How Dads Can Keep Their Kids Entertained This Summer
It can be incredibly difficult to entertain your kids throughout every single second of the long weeks of their summer vacation from school. However, you do not always have to spend money on them or spend every minute of the day with them to ensure that they stay occupied. Then, here is a guide to some of the best ways that you can make sure that they enjoy themselves and have plenty to tell their friends about when they return to school at the start of the new term.
Try Diamond Painting
Arts and crafts are one of the most traditional ways to keep kids entertained throughout the summer. You can do arts and crafts with your kids at home, and many people can get creative with bits and bobs that they find throughout the house. These activities can even help your kids develop new skills, such as motor skills, without realizing it. However, if you want to take arts and crafts a little bit further, you should try diamond painting. Diamond painting can allow your kids to create pictures with resin rhinestones rather than paint, giving them a simple and mess-free way to let their imaginations run wild. Then, you should look at the variety of diamond painting kits that are available at lovecrafts.com, as these can help your kids to get started, even if they are complete beginners.
Take Them on Day Trips
However, as much as you might want to entertain your kids at home, there may come a point when your house begins to feel claustrophobic, and your kids may start to get desperate for a change in their surroundings. If this happens, you should consider taking them on day trips. Although theme parks and zoos can be great options if you have money to spare, a day trip to a museum or a free exhibition can be just as fun for your children and can allow them to learn new facts along the way. Not only this, but there are usually large annual outdoor events and festivals throughout the summer months, which can get your kids excited and which can allow you to stay entertained from dawn until dusk.
Sign Them Up to Youth Groups
If you would like a brief respite from your kids throughout the summer, or if you have work that you need to do without the distraction of young children, you should consider signing them up to youth groups and clubs in your local area. These can allow your child to participate in a range of activities from crafts, sports, and drama in a safe environment while allowing them to try new things and to meet new friends.
Encourage Imaginative Play
One of the best ways that you can keep your kids entertained this summer without spending a penny is to encourage imaginative play. Although your kids may be desperate for the latest action figure, playset, or costume to bring their imaginations to life, it is easy to create your own props to complement the stories in their heads. Although you can often leave them to their own play, imaginative play can be just as fun for adults, and if they need a villain or a sidekick in their quests, you should consider participating.
Get Outside
Many dads find that their children tend to spend their summers crouched over a video game console or watching the television. It might take some imagination, but try to get your kids outside as much as possible. Not only will it help them to stay fit and healthy and can boost their mood. And, it can also ensure that they get to sleep as soon as their head hits the pillow. Depending on their age, consider getting them interested in the great outdoors by investing in sports gear, or exciting toys and play equipment like swings and trampolines. You might also consider getting them outside by taking them to the local park or by visiting a nearby forest or nature reserve, which can give them a new landscape to play in.
Cook with Them
You might often see cooking as a chore for the summer vacation, especially if you have a large family. Then, you should consider making cooking fun by getting the rest of your family involved. Cooking and baking can be exciting activities for children that can take up a few hours of your day while teaching them important life skills that they will need for their later life. Then, you should consider researching quick and easy recipes that can help to ignite a passion for cooking inside of them that will last them throughout their entire life.
Create a Performance
If your children love to perform, then why not consider creating a performance for other members of your family? This can be a great option if you have more than one child. Whether your children are interested in writing, singing, acting, comedy, or dancing, performing can encourage them to have confidence in their abilities and to band together to create a brilliant piece of theater that can showcase all of their hard work. Then, you should consider giving them a theme to work toward and all of the resources that they will need to put on the show of their dreams, including props, items for their set, and costumes. You might also consider choosing one person to be the director.
Have Movie Nights
However, if you are looking for a relaxing and laid-back activity that you and your kids can enjoy when you need some downtime, you should consider planning movie nights every so often. These are much less expensive than watching a movie in a theater, and your kids will even be able to choose the film that they want to see. To recreate the theater experience at home, you should consider making your own popcorn and hanging posters of your chosen movie around the room.