Thursday was the last day of 2nd grade for my big girl, and the twins finished preschool a few weeks ago, which means summer is here! I’ve been trying to find fun summer activities to keep their brains and bodies busy.
Austin gets H-O-T in the summer, so many of our favorite places to go are indoors or involve water to keep us cool: the library (both the public and school–our school library is open once a week and yay for air conditioning!), splash-pads (Austin mamas check out this link for the schedules), book stores, and neighborhood pool. We also have a new aquarium and children’s museum that we plan on visiting but I need activities to keep them busy at home, too. I searched pinterest and other blogs to come up with 5 fun summer activities you can do with your kids–things that will get them moving, while having fun.
1. Sponge relay races: This looks like a blast. And if you have a neighborhood full of kiddos like we do, or plan on hosting a few playdates, this fun water activity will get the kids moving and laughing!
Photo Credit: Our Pumpkin and Sweet Pea
2. Summer of Miles: I borrowed this idea from Annie at Strong Brees. You can choose any distance and any reward! Our plan is to bike, walk or run at least 1 mile every day until we reach our goal of 26.2 miles. We have completed two days already and I found that this activity will be great for more than just their muscles! Lessons about perseverance and being a good sport have already come up for us. So the kiddo with the best attitude/heart during the mile gets rewarded at the end by being the one who is chosen to color in our completed square. Get them involved from the get-go! I mapped out the game board template but I had the kids fill in the numbers and decorate it to make it their own. Keep it fun and they will be excited to complete this summer challenge!
My girls love to run!
3. Drip Drip Drench: A great idea from Tina who blogs at Mamas Like Me. Essentially, it’s Duck-Duck-Goose with a sponge! The kiddo holding the sponge will walk around the circle saying: “Drip…drip…drip…” and when he gets to the person who he wants to be it, he squeezes the sponge over their head and says “Drench!” and the chase is on!
Photo Credit: Mamas Like Me
4. Giant Bubbles: I know, you’re thinking, how active can this be? But seeing how my kids would choose computers and ipads ALL day long if I let them, I figure the gross motor movement of getting these giant bubbles air-born is a great physical activity! All you have to do is slowly mix all the ingredients listed in the photo below and let the solution rest for 1-3 hours.
Photo Credit: BusyKidsHappyMom
For your ‘wand’ you can get two straws and a piece of string:
Photo Credit: BusyKidsHappyMom
I found the recipe on Pinterest and if you click on the link you’ll see an extended activity.
5. Yoga: Though my kids go to public school, I usually do ‘homeschool activities/lessons’ with them during the summer. The former teacher in me can’t help but dedicate about 1 hour of our day to keeping their little minds engaged with fun math, reading, writing, and science activities. And I like the idea of taking “Yoga Breaks” when we transition from one subject to another. So we’ll learn a new pose a day and by the end of the summer I’ll have little yogis!
I plan on using this chart to guide us (Pinterest link):
I plan on printing this adorable elephant yoga guide for the kids to color (Pinterest Link):
Another template for your little yogis (Pinterest link):
Well, that’s the plan! We all know how we start out our summers with a bang and fizzle out by the end but I’m hoping we’ll stick with this and have a fun, active, summer! We’ll be spending lots of time at our community pool and because we opted not to sign up for summer camps this year, I’m going to ask you all to wish me luck.
Share with us! What are some fun, active ideas you have planned for your kids?
Never Give Up,
Nicole
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