Summertime Fun Activities for Kids and the Family
As summer is in full swing, and the kids are in their routines, it can be easy to get stuck in what to do to switch up your summertime activities. It is important for kids to engage in outdoor play as it helps with their emotional and cognitive development as well as improves their sensory skills (Lund, 2018). Kids learn through play and having the opportunity to engage in outdoor play can provide them with a space to grow both socially and emotionally. Here are a few fun ways to add some more play into your home during this summer season!
#1 Cup Challenge
The cup challenge can be a fun family activity or an activity kids can play with their friends.
Items you will need:
- Plastic cups
- Timer
- Water guns/ water balloons
The cup challenge can be done in a variety of different ways. Most simply, you challenge one another to building a cup tower before the timer runs out. Depending on the ages you can set the time to what feels most doable! This is a fun way for families and friends to get active with one another. To add a summer twist to this challenge, after the cup tower has been created you can have kids knock down their tower with the use of water guns or water balloons!
#2 Pasta Painting
Mix up your typical arts and crafts by adding painting with pasta! This is a fun way to mix some sensory play into your afternoon arts and crafts.
Items you will need:
- Pasta (spaghetti typically works best)
- Paint
- Paper
Cook whichever box pasta you have and let it cool. I find that spaghetti works best because of the length and size! Then set up your child’s paint onto different paper plates or bowls and add your cooked noodles to each plate. Provide your kids with a piece of paper and let them paint away!
#3 Family Charades
A family game night is an easy and fun way to get the family together on a summer night and engage in play!
Items you need:
- Pieces of paper and a pen
- A bowl
Start off with having each member of the family write something to be acted out on a small slip of paper (i.e. animals, movie characters, activities etc.) and put it in a bowl. Once you have your desired amount of options, take turns acting out and guessing each piece of paper!
#4 Frozen Shaving Cream Sensory Activity
Sensory play is an important part of every child’s development. It can help improve both fine and gross motor skills as well as supports problem solving skills and social interaction. Sensory play can also be useful in helping children regulate themselves when they are emotionally dysregulated. Having different types of sensory activities for children is a great way to keep them occupied and support their growth! Frozen shaving cream is a fun summer option for sensory play.
Items you will need:
- Shaving cream
- Plastic bin
- Food coloring
- Spoons/scoops
- Plastic figurines
Fill any shallow plastic bin about half way with the foaming shaving cream. After the bin is filled add a few drops of food coloring until you have your desired color. Then add any small toys around the bin for your child to find (i.e., plastic figurines, plastic balls, marbles, plastic coins). Freeze the bin for roughly 3 hours—depending on the size of the bin this may be longer or shorter. After your bin is frozen, give your child spoons or scoops and let them play! They can dig and find everything you hid as well as play with the shaving cream.
Lund, D. (2018, June 26). Top 5 benefits of children playing outside. Sanford Health News. https://news.sanfordhealth.org/childrens/play-outside/
Written By: Samantha Renner