Activities you can do with your children this summer
So, with all that is happening around us in the world, we found ourselves at home with our children with no parks, swimming pools or summer camps that can get them busy and moving for a few hours during their day!
A lot of parents might feel pressured thinking they should be entertaining their children 24/7.
Truth is sometimes having children get bored for a few hours can unleash their creativity, so try that and see what happens; but for a few hours during the day.
And in case you were struggling in finding some new ideas to entertain them, Here are some activities that can be done at home:
- Collect all big blankets, pillows and cushions and build a big tent in the bedroom or living room. This is a very good activity that stimulates imagination, gross motor skills and motor planning.
The end product does not have to be perfect, it just needs to be something the child is proud of achieving and happy to be using.
Inside the tent you can then have a picnic with your children, read a book or just relax and listen to music.
All of which are activities that stimulate development in different ways.
- You can also use the cushions, sofas and pillows available at home to create obstacle courses. Children can think of a maze and go between, over or under furniture to reach the end of the maze.
Encouraging your child to follow a variety of instructions (e.g. first, next, under, over) during the obstacle course will also help language skills.
- Water play, and by that we do not only mean swimming pools!
You can have children fill balloons with water and have a balloon fight, fill buckets of water and challenge them to transfer water from one bucket to the other without spilling, or even wash the car or clean the garden.
Water play involves a lot of sensory stimulation (mainly tactile and proprioceptive systems). This kind of play also stimulates gross and fine motor development.
- Helping with housework. Believe it or not having children help in the house not only teaches them how to be responsible.
but it is also considered very good practice to develop independency skills as well as gross and fine motor skills.
Divide chores between children and have them be responsible for dusting, using the broom or mopping.
You can also teach organization skills by having them organize books on shelves, cutlery, or things in cabinets and closets, even folding clothes after being washed and dried.
- Utilize the kitchen! There is a lot that can be done in the kitchen that provides sensory stimulation for children.
Of course baking provides a lot of tactile and sensory stimulation.
Teach them how to chop food, to make a smoothie or salad. Such activities encourage the use of both hands together.
Having your children organize things and follow a recipe, even ones that you as parents will be doing can also be very helpful in teaching them how to plan and organize.
- Being outdoors is very important for children and allows them to connect with nature. When outside, children can be on their bikes, scooters, playing with a ball, gardening, or simply playing hide and seek or running around.
Outdoor activities involve a lot of sensory stimulation and involves the development of a child’s gross motor skills.
As parents you can have each activity conducted on one day to fill their schedule and repeat it once every week or two.
Of course there are always art and craft activities that can be done several times a week. Avoid having your children in front of screens for long hours.
As hard as it may sound to parents, having children engaged in such activities will really enhance their development in several different ways.
These are just few suggested activities, but of course our imagination can do much more than that!
