Now that the sun’s out, you could be itching to get out with it – but, if you are a parent, how will you keep the kids occupied? Will they have to join you in the summery outside world?
If so, rest assured that keeping them – and, along the way, yourself – having fun can be much easier than you might have expected. Here are some activities which they could sample with you.
Reading
Perhaps surprisingly, this can indeed make a great outdoor activity. If you have a toddler, set aside time to sit down and read with them for half an hour, as suggested by YMCA childcare consultant Barbara Roth in a WebMD article.
Choose books with illustrations of such seasonal things as flowers, butterflies, birds and bees.
Swimming
“Swimming lessons are great for toddlers as young as 2 or 3,” Ken Haller, MD, assistant professor of paediatrics at the Missouri-based St Louis University School of Medicine, enthuses. All the same, remember to never leave children this young alone around swimming pools.
Tennis
Another example of physical activity which families can enjoy together during summer is tennis. It helps that, as HuffPost explains, children and adults can enjoy the same benefits of physical activity; think reduced stress, stronger bones and muscles and a positive body image.
Learning with mobile apps
You could take the kids with you in the car to a peaceful, summery retreat on the other side of the country – but, of course, how are you supposed to stave off the dreaded cries of “Are we there yet?”
Simple: give the children some tablet devices with some fun apps preinstalled. You could consider Busy Things apps, which are intended to help children have fun while learning.
Making family days out educational
Even rather humdrum days out can turn out to be… well, not quite so humdrum after all, provided you apply a little imagination.
For example, if your kids will be joining you in the park, challenge them to collect leaves from every different type of tree there. Kids can also learn words and numbers from visiting the supermarket.
Taking inspiration from another country
The family doesn’t have to visit another country to embrace its culture. For example, you could find a particular destination on a map before researching various aspects of that destination, such as its food, environment and traditions.
Perhaps you could make that food for dinner, draw a landscape of that environment or sample some of the traditions.
Playing “I spy”
Yes, it might not be the most original idea, but it can work well out surprisingly well for helping you to notice what’s around you. If, for example, that “something beginning with R” your kid thought of turns out to be the roof, you might then notice how damaged it looks…
That would be a good incentive to call a local roofing company. One such firm, Findley Roofing & Building, can send roofers in Newcastle upon Tyne and any other area in North East England.
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