Summer Fun for Children

We love being outdoors! Whether it is in the mountains or in our own backyard, I love finding something creative for my kids to do! Here are some fun summer activities that take little to no preparation and have kept my children busy for hours:

• Butcher Paper Painting—String out a long section of butcher paper (however long you think your children will use.) Lay it on the ground or tape it to the fence and let your children go wild with washable kid paint and brushes. To make it even more fun, you can turn this activity into a hand or foot painting activity.

  
  

• Nature Painting—Have your children collect a bucket of small rocks, leaves, and sticks and set up a painting station for them. While the toddlers will be content with just painting their collection, your older kids may love the challenge of painting, then building an imaginary fairy home to place in the backyard.

  
  

• A Child's Garden—Section out a place in your yard for your child to have a garden. Get some gardening magazines and let them "go shopping" and order a few plants they'd like to care for during the summer. I'll usually tell my kids to each grab a different colored marker and circle 2-4 plants they'd like to put in their own section of the garden. Once the plants arrive, you can guide your child to plant them on their own and set reminders to care for the plants.

  
  

• A Water Pouring Station—This is simple and always a huge hit! Purchase a large storage container, along with different sizes of bottles, cups, pitchers, etc. I will fill the large storage container, place it in the middle of the yard, and let my kids go to town! If the water stays relatively clean, then I will just cover it and save the water for the next day.

  
  

• Frozen Toys—This activity seemed to be more popular with my boys, but they all like it. Take a collection of their small plastic toys, place them in a medium-sized plastic tub (large enough to be fun but small enough to fit in the freezer), then fill it with water and freeze it. Once it is frozen, take it outside and tell your kids (who are provided with toy hammers or the like) to help free the toys from the ice block.

  
  

• Rainbow Forts—Purchase the largest rainbow parachute you can find. Next, help your kids to move larger objects around the yard to use as walls or anchors for their fort. The parachute can be tied to trees, draped over lawn chairs or tables, or any large, sturdy objects you have in the yard.