fantasy, horror, history, spirituality, psychology, satire, folklore and so forth.
Create Amazing Artworks with Them
Art is a fantastic way to improve children’s creativity, creative expression and motor abilities. So this summer, include your youngster in mosaic painting and Mandala art activities.
These activities will teach youngsters about various forms, design components, color combinations, patterns and so on. Once your kids are done with their stunning artwork, it could be framed and displayed on your house walls as a memento.
Encourage Awareness with Posters
Creating posters allows students to focus on a certain topic, event, fact, idea or process. It requires substantial study, brainstorming, innovative thinking and so on.
Students might be encouraged to create motivational posters for their rooms or to raise awareness about a social concern. It’s a fantastic opportunity for children to express their thoughts and imagination.
Create a Time Capsule for Your Child
A time capsule is essentially a memory diary with a twist! You might have each member of your family write a personalized greeting for your child, along with their favorite images and souvenirs.
Keep it safe till a later date as it would be an ideal present for birthdays, festivals, graduation celebrations, anniversaries and weddings. Plus, it’s a wonderful family custom to participate in, right?
So these are the top 10 ways to keep youngsters entertained throughout the summer vacation. With these activities, you may not only promote continual learning but also make a lot of joyful summer memories with your children.
The Presidency International School is a prominent ICSE school in Dehradun that encourages parents to think outside the box and take responsibility for their children’s summer vacations by organizing fun and informative activities in which they may participate.