Summer is a time for kids to relax, have fun, and enjoy the outdoors. However, keeping them entertained can be a challenge, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Fortunately, there are plenty of free activities that you can do with your kids this summer that will keep them happy and engaged. Here are ten ideas for free summer activities for kids.

Free Ideas

Firstly, go on a nature walk: Take your kids on a nature walk and explore the great outdoors. Look for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Teach your kids about the plants and animals that live in your area. Or, check out these easy hikes you can do with your kids.

Have a picnic: Pack a lunch and head to a local park for a picnic. Bring a Frisbee or a ball to play with, and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Have a scavenger hunt: Create a scavenger hunt for your kids and their friends. Hide clues around your neighborhood or local park, and see who can find them all first.

Build a fort: Use blankets, pillows, and chairs to build a fort in your living room or backyard. Let your kids use their imaginations to create their own secret hideaway.

Go stargazing: On a clear night, head outside and look up at the stars. Use a star chart to identify constellations and teach your kids about the wonders of the universe.

Free (Or Almost Free) Activities

Visit a museum: Many museums offer free admission on certain days of the week or month. Check your local museum’s website to see if they have any free days coming up. The Museum of the Rockies is a great play to take your kids to explore.

Host a movie night: Set up a projector in your backyard and host a movie night under the stars. Pop some popcorn and snuggle up with blankets and pillows.

Make homemade ice cream: Whip up a batch of homemade ice cream with your kids. You don’t need an ice cream maker – just mix together cream, sugar, and your favorite flavorings and freeze in a container.

Visit a farmer’s market: Take your kids to a local farmer’s market and let them pick out some fresh fruits and vegetables. Use them to make a healthy and delicious meal together.

Finally, have a water balloon fight: Cool off on a hot day with a water balloon fight. So, fill up some balloons then let the kids go wild.

These are just a few ideas for free summer activities for kids. With a little creativity, you can keep your kids entertained all summer long without breaking the bank. Now whenever you have a chance, get out there and have some fun!

The first year of kindergarten is an exciting time for your child. So many new experiences and new friends. But, it can also be scary and intimidating for both children and parents. However, there are many ways to help your child prepare for kindergarten.

Firstly, it’s important to establish a routine. Children thrive on routine. Having a set schedule can help them feel more secure and prepared for the day ahead. Start by setting a regular bedtime and wake-up time. Try to plan out a daily routine that includes time for meals, play, and learning activities. This will help your child adjust to the structure of a school day and make the transition to kindergarten smoother.

independence

Secondly, encourage your child’s independence. Kindergarten is a time when children start to become more independent. It’s important to foster this independence at home. Encourage your child to dress themselves, use the bathroom independently, and take responsibility for their belongings. This will help them feel more confident and capable when they start school.

How to Prepare for Kindergarten Reading Skills

Thirdly, read to your child every day. Reading is one of the most important skills your child will begin to learn in kindergarten. It’s important to start building this skill early. Make reading a part of your daily routine, and encourage your child to ask questions and engage with the story. This will help them develop a love of reading and prepare them for the reading and writing activities they will encounter in kindergarten. You can learn more about why maintaining a summer reading schedule is important here.

Social Skills

Lastly, practice social skills. Kindergarten is a time when children start to develop social skills and learn how to interact with their peers. Encourage your child to play with other children, practice sharing and taking turns, and express their feelings in a positive way. This will help them feel more comfortable in social situations and make friends more easily.

The thought of your child going to school for the first time might be a little scary. Preparing your child for kindergarten in advance may help to relieve some fears. It is an exciting and important task. By establishing a routine, encouraging independence, reading every day, and practicing social skills, you can help your child feel confident and ready for this new adventure. Remember to be patient and supportive, and enjoy this special time with your child. If you’re looking for more help, Scholastic has 20 skills you can also work on with your child before starting kindergarten.

“Around 24-30 months, children start to integrate nonliteral themes into social play, marking the emergence of social pretend play.”¹ Speech therapists use pretend play frequently to address many concepts in therapy sessions. It has a number of benefits for language development in children. So, let’s explore some key factors.

Expanding Vocabulary with Pretend Play

Pretend play is a great way to expand vocabulary due to minimal limitations of what is happening in the current environment. Children are exposed to new ideas and things that they may not be normally exposed to in their daily lives. Vocabulary surrounding creative places, objects, people, and feelings can be experienced.

Building Conversational Skills and Attention

“From 15 to 24 months, children progress from exchanging simple social behaviors (e.g. smiles) to playing with toys in an interactive manner, with each child contributing to the play. This social play is reality based, with toys and objects used for their intended functions.”¹ Integration of nonliteral themes occurs around 24-30 months. This occurrence allows a child to use their expanded vocabulary and new understanding that, for example, a hairbrush can represent a phone, creating the desire to converse with peers of these new findings. Conversational exchange facilitates the skill of attending to a peer and an object for an extended period of time.

Understanding Different Perspectives

Imaginative play, especially role-playing activities, build and nurture the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others. Also, “Certain partners may act in ways that foster success and sophistication in social pretend play.”¹

Improve Problem Solving Skills Using Pretend Play

Pretend play can take so many different forms and outcomes can consistently change. It is an important way for children to learn about if/then or hypothetical scenarios.

There are many toys and activities that promote this activity, such as dress up clothes, role playing, puppets, and play food/kitchen. For more ideas on how to support creative play at home, check out Inspire My Play and Busy Toddler. However, if you feel like your child struggles with their play skills, check out Building Play Skills for Healthy Children and Families.

References

1. Howes, C. (1987). Social competence with peers in young children: Developmental sequences. Developmental Review, 7,252–272
2. DeKroon, D. M., Kyte, C. S., & Johnson, C. J. (2002). Partner influences on the social pretend play of children with language impairments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 33(4), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2002/021)

Often times we find ourselves threatening our children or criticizing them for their behaviors, in hope that they will self-correct. Criticizing and threatening children DOES NOT stop them from misbehaving. But what it does do, is stop them from loving themselves. It will often make the behavior even worse. This, is turn, can create more problems down the road like poor self-esteem and depression.

It is easy to get stuck in this cycle when you are at your breaking point, and you have no other tools in your pocket to implement. We all do this because we are human. Sometimes we yell, nag, threaten, and scream. We make empty threats, “Christmas is cancelled!” Yet, the best part about being human is we can change! I know, you are asking HOW!? What is the answer to getting your children to behave?

It Starts with You

Firstly, it starts with YOU! Are YOU ready to change? Are YOU ready to put forth the work? Secondly, it starts with understanding that behavioral changes come from within the child. Change in behavior in children occurs because something internally motivates them to do it, and they decide (for themselves) that it is good for them.

The pain you cause by cancelling Christmas may initially motivate your child to behave. Yet, this threat actually fractures the bond between parent and child. Therefore, the result of improved behavior is only temporary. It is very short lived. So what do we do?

The next step is getting children to go from defiant to cooperative. However, this requires some understanding of basic development and knowing what stage of development your child is in. You need to utilize methods that work with them. This understanding will help to create change from within the child, not from external world.

Simple Steps to decrease Behaviors

Here are some simple steps to implement to begin this internal change!

• Build respect without yelling or nagging
• Lead with confidence and strength by managing misbehavior using modeling behaviors
• Stop yelling, nagging or fighting – Just walk away until ready to address in a calm manner
• Gain positive energy to give to your child and to the other loved ones in your life (model this behavior)
• Learn how to respond to the defiant behavior with a calm response
• Look beyond the behavior and see what message the behavior is communicating
• Help to label emotions correctly to gain awareness that emotions are real and they are OK to feel
• Label and help communicate effective language like, “This isn’t working! Could you help me?”
• Help your child improve their social emotional learning

Children learn a lot by watching. So, try your best to model the behaviors and choices for your children. Encourage effort and take the pressure off. Do your best to implement some of the above strategies and see if your child starts to make that internal shift. Then, if they do not, feel free to reach out to your pediatrician or reach out to an occupational therapist.  Another great resource is Dr. Becky, a clinical psychologist and mom of 3, who has tons of tips and tricks for parents.

Summer is here, and with it comes the need for easy and inexpensive snacks for kids. As a parent, you want to make sure your kids are eating healthy. BUT, no one wants to spend a lot of time or money on snacks. Luckily, there are plenty of options that are both nutritious and budget-friendly.

quick and easy snacks for kids

One of the easiest and healthiest snacks for kids is fresh fruit. Whether it’s sliced watermelon, grapes, or berries, kids love the sweet taste of fruit. Plus, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for their growing bodies. You can even make it more fun by cutting the fruit into fun shapes. You can use cookie cutters and your kids can help. Making fruit kabobs also makes snacking a little more fun. Add some marshmallows or a brownie bite to the skewer to make it even more enticing.

Another great option is veggies and dip. Cut up some carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers and serve them with a healthy dip like hummus, guacamole, or ranch. Not only is this snack low in calories, but it’s also a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies. In addition, if you have some extra time on your hands, you can make it more fun by making a veggie tray in the shape of a fish, owl, or this adorable lion with hummus as the face.

Snacks that require baking

If your kids love chips, try making your own homemade chips. There are a lot of different things you can experiment with to make chips. You can make sweet potato chips, kale chips, zucchini chips, or even apple or banana chips. All you need is some olive oil, your favorite seasoning and something to bake them in. Check out Hello Glow for 30 Healthy Chip Recipes.  

For a more filling snack, try making a batch of homemade granola bars. You can customize them with your kids’ favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Plus, they’re easy to make and can be stored in the fridge for a quick and easy snack on the go. Add it to a cup of yogurt with a handful of berries on top and you have a meal!

There are plenty of easy and inexpensive summer snacks for kids that are both healthy and delicious. From fresh fruit to homemade granola bars, there’s something for everyone. So, next time your kids are hungry, try one of these options and watch them gobble it up with a smile.

Looking for more summer ideas? Check out School’s Out Summer Activities and Summer Activities to Fend Off Boredom for more inspiration!

There is nothing more exciting than setting out on adventurous road trips with kids! Family vacations are the ultimate memory makers for both kids and parents. But let’s face it, long car trips with kids can be difficult.

I grew up with 2 sisters and some of my favorite childhood memories are from our road trips for camping adventures, visits to grandparents, and visiting national forests. Things were very different back then. I remember loading up the Ford Fairlane station wagon and sleeping on the floor of the backseat. If there were seat belts, they were not used. We would move about the backseat switching places and hanging halfway out the windows as we drove the 50 mile gravel road to our yearly camp site or to make every semi truck blow their horn. While I am sure my sisters and I drove our parents crazy, we kept ourselves entertained through singing, I spy, alphabet and other games, and pestering the daylights out of one another!

How to Survive a Family Road Trip

It never occurred to me how much stress and planning a long road trip with the kids could possibly be until I had a family of my own. What will they eat? How will you entertain them? Honestly, are we there yet? Will I survive, or better yet, will the kids survive??

Road trips require children to be safely buckled, a big challenge when you think of how kids are naturally movement driven! So many times, the solution is for kids to be handed an iPad or some type of device to keep them still and entertained. For sure there are times that, as a parent, this seems like the only way to save your sanity. So, the question is…how do you prepare and actually survive through a fun filled family road trip? Hopefully some of these hints will help!

Planning for Road trips

Firstly, planning ahead is crucial. As with any large task, the secret to success is a bunch of smaller tasks, done well. Consider the time length of the journey and what the route looks like so you can plan breaks at interesting rest stops. Anticipate issues like boredom (here are some fun summer activities to prevent boredom at home), sickness, or family fights and have a plan of action so you aren’t caught off guard in the moment.

This one is no brainer, but can really help make the trip more enjoyable. Be sure to bring plenty of wipes and paper towels to clean up any messes. Keep a couple of plastic bags handy to store any trash. Have an ample supply of drinks with sealed lids and car-friendly snacks.

Be Flexible

I feel that flexibility may be one of the biggest things in having a successful road trip! First and foremost is to remember that Murphy’s Law is always in effect: whatever can go wrong, will. Relax and know that everything that happens on a road trip with kids is part of the journey. It’s ok to take an extra stop, to arrive a little late, or to add an extra day to your travel time. I am somewhat of an extreme organizer and will wind myself up before a road trip of any distance. I frequently need to remind myself that we do not have to be a tight schedule. One of best parts of a road trip is the freedom! 

I do admit that keeping kids entertained during road trips is a big challenge. Here are some activities that may help, and even add a touch of education (just don’t tell the kids!). Check out totschooling and the Road Trip Expert for some great activities for kids of all ages.  

As a parent of grown children, my biggest advice is to savor those road trips (the good and the maybe not so good)…they grow up in a blink of an eye. Make memories that will last a lifetime!