Looking for ideas for educational and fun things to do with your kids this summer? Here are some suggestions for spending time together. Spending time with your children is important. Try one of these leisurely pursuits that you and your kids will find not only fun but enriching.
Star Gazing
What better way to spend an evening than looking at the stars. It is also an opportunity to educate your children on stars, planets, constellations and galaxies. Plus, you can watch solar and lunar eclipses when they occur. Get a schedule of when the next eclipse will be. The only thing you don’t want to look at through a telescope is the sun, as that is dangerous and can harm your vision.
Super Size Jigsaw Puzzle
Purchase an intricate puzzle, at least 1,000 pieces. This is a great family activity as it will spread over many nights and when you are finished the whole family will feel a sense of accomplishment. Puzzles are also great for encouraging concentration and logic skills in your children. Amazon.com has a variety of 1,000 piece puzzles including those of famous artwork by DaVinci and Renoir as well as maps of the United States and historical events like the Civil War.
Cook with the Kids
Most people never learn how to cook, even the basics. If you start when children are young, not only will they learn a valuable skill but it could be a career option as well. You can begin with meals that do not involve the stove or knives such as making a sandwich or toast and then move onto simple things like scrambled eggs, salad, and pancakes.
Photography
Give the kids a disposable camera or an inexpensive digital one and encourage them to take their own pictures. Take them to a local park or forest so they can photograph nature, or have them be the photographer at a family event. Do the same thing with a video recorder. Encourage the kids to film a day in their life.
Teach Kids Chess
Chess is a great game that many believe even a two-year old can learn. It teaches math and logic skills as well as pattern recognition. Because it is a slow moving game, it gives parents and children a chance to interact as well.
Create a Family Scrapbook
Scrap booking is a huge craze. It is great for children to have memories from their childhood that they can keep to show their kids. Create a scrap book to encapsulate a year, an event, a birthday party, or even a family trip. By letting children participate in the creation as opposed to just making one yourself, you share a secondary experience that they will remember.
Take Educational Nature Walks
There is a lot you can do on a walk in the forest. Bring a pair of binoculars and help kids identify birds (alternatively consider putting a birdhouse outside a child’s bedroom so they can do the same thing at home). Consult an online bird manual as a reference. Also in the forest, use a magnifying glass to see bugs up close, or show kids how to use a compass to understand the direction in which they are walking.
There are so many entertaining, educational things to do with kids that makes spending time together even more valuable. Hopefully these fun family ideas will be something your kids enjoy.
