Summer vacation is such an anticipated holiday away from school, but if you don't have a plan in place to keep the kids busy, they will quickly become bored or sit in front of a screen all day. That's definitely not a fun way to spend summer break! Allison has been up and at it every day so far, hitting the front door as soon as breakfast is over and only coming back in for snacks or to get some relief from the hot temperatures throughout the rest of the day. So, what's she been up to? Here are 10 ways she's been keeping busy this summer:
1. Outdoor sports. Nothing kills time better than a round of badminton or HORSE.
2. Beach days. Grab a few shovels and buckets and head to the beach for a day of fun in the sun.
3. Library visits. Find a few good chapter books to fill up more than a few summer days.
4. Plant a garden. Kids look forward to tending to their garden every day, then get to enjoy the fruits of their labor when it's time to harvest those fruits and veggies.
5. Cook/Bake. Get the kids in the kitchen and teach them a lifelong skill. Nothing is better than a good home cooked meal! Use those garden veggies for a double learning punch.
6. Break out the wheels. Anything with wheels is bound to keep the kids busy. Bikes, roller skates, skateboards. If it has wheels, the kids will use it.
7. Scavenger Hunt. Print out a scavenger hunt checklist, then talk a walk around the neighborhood and don't come home until you've found everything on the list.
8. Sleepover. Kids miss seeing their school friends daily, so why not host a sleepover? Kids have no problem entertaining themselves when they have friends over. Bonus, it keeps them off their devices since they can actually interact in person and not over social media!
9. Bubbles. Even better, bubble and boxers (or any dog). We bought a cheap bubble machine and Allison loves to run around the back yard having the dogs chase the bubbles. It's great exercise for both her and the dogs!
10. Crafts. We do most of our crafting in the summertime because it's a great way to burn a few hours. Plus, we can get a jump start on our handmade holiday gifts.
During the summer months, it's important to keep the kids properly hydrated so they can stay on their A game. If my girls aren't drinking water, they are reaching for Fruit Shoot®.
Fruit Shoot® has been a trusted brand in the U.K. for over a century, but has recently become a trusted brand in our household. The bottles are made for on-the-go, active lifestyles. With their durable bottle design and resealable cap, children are allowed more independence. No need to mess with straws, spills, or worrying about the dreaded bee flying into an open container. The kids can take a sip, push the lid closed, then return later to enjoy more fresh Fruit Shoot® goodness.
Allison makes sure to add Fruit Shoot® Juice Drinks on my weekly grocery trip so I don't forget to pick it up at Meijer. There are an assortment of flavors, like fruit punch, apple, berry burst, and wild berry grape. While she loves them all, her current flavor is the new fruit punch variety.
Allison agrees, nothing tastes better after a hot, sweaty day of play than a big bowl of fresh fruit and a bottle of Fruit Shoot®.
Find out more about Fruit Shoot® and where to buy on the Fruit Shoot® website.
What activities are your kids doing to stay busy this summer?
These are such great ideas! I think it's super important to keep the kids active over the summer instead of just letting them melt into their Gamestations and X-Cubes.
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's not good to be stuck indoors glued to a screen all summer long!
DeleteThese are all great ways to keep the kids busy over the summer. We always spent a lot of time at the beach and pool.
ReplyDeleteSwimming is our favorite way to spend the summer holidays!
DeleteFruit Shoot is an awesome drink. My kids love them, and since we started using them, we haven't had to clean up any spills. Which is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThat resealable cap is pretty handy, right!?
DeleteWheels sure can be a win. haha the cats like to chase the bubbles too. Seems all two legs and four legs love them. Sleepovers can be interesting though as a feeding them one has to go lol
ReplyDeleteI had no idea cats liked bubbles too!
DeleteThose juices look tasty indeed, lovely bottles!
ReplyDeleteWe have the very same purple petunias in our yard as well :)
Is that grey thing a stairway to a tree house?
We'll see if they last. My petunias haven't done well the past 2 years :(
DeleteNo, those stairs lead to our deck. We tore town the tree house that was in the yard when we moved in because it was built with shoddy workmanship.
Those are great ideas for summer activities. I always liked to send my kids to camp or to work when they get a little older.
ReplyDeleteSummer camp was always a favorite activity of mine when I was a kid.
DeleteMy daughter has all of a sudden fallen in love with ice skating - we have a rink just a few miles from the house, so just about every weekend she and a friend go for a few hours. Both of my kids will be attending band camp at a local college, my daughter a week at Emory University for a Leadership STEM course she was nominated for, and then she begins marching band for the high school. Other than that, they have spent way too much time indoors on the devices. Trying to get them outside more, but it's like pulling teeth. My husband and son did go bowling the other day, and my daughter got to go to Washington DC and Maryland with a friend - they went hiking and visited the caverns, so she feels as if she's exercised enough. Ha!
ReplyDeleteIce skating would be awesome to do in the summer. They tore ours down (it was outdoor and only used in the winter) so we don't have one here at all :( Congrats to your daughter for her nomination. It sounds like a great opportunity for her! All of that hiking was good exercise, so I'd say she' deserves a break lol
DeleteI had not heard of this brand, but I will keep an eye out. I love that the bottles have a re-closeable lid.
ReplyDeletePerfect ways to keep kids busy this summer and yes, my kids drink those like they are going out of style so you know I will be stocking up!
ReplyDeleteSpending time outside is the best part of summer! These are some great ideas to keep everyone active and entertained.
ReplyDeleteYou got some great photos! Allison is such a great model. We have our kids in different camps. This week is their theater camp. It's cheaper in most cases to put them in camp instead of daycare. Next year Mica will be able to stay home alone more. We already started, but baby steps. I do a lot of crafts with Isaak. They were in the public library and Barnes and Noble - reading clubs. Now we have to use the "fun" coupons that the library gave to us. Mica's supposed to practice his trumpet everyday. That sort of is happening. I also push them outside to pick strawberries.
ReplyDeleteShe was grumbling 5 minutes into picture taking, so I said, "Well, at least you can rule modeling out of your future career plans!" lol You are really good at coming up with ways to keep the boys busy during summer with all of the crafts and camps. I'm glad to hear your strawberries are still going strong. Mine are still not ready! Ugh!
DeleteGreat tips for keeping kids busy over the summer. I used to make scavenger hunts for my kids!
ReplyDeleteScavenger hunts are so fun and can keep the kids occupied for quite a while!
DeleteI would stock the fridge with these for my son! Especially if I could get him to o out with a bottle and play hoops behind our house every morning!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. I'll probably use some of these since my kids will not leave me alone! Those juices also look like something my girlies would love.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for summer! Going to the beach will be fun indeed..it's been quite depressing lately here in NYC :)
ReplyDeleteThis article points to some excellent alternative to summer camps.
ReplyDeleteI like it because it focuses on enjoying the moment.
Dogs and bubbles, never fails
ReplyDeleteThese are really great tips to keep kids busy this summer! Would love to give that Fruit Shoot a try!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh that HORSE was #1 on your list. WE have been playing that a lot lately.
ReplyDeleteIt's a favorite since we have no skill when it comes to real basketball ;)
DeleteWe are slightly addicted to Fruit Shoot right now. My kids love it!
ReplyDeleteIt's is delicious!
DeleteI've heard Fruit Shoot is pretty tasty! Crafts can definitely keep a child's attention for a while.
ReplyDeleteI have seen these juices in the store and I have wondered about them. I am glad to see somebody has tried them and they have a thumbs up! I will have to get some now.
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were young, we didn't have all those gadgets to play with. Summer was all about playing outdoors and beach trips. Those fruit juices look delicious and healthy - no sugar added? Winner. Getting some of those at the store tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThese are really cool way to keep the kids busy.
ReplyDeleteYea! All good points. Personally, I've always been partial to getting lost outside (by just going in a random direction) and seeing what I find OR gardening. Surfing is also nice. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish we lived somewhere that surfing was an option. Instead, we like to take our paddle boards out and pretend we are surfing at the beach ;)
DeleteGreat list of summer activities kids can do this summer. I think my daughter would love to start a garden of her own. She loves watching my plants grow, so it would be great to help her start her own.
ReplyDeleteSuper tips! Harder for those of us who live in the middle of NYC, though....but there are always trips to the beach and some really nice parks we have!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these drinks before but I have to get these for my kiddies! These look yummy!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard about this and It looks yummy and this is a great tips for being busy this summer
ReplyDeleteSo sad that our June sch hols are coming to an end! We tried to bring Lil Pumpkin out as much as possible too since she's cooped indoors more during sch time..
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
I think our kids would enjoy Fruit Shoot! I'll have to look for it the next time I'm at the store.
ReplyDeleteSounds like she's got the summer vacation idea down pat. :) We used to get up in the morning and come in only for meals. ;) You're right about no plan leading to too much screen time. We've got a 1-hr time limit guideline, but in the summer months that gets bent a little. Hurrah for Fruit Shoot! My granddaughter loves it!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first I've heard of Fruit Shoot. I think it's a drink my teen kids would like.
ReplyDelete