9 Safe Summer Activities For Your Kids
Wasn’t summertime the best when you were a kid?
Long sunny days, sleeping in, no homework, swimming in the pool, playing with your friends until the sun went down. Right?
Whether a parent or grandparent times have changed and it’s not easy steering bored kids toward activities to keep them safe, healthy and growing strong.
You have other responsibilities and unless you’re a teacher your hours haven’t changed. What’s a mom and dad to do?
During breaks from school and after school clubs every year panic would set in about how to fill those days with no stress, no screen time and no cash fun.
Through a series of trial and error we managed to come up with some stress free, safe, enjoyable things for them to do.
Grab some lunches and pack some bug spray, suntan lotion and first aid kit for a visit to your closest state park. Even major cities have some nature paths for outdoor exploration.
Our daughters are artistic and highly creative. So we stocked up on paints, paper, charcoal and markers where they’d spend hours drawing or making arts and crafts.
Every day we’d set a time for a choice of reading or playing quietly in their room with toys.
Our daughters have soft hearts for all animals and many local game preserves or farms have little petting zoos to visit without breaking the bank. If there are none in the area, it’s always nice to visit a pet rescue or animal sanctuary.
We looked for ways to give back to the community by collecting small items with friends for the local Crisis Pregnancy Center or homeless shelter. There we’d take a tour to see what the charity was doing to help those in need.
Chores can be shared by the entire family. When our children were required to pick up toys or share in the housework they had a preference in what they wanted to do. One liked chopping vegetables while another wanted to run the vacuum. If pool time is promised after their chores, it gets done!
Many churches hold vacation bible school. Local community centers offer youth classes in gymnastics, art and dance. Let your children discover new talents or gifts they might have.
We had a night picked for each of our children where they’d choose what we’d eat for dinner. One of their favorite meals was pizza fondue. A recipe we learned from a friend. The recipe is at the end of this post. Preparing the meal was educational and an activity we could share.
Summer dinners were easier to plan, execute and eat because we had no homework or extracurricular activities to go to. Use this time to tell funny stories and keep current on your older kids lives.
Most important of all enjoy your wonderful family.
If you have other creative ways to keep your kids busy for summer break please share in the comment section below!
Recipe for Pizza Fondue
1 package of bread dough (follow directions to defrost and rise).
1 32 oz. Jar of red tomato sauce
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. Basil, oregano, garlic (fresh or dried)
1.Take 1 loaf of frozen bread dough from your local market. Or, if you don’t have time a baked baguette or a crusty Italian loaf of bread will do.
Cut the dough into equal parts and roll into a bread stick shape. Even the littles can do this!
Preheat oven to 350 and place bread dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes checking until it turns light tan.
2. Place tomato sauce in a sauce pan on the stove. Add 1/2 tsp. each of fresh or dried basil, oregano and salt and pepper according to taste. If you really want to get fancy add sautéed onion and garlic. 😊
Heat on low until the sauce bubbles. Simmer for ten minutes. Stir often.
3. Add fresh mozzarella and stir til the cheese melts. It’s done when you see strings of the cheese forming.
4. Serve like a fondue using the bread to dip into the sauce in single serving bowls.
Add a tossed garden salad for the side dish and voila! A fun, healthy meal for your family.