Summer is supposed to be a season of freedom and fun, at least for kids. While we adults can only dream of a summer-long vacation from work and responsibilities, kids end up getting bored with all of the unstructured free time. Plus, since many summer activities and attractions are canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are even fewer distractions to keep your kids occupied. If you’re tired of hearing “We’re bored!” all summer long, we’ve got you covered.
July is National Anti-Boredom Month, so check out these ideas to beat summer boredom and keep your kids entertained and engaged despite the circumstances.
Preventing Summer Boredom
No excuses.
While it’s tempting to tell your kids “Only boring people get bored,” that’s unlikely to solve the problem. Instead, help set your kids up for summer success by creating a system to help them take charge of their own days.
There are plenty of ways to do this, but here are a few ideas:
- Write chores, activities, and creativity prompts on popsicle sticks and put them in a jar on the counter or coffee table. If your kids feel boredom coming on, they can choose a popsicle stick and do whatever it says.
- Work with your kids to create a daily schedule. This doesn’t have to be super strict, but if your child thrives on structure, having an idea of how to organize the day can be quite helpful. For example:
- Eat breakfast and brush teeth before 9 am.
- 9-10 am active play/exercise
- 10-11 am reading or tablet time
- 11-noon work on a craft or hobby
- Noon-1 pm eat lunch, do chores
- 1-2 pm screen time
- 2-4 pm outside activity
- 4-5 pm practice instrument, read, or work on summer school work if applicable.
Encourage activity.
Sitting on the couch all summer is no good for your kids’ physical or mental health, leading to way too much screen time, and can even affect their mood. Include plenty of physically active ideas in your activity jar (or whatever system you use), like:
- Roller skating
- Yoga
- Jumping rope
- Playing a dancing video game or learning choreography from YouTube
- Riding bikes, scooters, etc.
- Playing outside
- Walking the dog
Get their creative juices flowing.
The school year is so structured, why not take advantage of summer to help your kids flex their creative muscles? There are so many ways to strengthen creativity, no matter what they’re interested in. These ideas can potentially keep them entertained for hours on end:
- Keeping a daily journal
- Writing and illustrating a comic, book, or zine
- Writing songs or poetry
- Practicing an instrument
- Gardening
- Learning to whistle
- Building a fort
- Drawing, painting, sculpting, sidewalk chalk, coloring, crafts
- Play dress up or have a fashion show
We know our local skaters in North Tonawanda are missing the skating rink like crazy, and we miss seeing all of you! Hopefully these ideas can help your kids stave off the boredom and enjoy the summer until we’re able to reopen!
Leave a Reply