Summer Fun For Kids

Summer Fun For Kids
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nikki_Willhite]Nikki Willhite

Summer can be a lot of fun for your family. However, in many cases, come August, moms are more than ready to put their children back in school. When the novelty of summer wears off, and the family vacation is over, the kids can get bored. They may get hot and irritable, and mom may have trouble coping.

The moms I've seen handle summer the best are the ones that have lots of activities planned for their kids. With that in mind, here are some of the things you can do in the summer to make it more enjoyable for everyone.

- Get your boys involved in scouting and cub scouts. There should be several units in your area associated with either a Church, civic or school group. Scouting expenses are minimal. The activities are wonderful.

- Involve your girls in similar activities. Most girls now enjoy the outdoors as much as the boys. When my sons go on their hiking and rock climbing trips they often have girls with them. Many times the girls are able to out climb the boys.

- Take advantage of community based summer programs. Every child should learn how to swim. Our local center offers everything from tumbling classes to group piano lessons.

- Check with your local library for summer programs. In addition to the reading programs they have at the library, they will have information about other community activities.

- Music lessons enrich children's lives if they are so inclined. Help them to appreciate good music, and they won't play some of the what I think is "garbage" they now call music If lessons are not an option, use recorded music. The library has lots of music. Make it a game to learn and recognize the sounds of different instruments.

- Summer is also a good time to expose your children to art and photography. Visit art galleries, involve your children in picture taking and the art of picture framing.

- The same holds true with movies and the classics. Make sure they see the good moves, so they can recognize the good from the bad. Good movies teach good lessons and talented actors. Help them learn the difference.

- Use this free time to teach your children skills you don't have time for during the school year such as sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking, and other homemaking skills. Boys and girls can learn to repair things around the home, as well as carpentry skills.

- There are lots of ideas for crafts that children can do on the Internet and in the stores. Introduce them to a new one each year. One example would be tie dying. It's very easy to do. Have them do a plain white t-shirt. They will have a lot of fun and love wearing it.

- Summer is also a great time to visit aquariums, fish ladders, or in our case, go to places where you can watch for whales. Introduce your children to sea life. The earth is covered with water. Make them curious. Keep their minds stimulated, and they will do better in school.

- Summer and water go hand in hand. If you have water nearby, whether a lake or stream, take your kids there often. There is nothing as refreshing as playing in the water on a hot day. Kids have lots of energy. Let them burn it off, and they will behave better when they are home.

When they get older they can fish and swim, and go to water parks. One of my sons saved up for a rubber boat. I'll always remember our trips to the lake. He let me laze in the bow while he rowed me around. My kids also had wonderful opportunities to go water skiing and canoeing through their affiliations with Church groups and Scouting units. These programs are available to anyone who is interested.

- If you live in the city, drive into the country one night and let them see the stars. They can be an incredible sight to those who have never seen the sky full of them. Camping is also fun, even in the backyard.

- Sports can keep kids occupied for hours. If team sports are not an option, put up a hoop, tie an inner tube to a big tree, or buy a trampoline, scooter, or skates. Kids can be surprisingly inventive when it comes to having fun. In some areas of the country windstorms will blow big tumbleweeds close to town. The kids love to go out there and jump over them.

- All families can participate in sports together, whether it's in the back yard or at the park. Some ride bikes together, while others walk, hike, or camp. When kids are very small, just pulling them around in a wagon is fun for them. My son and his wife take their children everywhere, whether it is to summit a mountain or on a trip to China. His website is full of the adventures of his family. The link to his informative site is on the opening page of Frugal Happy Families.

- Kids love games when they are small. They love to play them with you. Have a good supply of board games and other puzzles. One of my fondest memories as a youth was playing crossword puzzles with my grandmother when she would come to visit us.

- Take advantage of the summer weather to teach your children about the earth and growing things. Everyone has room for a few containers. Let each child have his own and tend it himself. If you have a larger garden, divide it up and have each child responsible for a section. Teach them to pull weeds and cultivate the soil around the plants. Children love to grow things they can eat. Give them something to tend that they enjoy eating. Many a parent has been embarrassed by the care given to a child's section of the garden compared to their responsibility.

- Teach your kids the value of money by letting them make some. There are always extra chores to be done in the summer that your kids can do. Give them a little money to pull weeds or do some watering. There are also opportunities to feed pets or take care of houses while others are on vacation. One summer one of my sons was into recycling, and we took long walks together while he collected aluminum cans.

Every family is different. Find things your family enjoys and make the time to do them while the weather is nice. Make summer a time of activities and happy memories. Summer comes around every year, but your children won't always be there.

Nikki Willhite has been writing and publishing articles on the Internet on the topic of Frugal Living for over a decade. Visit her at [http://www.frugalhappyfamilies.com]http://www.frugalhappyfamilies.com, where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money! Article first published at http://www.allthingsfrugal.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Summer-Fun-For-Kids&id=4300547] Summer Fun For Kids