Summer Planning Means No Bored Kids

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I've already heard the words "I'm bored" uttered in this household and I'm only a week and a half into summer. I decided to get the planning in motion real quick. There are many fun things to do when children are home for the summer and planning helps summer become a fun experience for all. We change it up a little each summer in order to make it seem like a new adventure. 


Here are some ideas you might try to help kill boredom:

• Plan something different for each day of the week, but repeat it with a slight variance each week. For example: Monday - Park/Playground, Tuesday - Library, Wednesday - Craft/Cook, Thursday - Family/Friends, Friday - Pool/Lake/Creek (Can you tell I live in the South?)

• Pick a theme for the week and plan activities around the theme each day. Example:  Pirate, Cowboy, Princess, Mother Goose, Robots. This is where the child can really become educated and have fun learning about their interests.  This was successful at our house one summer, but I did the themes every other week to give myself a little break.  I'll let you brainstorm how many possibilities there are with a theme and development of the theme.

• Take advantage of museums in your city or town. Have you heard of the reciprocal program? The program allows you to pay one flat membership fee to take advantage of multiple museums. We are joining because free visits to our zoo are included with the local children's and science museums. You can use it for other cities and states if you travel or have museums in neighboring cities. Check the program out here.

• Visit different parks, playgrounds, greenways, campgrounds and state parks near your home. We have a wonderful state park hike a few miles from us of which we take full advantage. 

• Find interesting and interactive places to explore in your hometown. Visit a local candy factory, dairy or berry farm.  

• Don't forget summer reading!  Join your library's summer reading club. Our local baseball team also has a summer reading club which gives tickets and prizes to games all summer long if children keep reading.   Try these national programs for extra incentive rewards for children such as Barnes and Noble Summer Reading or Chuck E. Cheese's Reading Rewards.

• Commemorate the end of summer with a party compiling a scrapbook of the fun you had together complete with photos and mementos. Summer always goes by so fast so create memories that last!