Day Camps. If you live in a mid to larger-sized city, you no doubt have a lot of options for day camps. Most day camps are structured in time periods of 1-2 weeks, giving you ample time to enjoy a summer vacation or a trip to grandma's house in between camps. Camps can be expensive, especially if you have more than one child. So you may want to consider scheduling one week of camp every month rather than booking the kids' schedules solid with camps.
The bonus of day camps is that they are a great way to get the kids to experience new things. Camps are available for sports such as soccer, cheerleading, volleyball, football, and more. You can also find art camps that incorporate theater, studio arts, and others into the program. There are other camps that offer a more traditional camper experience, with canoeing, horseback riding, and so forth. And still other camps cater to video gamers, computer programmers, and more, offering both fun and educational aspects to the program. Camps are a great way to give kids that may be focused on one sport or extracurricular activity during the year the opportunity to explore other interests.
Water Fun In The Backyard. When the kids aren't off exploring their interests at camp, encourage some outdoor fun with some water activities to beat the heat. If you don't have a neighborhood pool (or if the kids grow tired of the same old pool just a week or two into the summer), you can purchase any number of sprinkler or backyard water activities for the kids to enjoy.
Age Is Not A Question. Even older kids can have hours of fun with a sandbox or a baby pool in the backyard. As they build sandcastles or explore new ways to splash all of the water out of the pool, they will be stretching their creativity as well as entertaining themselves out of your hair.
Park It. Most cities have at least a couple of parks, and in major cities, you can enjoy literally hundreds of parks. Walk or ride your bikes to the park to stretch out the experience. Avoid going to the same old park every day. Switch things up a bit and visit the park of another nearby neighborhood. You can even make a fun game of visiting a different park each day of the week if your city has enough parks nearby.
Visit The Library Regularly. In the summer months, the library is often far more than simply a place to borrow books. Most public libraries offer a variety of summer activities, such as kids' reading programs and visiting performers such as magicians and musicians. Stop by your library to pick up the summer schedule, and be sure to visit the library regularly to take advantage of their programs. You can also borrow books, CDs, and movies that will help you and the kids pass the time.
Plan Mini-Trips. While it may be fun to go on one week-long trip, it may help to break your summer up a bit if you plan several smaller trips. Think about it - once your week-long trip is over, the kids have nothing else to look forward to all some summer, and the days start growing longer. If you plan a mini-trip every couple of weeks, once you return home from one trip, they will have another trip a few weeks later to look forward to.
The Community Calendar. Pay attention to when special events take place in your community. Think about places such as the museum, local movie theaters, the zoo, and other kids' venues. Also consider street festivals and other activities and events that will help to break up the monotony of long summer days and weeks.
It's a good idea to schedule some events and activities with your kids, but don't go overboard. Kids with too much free time can certainly get bored. But kids that are overbooked can become irritable. So plan out some activities, but play things by ear. Give your kids the option each day of doing what you have planned or finding their own activities at home, and you will have a happy and relaxed summer with your kids!
Kevin Andersen is the owner of a company that creates personalized childrens books and specializing in custom children's titles such as the Scooby Doo Book.
Tags: family, children, parenting, vacation, fun, camp, summer, kids, trips