8 Gadget-Free Fun Activities for Your Kids to Combat Boredom this Summer

Now that the school year’s out, Lenten Season’s over, and the Easter celebration is done, it’ll be the time of the year when your kids are either just sprawled lazily in your living room switching channels from Nickelodeon to Cartoon Network, and to any other channels that can save them from boredom. If not, they might be preoccupied with their tablets, or laptops or even using your smartphones surfing the Internet,  or maybe doing some anime,  movie or season marathon of their favorite TV shows, or  worst glued the whole day with their  gadgets playing games.

Don’t you miss the old days when all you do the whole summer is being out there, all sweaty and muddy playing outdoors with your cousins and friends in the open field? It is great to see your kids within the four corners of your house. But the downside is, technology is taking control of today’s generation that instead of your kids enjoying the sunshine, they are sulking the whole day with their electronic devices. Not so great.

So as a parent, why not engage your little ones into worthwhile activities without any involvement of technologies around. Here are some ideas that you may want to consider:

from Yahoo.com

1.       Engage them into sports. There’s a lot to choose from: basketball, volleyball, badminton, lawn tennis, table tennis, soccer, biking, or even marathon suited for their age.

Note: Letting them be a part of a team with the type of sport that they chose will not only be beneficial for their health and boost their stamina but it definitely helps them to value sportsmanship and team work.

2.       Enroll them in a summer class. You will be surprised that a lot of classes and programs are being offered to children this summer. There’s a wide array of choices depending on the need of your child. Some offer Advanced Math, English, and Science tutorials. Others will be more on Music and Dances. You can also engage your kids into swimming lessons, arts and painting, martial arts, or even study a foreign language which is very beneficial for the brain.

Note: Some might find it expensive, but if you are a practical parent, it might be a neighbor or a relative whom you can trust who can teach your kid to play the piano, who can give lessons like voice, basic guitar lessons, art lessons, dance and other tutorials sessions. You can talk about how much he or she will charge you (I myself gave tutoring services back in College, and trust me…usually these people are older kids from college who also want to earn this summer). Be practical.

3.       Organize a garage sale. You can take one day to check for items (used clothing, old books, magazines, home decors) that your family no longer use and set a garage sale. This will be a bonding time with you and your little pal. The money that you will earn from the garage sale can be saved on his piggy bank, or it can be used to buy his next school year’s school supplies or can be donated to the church or charitable institutions to help the less-fortunate kids.

Note: This will enable them to understand and value the hard-earned money and how to be responsible in handling it and the sense of generosity by sincere giving.

4.       Start a youth gardening. Yes, it is a great way of sparking their learning and a wonderful means of raising an eco-friendly child. Kids are naturally inquisitive so letting them dip their hands in gardening will be an awesome experience for them to better understand and get closer to nature. You will find them so much amazed with how to plant a seed and to see it grow afterwards.

Note: Be creative with the garden design and decide what you will plant together with your kids. Let them do the chore of watering the plants to teach them a sense of responsibility.

5.       Have fun outdoors. Walk together around your neighborhood and explore the part which you haven’t been before. Drive around to the next town that you haven’t visited yet. Sprawl your picnic blanket in your backyard and eat outside. You can start hiking (recommended if you have older kids), set your tent and camp outside to gaze on the summer stars with nature around you. Or hit the beach and have fun.

from theatlantic.com

6.       Gather all your family pictures and design your scrapbook. This is a great way of remembering the moments captured in the photographs and seeing how your kids grow through the years. It will inspire giggles and story-telling plus your kids will appreciate the time you spent with them.

Note: Let them design it but make sure that your materials are kids-friendly and safe especially with glue-guns and adhesive substances, scissors and other sharp instruments around.

7.       Invite their friends or cousins their age for a sleepover. Kids love this. Let them have a pajama party or slumber party and have them feast with slices of fruits or milk and cookies.  Organize a mini-show where they can act, dance or sing. Being with kids of their age will definitely help them combat the boredom of being confined in the house. Plus, it will help them to forget that gadgets do exist.

Note: Be clear with them though that there is a no-gadget policy and remind what time will be the lights-out so they will not stay up late.

8.       Engage them into reading and writing. Bring your kid to the bookstore and ask him/her to pick a new book to read. You can also give a topic and let your child write something about it. I’m sure that with more than two months without classes, the boredom is high and giving them the sense of being back in their class will heighten the excitement of opening books and the feeling of scrawling with their pens.

Note: Learning is continuous so take that chance for them to gain more knowledge by reading and for them to appreciate the importance of writing.

These are fun activities that you and your kids can do which will build up a greater relationship for your family this summer. Bonding with them not only lets them feel like being loved and valued but it is a channel of communicating with them and getting to know them deeply.

Technology is great, yes, but this summer, let them understand that there’s more to life than being confined in their rooms being just in front of their computers. Help them to go out of their comfort zone and encourage them that by going outside and seeing the world around them will definitely give them more learning experience. Have a great summer!