How to Plan Summer Activities for Your Children

Summer is upon us, which means that your children will be out of school and looking for ways to entertain themselves. Summertime is a great time for kids to get outdoors and enjoy the long days. If you’re wondering how to plan summer activities for your children, check into some of these ideas for family fun.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Community calendar
• Camp brochures
• Vacation plans
• Membership at the community pool

1. Check your community calendar. Start watching for sign-up deadlines for community sports teams your children might enjoy joining. Baseball and softball are usually the most popular summertime sports; but you can also consider allowing your child to join a swim team or soccer team or maybe take tennis lessons. Tune into your children’s interests.
2. Send your child to camp. If your child is old enough, consider sending them away to a summer-long camp or just a week-long camp. If your child is too young to be sent away from home for a long period of time, look in your area for day camps that offer programs that will enhance your child’s abilities.
3. Arrange play dates. Keep your children in contact with their friends from school by arranging play dates with other parents. This is a great opportunity for you to take a break from the kids and run some errands on your own. Just be sure to do the same for the other parents, so they can run their own errands as well.
4. Plan a vacation. Summer is the number one time of year when families go on vacation, but don’t let this stop you from planning one for your own family. You need to get away together and spend one-on-one time with your children while they’re out of school. It won’t be too long before they have their own schedules and won’t be able to go on vacation with you anymore.
5. Join a community pool. If you don’t have a pool of your own, consider joining your community pool to give your family a place to cool off from the summer sun. An added benefit of a community pool is the extra safety provided by fully-certified lifeguards.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your children for ideas on what they want to do this summer.
• Offer activities that specifically meet each child's needs.
• Don't worry if you don't have a lot of money to spend on summer programs; many programs are offered for free.
• Don't plan so many activities for your children that you never get to spend time with them yourself.