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:
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| 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.
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| 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!
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