Just because we love our children and would run into oncoming traffic without a second thought on their behalf doesn’t necessarily mean it’s awesome being around them 24 hours a day for 2 months a year. Having to find ways to entertain them during summer vacation can be a challenge.
In order to have the best possible experience without everyone going crazy, it’s important to plan ahead. Here are some of the best tips for your summer vacation at home with your little ones.
Get a Swimming Pool
In the warm months, it’s important to plan for beating the heat. If you have a backyard, then you most definitely want to get a swimming pool. If you don’t have the budget for a full-fledged pool which needs to be serviced and maintained, then just get an inflatable pool.
Kids love water activities at any age. Just make sure to always monitor their activity in the pool so that they aren’t in any danger. Even shallow water can be extremely dangerous without the supervision of an adult.
Let Them Get a Little Bored
While there may be a lot of pressure to keep your kids constantly entertained, many experts recommend that it’s ok to let your kids get a little bored. By constantly providing them things to do then they lose the ability to come up with things creatively on their own. Boredom is the birth of imagination, so let them flourish in boredom once in a while!
Janet Lehman, co-creator of the Total Transformation program for managing challenging child behavior says parents who step in to solve their children’s boredom problems are “hindering a child’s ability to [develop] strong skills in building patience, independence, a deeper sense of their interests, and stronger innovation and creative skills.”
Enjoy Special Moments
Even though it may feel like an inconvenience in the moment to have kids jumping on your bed at 6 am when you’d rather them be in school, it’s important to try to soak in these special moments.
Try to enjoy these moments of their childhood and soak it up. It may seem like it will last forever, but time truly starts moving quickly at one point.
Go Camping
What kind of a summer is it without a good old camping trip? Pack the entire family up and head on down to the nearest campsite. You can either pitch a tent or opt for “glamping” and rent a cabin.
You can go swimming in a lake, tell ghost stories in the moonlight, and even roast marshmallows and make s’mores!
Not only is camping fun for kids, but also for adults. Not to mention it makes your bed feel a million times more comfortable when you get back home.
