Did you know that the kids and you should stay indoors when the sun is at its hottest, that is, between 10 AM and 3 PM? That is a long while, especially during summer break when the kids are at home from school and probably driving you up the wall with the, “I’m bored” and “I don’t know what to do” complaints.
So, here’s help.
Five fun ideas to make staying indoors easier on ALL of you:
1. Summer Craft Time
Schedule an hour or so everyday to do a craft with the kids. You can create themes for every week – beaches, rain, summer flowers or plants, and so on. Need inspiration? Here’s a giant list of 30 amazing craft sites that offer you tips, ideas, tutorials and lots more.
2. Quiz ‘em on Summer
Have a fun summer trivia quiz to break up the routine and boost their knowledge as well. Need some questions? Here’s a HUGE list of summer holiday trivia quiz questions, divided according to genre, for both adults and children alike.
3. Make a Summer Reading List
For preschooler-aged kids, books on the summer season can be a great activity. Check out Summer by Nuria Roca, a beautifully illustrated book that talks about the activities and mood of the season.
Create a larger reading list of books that the kids can read during their break. Brainstorm together and put up the list on the family bulletin board. Sign up at the local library, schedule reading hour every day and keep crossing the list off as you finish a book and chances are by the end of the break, you will have finished reading a ton of books as a family.
4. Have Family Fun Nights
Schedule family fun nights for Fridays or when everyone can be at home together. Rent a movie and make popcorn and pizza or have a scavenger hunt or simply, build a fort and just have a great time hanging out together as a family.
5. Play Mind Games
Umm..by mind, we actually meant board games. Yes, board games are a great way of spending time, building up a child’s thinking and creative skills and yes, having tons of fun. So, bring out the Monopoly, Scrabble, Charades, Taboo and any other game that your kids may enjoy and have game hour. You can make it even more fun by creating a game list, similar to that reading list, and put it up on the bulletin board. Each member can list 2-3 of their favorite indoor games and you can either rent them from a toy library or buy them second-hand to save on money and still have some fun!
How do you make staying indoors easier on your kids and yourself during the summer season?
Share your favorite indoor summer fun ideas with the ezShade community here in the comments, on our Facebook page or on Twitter.
Photo Credit: Lotzman
