How to Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer (and Save Your Sanity)

Summertime can feel especially punishing for parents. Without the structure of school, kids can seem like little zombies, wandering around the house, muttering “I’m bored” all day long. For stay-at-home parents or parents who work from home, this is particularly frustrating.

Don’t worry, friends! We’ve got you covered. Here are seven ways to keep your kids busy this summer.

1. Pursue a passion.
Through the beauty of the internet, it’s possible to learn about virtually anything you want. Teach your kids how to perform responsible searches and seek out videos, books, and articles to help them learn more about topics that interest them.

If your kids want to learn a skill, brainstorm the steps they might need to take to get good at their skill. For example, if your child wants to be better at a sport, find some quality instructive videos and books. Then, emphasize that your child will need to practice. Between reading and doing, your child should be occupied for a couple of hours each day.

2. Go to the library.

Libraries are an awesome (and FREE!) source of fun. Even if your kids aren’t old enough to read on their own, they will still be able to find books that are age-appropriate. For kids who are old enough to read but don’t enjoy it yet, most libraries also have videos to rent.

While you’re there, don’t forget to check out your library’s calendar. Libraries are especially busy, particularly during the summer. With summer reading challenges, guest speakers, and tons of other events; you and your kids are sure to find exciting activities.

3. Marie Kondo time!
At my house, we regularly go through all our household items to decide what should stay and what should be donated. My husband and I take care of our items, and I ask my kids to take care of theirs. You might not know this yet, but asking your kids to clean their room is a sure way that you won’t see them again for hours.

If I ask my kids to go and play with toys, they’re only gone about 15 minutes before they return to tell me they’re bored. However, if I ask them to go through their toys and decide what to keep and what to donate, they can happily play for hours.

The same is true for book donation. Ask them to read in their rooms, and they can’t find anything good to read. Tell them to go through their books and see which ones they’d like to donate, and they will read books in their rooms all day.

The best part of all of this is that I really don’t care if they find anything to donate or not. Honestly, the only thing that matters with the Marie Kondo decluttering technique is that you only keep things that are useful or bring you joy. As a parent, if my kids can go up to their rooms and read books or play with toys for hours, that brings me joy.

4. Go outside.

Parents, this means you, too. It’s good for people to go outside and have fun outdoors while the weather is nice. Take advantage of all the sunshine summer has to offer.
Check out local parks.
Plant a garden.
Play sports with your kids.
Go for walks or ride your bikes around the neighborhood.
Attend outdoor concerts.
Teach your kids games you used to play as a kid.

Everyone needs some quality time outside, so resist the urge to shoo your kids outside to buy some peace and quiet inside. Instead, take a break and join them.

5. Keep an activity jar.
Sit down with your kids and brainstorm activities they could do. Don’t forget to include important tasks like dish duty, emptying the trash, folding the laundry, and other essential duties. Then, whenever your kids tell you they’re bored, you can have them pull a piece of paper from the activity jar. Theoretically, they could do that all day until all the pieces of paper have been pulled and completed.

6. Make a movie.
Again, with the technology available today, anything is possible. Have your kids work together to create a story and characters. Then, turn them loose with a charged cell phone and see what they come up with.

7. Practice stillness.
We are a busy society. It seems like there’s always something going on. With all the hustle and bustle, we can sometimes forget that it’s okay to do nothing.

Furthermore, it’s okay to be bored. By allowing yourself or your kids to be bored, you give the brain time to shut down and rest. In this time of stillness, you can really decide what you wish you were doing.

This is an important skill for kids to learn. Parents and teachers won’t always be around to tell them what to do and when to do it. Kids need to learn how to appropriately fill their time with rewarding activities that bring them joy.

Would a New Home Bring You Joy?
Whether you are thinking of buying or selling, Ramseier Realty Group can help you out. We know summers are busy, and that’s why we are dedicated to helping our clients find their dream homes as soon as possible. To find out how we can help you, give us a call today at 816.262.8077 or contact us through our website.