I must say, when I take a look at my nieces, I see brilliant children who are adapting so well to the fast-pace changes that take place in today’s technology. Now, these aren’t only words of a proud auntie, but when I catch a glimpse of them teaching their grandmother how to work the newest updates of their favorite social media channel, I am always so impressed.
As technologically-inclined kids are these days, it can sometimes be difficult to get them outside to be active. I remember my mom having to beg me to come inside during summer vacations, and now I see my brother constantly encouraging my nieces to put down their devices and enjoy the great outdoors instead.
I put together a list of ideas that can help get your kids interesting in staying active and stepping foot outdoors for this summer season. Enjoy!
Have A Backyard Concert
For a backyard concert, all you need are some portable speakers and a list of your children’s favorite songs. My nieces love the idea of “show biz” and one of them even hopes to be a pop-star one day. To get them more in the spirit of the activity, you can provide fun costumes and plastic jewelry so they feel like an actual “wardrobe change” is taking place. For about a half hour (or more!), get them to “rehearse” by having them come up with their own choreography to the tune of their choice. When they feel like they’re ready, they’ll perform in front of their selected audience (we usually go for grandparents and their favorite stuffed animals) and combined, the rehearsal time and actual concert performance ends up becoming a fun workout that is totally kid-friendly.
Growing up, I always loved sidewalk chalk. It was just so thrilling seeing my creations come to life on my parents’ driveway.
This summer, start a family hopscotch competition by having each one of your children draw out a hopscotch layout. Encourage them to make theirs as challenging as possible. Ask them to try out each layout until they’ve successfully completed them all – this will strike up some good, ol’ competitive fun and encourage them to get creative with their hopscotch creations.
Take A Nature Walk
Walking is a great, simple way to get exercise, but convincing the kids to take an aimless walk can sometimes be difficult. Instead of proposing to take a walk around the block, encourage them by making it a “nature walk” and equip yourselves with a pen and notepad and ask them to draw out and write down some of the things that they’ve observed. For instance, you can analyze a tree and ask them what kinds it is and talk about the shape of its leaves, etc. Not only is it a great way to stay active but will also keep them in touch with nature.
Going for a sim is always a refreshing activity on ultra-hot summer days. As a child, I remember raiding my friends’ houses that had backyard swimming pools. Swimming is an incredible form of exercise and once your kids are in the water, they won’t want to get out! If you don’t have a pool, taking a trip to your local public pool always makes for a great family outing.
Start A Garden
It’s always nice to have a garden filled with a variety of plants and flowers to surround your yard and home. It takes a lot of discipline and work to maintain one. One way to get the kids outside this summer is to have them give you a hand with planting and maintaining your garden. You can even ask them to each grow a plant of their own, starting fresh from the seed (green beans are one of the kid-friendliest plants to start off with) and with consistent care, they can watch it grow and learn about the basics of gardening.
What are your plans for this summer? Are your kids ready to get outside and enjoy their vacation?