Five Ways to Keep Kids Active During Summer Vacation

Keep Kids Active During Summer BreakIn our part of the world, we’re over half-way through summer. We parents are running out of options to keep our kids active, and we’re hearing the escalation of the high-pitched “I’m bored” whine. Screen time is on the rise, and some of our kids have sunk into complete Couch Potato-dom.

It’s not too late to turn this around, though! Here are five ways to keep your kids active during the last weeks of summer.

1. Get Back to Your Childhood

How did you stay active as a kid? Head over to the Dollar Store for jump ropes, hula hoops, and sidewalk chalk. Challenge your kids to a jumping contest. Draw some hopscotch squares and get busy. Be sure to pick up some ibuprofen for when you throw your back out trying to hula hoop. True story.

2. Create a water slide with a tarp and a water hose.

This is hilarious. Bonus if you have one of those plastic playground slides. Hook the hose to the top of the slide, and let the water run down and onto the tarp. Your kids will skip across that wet tarp like rocks across a lake. I’m not responsible for any injuries, particularly if one of your kids lands in the woods.

3. Fill a five-gallon bucket with water.Keep kids active during school breaks.

I’m not kidding. This keeps my kids active for hours. They dip rocks and slop dirt and sticks all on the bucket. Have a hose readily available to power wash them before you let them back in the house. You may have to burn their clothes.

4. Make water bombs out of your kitchen sponges.

Give each kid a bowl of water to dip the sponges and let the battle commence. You and the dog should run for cover immediately.

Scavenger hunts and journals give kids the chance to observe their natural world then journal about what they see. Emergent readers and writers especially will benefit from this product.5. Take a nature walk.

You can pick up my Nature Scavenger Hunt set from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and create scrapbooks from what you find. If you live in the woods like we do, make sure your kids wear snake boots and cover them in anti-chigger spray.

There you have it, folks! A few emergency ideas to keep your kids active and stop them from melting into the couch in the final Dog Days of summer.

What ideas do you have for keeping kids active? Please share them in the comments below!

2 thoughts on “Five Ways to Keep Kids Active During Summer Vacation

  • August 7, 2017 at 10:54 am
    Permalink

    Love the water bombs idea! And we’ve totally done the water slide tarp! ?

    Reply
    • September 3, 2017 at 4:54 pm
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      It’s so much fun, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

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