10 More Summer Activities!

We’ve got 10 new summer activities for your family to help keep everyone entertained! From learning how a garden grows and for older kids learning how to invest in the stock market.

Grow A Garden

It may seem far away, but June is the best month to start planting pumpkins as well as other fun vegetables! This will allow kids to learn the basics of science and how things grow. You can talk about what plants need such as air, water, sunlight, and nutrients. And the best part: kids can eat the products of their hard work and carve the pumpkins they grew themselves!

Write About Family Outings

Writing is one fun way of keeping track of kids’ activities over the summer and for them to create memories to view when they are older. For each place they go, they can write about what they saw, heard, felt, etc. You can add pictures, too.  This is a great way for kids to access their creative side by describing the different places they went to. Encourage them to write one letter to each of their friends and mail it with them.

Put On A Show

One fun way to get theatrical is to have kids make their own theater. They can construct a stage in their backyard, create a story, have rehearsals, and even sell tickets. This will help kids work together as a group as well as create fun stories from their minds. Additionally, kids can use items such as socks to create puppet theater as well.  Take them to a play in the park or a local theater–productions for kids abound!

Build Something

Summer is a great time to get crafty. Lots of stores have full kits on how to build fun things like bird houses or airplanes. Projects like these can teach your child how to pay close attention and follow directions. You can encourage your kids to observe and ask questions so that they can learn from you and build something cool.

Cook  Together

Summer usually means Mom and Dad have new recipes up their sleeves. Let the kids in on the fun by allowing them to try to create fun recipes with you. Plenty of stores have kid-friendly cookbooks that you and your child are sure to enjoy. And they are more likely to eat it if they made it themselves.

Volunteer!

Volunteering is a very important skill that kids should learn as early as possible. Have them do things like painting a fence, babysitting or washing cars. These activities are a great way for kids to learn about being punctual, listening, and giving back to the community.

Plan A Trip

For most vacations, parents do the planning. But why don’t you let your kid help you with the planning? Half the fun is planning out where you’re doing and what you’re seeing. And this way, kids can practice how to read a map, find and schedule things to do, and vacation on a budget. Now everyone is in on the fun.

Find Fun Places to Learn While on Vacation

While on vacation, look for places that have learning opportunities for your kids. Things like a natural history museum, art galleries, the Jelly Belly factory, and more are great places to take kids to spike their interest in things they might not see in school. This way, kids will learn how to explore the world in any activity they do.

Collect Mementoes

Collecting items from past vacations can be a great way to store memories. They can collect souvenirs such as postcards, brochures, ticket stubs, pictures and more. All of these items can be stored in a safe place of the child’s choosing, like a scrapbook. This is a great way for kids to become artists with the treasures they collect.

Learn About the Stock Market

This may be something for the older kids to consider. There are plenty of companies with which kids can familiarize themselves in order to learn the value of investing. Companies like Apple, eBay, Nike, or Starbucks are well-known brands that they can start with and then see the fruits of investors’ labors! And if your child is very interested in the stock market, they could join a junior investor program of some sort to learn about it further (many schools have such programs/clubs).