How to keep little kids busy in Summer

CEBU, Philippines — It seems everyone in the family look forward to summer. Among the kids, the excitement over the sunny days springs from the fact they no longer have to wake up early for school or stay up late doing class assignments. Parents, for their part, love the idea of having the kids at home for whole days.

And then just a few days into summer reality sets in. Too much of free time begins to be a problem. Boredom starts showing its many ugly faces.

Working parents, especially, worry about the situation at home with only the kids around while they work. They worry because they know for sure that it’s a war zone back there. They know what an agony it is for kids to have nothing to do.

Some parents enroll their boys at sports camps and their girls at ballet classes. The kids start out excited at these special summer engagements. After a few days, though, they begin complaining that these activities feel just like school.

Even homebound parents at times find the kids’ whole-day presence at home to be somewhat a ‘burden’. Moms who have gotten used to going about the house chores quietly now have to contend with little feet running around while they're cleaning the floor. They also have to bear with the shouting and crying as the little ones quarrel, which is quite most of the time.

To make summer the fun family time that it should be certainly needs creativity on the part of both parents and the kids. Parents are to take the lead, or the bigger kids. There are many things that can make the summer both fun and productive for everyone.

Storytelling. This is simple and inexpensive to do, and yet can be a lot of fun. Say, every night after dinner, someone tells a story – either relating a story or reading one from a book. The designated storyteller may even dress up in character, for better entertainment effect.

This is not the same as mere family conversation time, though. As much as possible, the storytelling has to follow the narrative structure. It’s fun and, at the same time, develops the talents of family members.

Reading Session. This is in a way related to Storytelling. But here family members may together read a story from a book, a few lines or a paragraph each. Then they may discuss the points of the story, particularly the lessons to be learned.

During the discussion all ideas shall be heard, no matter how flimsy or childish. The thing here is to stimulate reading comprehension among the little ones. It is very likely that in the reading sessions through the summer the kids will have gained a better grasp of the stories they come across.

Gardening. It may look like gardening is not one of the things to do in summer. That’s the thing – it is a creative challenge for kids to think of ways to grow plants in the dry season. It’s going to make it more engaging for them.

But the kids shall not just go ahead and start planting. The parents may first have to process them, by hearing out how the kids plan to go about the project. Parents can help in the planning by pointing out issues that may not have occurred to the kids’ young minds – like the need to water the plants mornings and afternoons, the best place to make a garden plot, the plants that can better withstand the summer sun etc.

Small Business. For sure little kids would be delighted with the idea of earning money in summer, by having some business. Incidentally, earning money is not the only appealing part here for the little ones. Coming up with the very products to sell is also big fun.

Say, the business is a refreshments stand at the front of the house. The kids can also get involved in making those cupcakes to sell. Likewise, they can help make the cold treats to go with the cupcakes, like ice candy or calamansi lemonade.

Family Art Contest. Perhaps nothing is going to get everyone more involved than getting them in a contest. An art contest among family members is one possibility. A contest theme, rules, and a deadline are sure to get everyone, especially the kids, very busy.

The contest is a good way to stimulate family members’ artistic senses. Hopefully, by the end of summer the whole house will have a more dynamic artistic character – because its residents now have better art appreciation.  And it’s not only the immediate practical effect that matters, but more so the benefits that can come from an artistically open mind.

Those summer activities are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The usual short vacation trips, the picnics in the park, the beach outings etc. are also there, of course. The point is to fill the family’s – especially the little kids’ – summer days with fun and productive activities.