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Now that the excitement of school ending has expired, and the long hot days of summer are upon us, the ever dreaded boredom has settled into the household. Although we would all love to “vacation” for the summer, it’s not always an affordable or available option for our families.
Entertaining your kids for 8+ hours a day can be a daunting task ; however, with a little time and planning, you will be able to create a busy (but affordable) schedule that suits your family’s needs.
The goal of planning is to prevent your kids from having the “same old” schedule and becoming bored. Remember, a day of “down time” can also be planned between all the busier activities. One of the most difficult parts of planning activities is generating ideas. Luckily, there are several online websites and blogs available that will help you generate your own ideas. We’ve put together a handy list of websites to help inspire you!
While planning, thinking “big” can prevent us from seeing the easy and simple things. Entertainment and activities don’t mean amusement parks and fancy toys but finding ways to enjoy the things that are already around us. For example, learn and explore your own hometown and surrounding communities. Begin by planning a trip to the library to research the town’s or city’s history. Later that day, allow the kids to present their information to the entire family, and then allow everyone to help plan a tour of their town or city for the next day, days, or weeks. Not only will this save you time from traveling, but it can also be very educational. Additionally, by staying local, you will have much more control of your budget.
Planning doesn’t mean scheduling every hour of every day but merely being prepared to take on the days and weeks of summer with your kids. It’s important to be flexible, create back-up activities, and even have an emergency activity when all else fails. Include your kids in the planning to help nurture their creative side, and additionally, they will be learning how to entertain themselves along the way.
Lastly, remember to enjoy the “lazy” days of summer before the chaos of schoolwork and extracurricular activities ensue!