Fun Things to Do with Your Kids Before School Starts

_{“When summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away.” — Sarah Helen Whitman}

18 Fun Things to Do with Your Kids Before School Starts:

The time to put away sunscreen and water wings for backpacks and pencil cases is almost here! Good news! Our kids still have time to do a few more fun summer activities before returning to school!

Here are 18 memorable activities for your child to cap up their summer holiday!

1. Go to the Beach:

End the summer holiday in style by taking your children to a local beach; it will feel like a mini vacation. The beach gives children a feeling of joy, relaxation, and satisfaction as they smell the sea saltiness; the sun kisses their skill, their feet feel the wet sand, and the ocean breeze hits their faces.

Best beach activities for kids:

• Get into scavenger hunting items like snails, seashells, rocks, etc.
• Build sandcastles
• Play beach kickball or soccer.
• Collect items and let your children count them.
• Send your children on a treasure hunt.

Benefits of visiting the beach:

• Playing at the beach releases endorphins, hence releasing any tensions about going back to school
• The ocean calms down and rejuvenates your kids’ energy which is essential as they prepare for schooling
• Sunlight at the beach provides kids with Vitamin D, which lowers blood pressure, strengthens bones, and boosts the immune system.
• Playing with water is a sensory activity that enables children to understand how the world works.

2. Watch a Baseball Game:

 Watching a baseball game can be a fantastic way to cap up the long summer break and leave your children with great summer memories. It is so much fun to experience a baseball game live than watching it on the screen. Exposing them to the game can cause them to admire players’ resilience, hence establishing an active and healthy lifestyle from a young age.

Here are more benefits:

• Baseball teaches kids the importance of working with others.
• Children who play baseball improve their self-esteem and confidence.
• Watching the game together improves family interaction.
• Your children develop social skills as they interact with varying people during the game.
• Watching the game can inspire them to play.

3. Go to a Circus:

Going to a circus art is an excellent outing for families and a magical way to end the summer. Most kids are awed by the fun and spectacular acts of the circus, while others learn about the power of resilience.

Benefits of your kids participating in circus

• It improves children’s creativity and imagination.
• It improves children’s hand-eye coordination, throwing and catching skills, ambidexterity, and concentration.
• Improves self-esteem and confidence
• It helps kids to develop perseverance and persistence.
• They get the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

4. Eat Ice Cream:

Eating ice cream, especially for dinner, is a great summer tradition you don’t want to miss! Eating ice cream during the summer gives a cooling, refreshing feeling. Notably, the body gets numerous nutrients. Ice cream comprises cherries, dry fruits, and milk which contain essential nutrients for the body.

Did you know?

• People who consume ice cream in the morning are more alert than those that don’t.
• Ice cream can help reduce stress and boost happiness
• It reduces symptoms of insomnia.
• It boosts energy and stimulates the brain.
• It boosts the immune system and bone strength.
• Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream across the world.
• Chocolate was the first ice cream flavor to be invented.

5. Have a Family Photo Shoot:

Did you know that summer is an excellent time to have family photo shooting? The summer is much more relaxed compared to the other seasons. Once the children are back to school in the fall, you find yourself busy again and committed to so many activities.

Here are more reasons you should have a family photo shoot in summer:

• Everyone has a natural glow and tan from being outside.
• Everyone is getting enough rest leaving you more beautiful.
• There is less sickness during summer!
• You can take cute photos with shorts, sundresses, and flip-flops!
• There are beautiful flowers everywhere.
• You can have photo shoots in the water.

Tips for taking beautiful summer photos:

• Please take notice of sunlight and use it effectively; avoid harsh lighting
• Tell a summer story through photography by capturing all special moments.
• Take advantage of bright summer colors.
• Encourage your kids to be creative and confident when posing for photos.

6. Plan a Scavenger Hunt!

Scavenger hunting is one of the most excellent boredom busters during summer and requires no prior preparation. It is a game where teams or individuals compete to locate and bring back items on a list. The winner in the game is the individual or group that retrieves most of the items on the list. The activity can be done anywhere and have so many benefits for kids.

Some benefits of scavenger hunting include:

• It boosts the observation and concentration skills of kids.
• It provides a learning opportunity that is fun and relaxed.
• Scavenger hunting causes kids to develop problem-solving skills.
• It exercises the body and mind.
• It teaches children teamwork.

9. Visit a park:

Summer is meant for spontaneous adventures, and visiting a local park is one of the most incredible adventures. A visit to the park improves your children’s physical and mental health. The activity also allows you to bond with your children as you enjoy more workouts.

Here are more benefits of visiting a park:

• A park is an excellent place for growth and discovery.
• It provides children with a sense of adventure.
• It facilitates more family connections due to fewer TV and technology distractions.
• It allows for more social skills development.
• It boosts sensory and cognitive development.

10. Cook a New Recipe:

Please find a new recipe before the end of the summer and enjoy making it together with your kids. Please take this opportunity to teach them a few cooking tricks and bond over the delicious aroma. You can ask your children to make a meal they have never made before and watch them enjoy the session! Who knows, it could also become a new staple food for the family.

How will cooking activities benefit your kids?

• Cooking with your kids improves their language development.
• It improves fine motor skills.
• It increases their math ability as they engage in varying measurements.
• It improves attention and focus.
• It is a significant life skill and promotes healthy eating.
• It is a great confidence booster.

11. Go Camping in the Backyard:

Did you get a chance to go camping this summer? You can camp with your children in your backyard! Camping at home can be relaxing and an excellent alternative to real Camping. Your children will enjoy going outside and enjoying nighttime nature without the hassle of packing so much luggage.

More benefits of backyard camping:

• You take in more oxygen and fresh air.
• You socialize more as a family, leading to a healthy, happy relationship.
• You will enjoy improved moods.
• Camping can help your kids to cope better with back-to-school stress.
• Camping without cell phones can facilitate an excellent time for meditation.

12. Go Star-gazing:

Stargazing is a beautiful and relaxing activity to do during summer nights. It is free and offers excellent meditation opportunities. Today, it is a trendy form of meditation that helps people relieve stress and find mental peace in all things cosmic. It is also an excellent activity to do when you are camping.

Here are more benefits:

• Your children get out into nature and enjoy the fresh air.
• It can stark their imagination and creativity.
• It is a great tension and stress reliever.
• It is incredible to watch and can sir a lot of excitement.

13. Go to the Zoo

Visit a local zoo and let your kids spend some time watching their favorite animals. Zoo visits allow children to learn about animals, help them develop compassion and empathy, and foster their cognitive development.   Spending time with animals can also heighten your kids’ interest in the conversation and make them realize that animals have emotions and feelings.

Educational benefits of going to the zoo:

• Children get exposed to new concepts and words in the zoo, improving their language development.
• Many zoos offer educational programs, including camps that help learners understand more about animal conversation, care, and behavior.
• Most zoos cover a wide range of land that facilitates more physical exercise.
• Children absorb a lot of academic knowledge just by visiting a zoo.
• They also allow children to make more discoveries about animals.

14. Go, Fruit Picking,

Fruit picking is a great summer activity that kids can enjoy before the start of school. Find a local fruit farm to help in late harvest vegetables and fruits.

Here are a few benefits of fruit-picking activity:

• Children learn how different fruits are grown.
• They also learn to identify plants by their leaf, flowers, and bark.
• Children also improve their motor skills and improve their physical health.
• They also know how farmers protect their fruits from pests.

15. Make Giant Bubbles:

Making bubbles is a great summer activity that your kids would enjoy doing before going back to school. You can make your bubble solution and let them enjoy making gigantic bubbles to sign off summer in style!

What you need to make supper bubbles:

1. Dishwashing liquid or liquid dish soap.
2. Warm water.
3. A clean container
4. Light corn syrup or glycerin.
5. Straw or bubble wand.

How to make bubble solution at home:

• Put 6 cups of water in a container
• Add 1 cup of dish soap to the water
• Stir the solution slowly until they mix, but without letting bubble or foam form.
• Add and slowly stir ¼ cup of corn syrup or1 tablespoon of glycerin to the soap mixture.
• Cover the mix with a lead and let it sit overnight.
• Dip a straw or bubble wand into the soap mixture, carefully pull it away, and blow it after a few seconds.
• How many bubbles can you make in a single blow? How big are your bubbles?

16. Play With Kinetic Sand:

Many children love to play with dough. If your kids love molding, the kinetic sandy concoction will give them an excellent experience as they end the summer! Kinetic sand is soft and crumbly sand that is addictive to squeeze. Here is how you should use kinetic sand:

What you need:

• Slime
• Play sand
• Disposable utensils and containers.
• Kitchen Sifter

How to prepare:

1. Please put it in the slime in the disposable container.
2. Use the kitchen sifter to remove small stones and other objects from the sand.
3.  Add the slime to the sand and stir until they clump together.
4.  Finalize the sand mixing with your hands until the kinetic sand ball is not sticky.

Benefits:

• Playing with kinetic sand is fun and fulfilling.
• It is an engaging hands-on activity.
• It is also a great sensory tool that increases coordination and flexibility.
• Kinetic sand improves children’s fine motor skills.
•  The exercise can help emotional and social development by relaxing and calming your child’s sensory effects.
• It fosters your kids’ imaginations and creativity.

17. ‘Things I Like About Me’ Activity:

This is an excellent activity for kids as they prepare for school. It is also a great communication booster. Encourage your kids to discuss their feelings, thoughts, and summer experiences in this activity.

Children can answer using simple sentences and images or question/answer format to describe themselves and their lives.

Benefits:

• This is a fun activity that builds children’s writing creativity.
• It builds their social-emotional skills.
• It helps kids to build confidence, self-expression, and awareness.
• Allows children to celebrate their achievements and life in general.

18. Sleep:

Sleep is a good remedy for fatigue and summer exhaustion. It will help your child to feel better physically and emotionally and prepare them to resume school. Good sleep is crucial to people of all ages. Use the last days of summer to formulate healthy sleep habits such as keeping off electronic devices from the bedroom, turning off their screens an hour before designated bedtime, and ensuring they sleep about 10 hours. Proper sleep adjustment will make the transition back to school easy.

Benefits of sleep:

• Sleep refreshes the mind and keeps it healthy.
• It leads to the effective functioning of the entire body and boosts the immune system.
• Sleep improves kids’ physical, emotional, and mental health in children.
• It improves brain functioning and development, improving attention span, cognitive abilities, and memory.
•  Getting enough sleep also contributes to kids’ physiological growth spurt.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Parting Shot:

Summer is the best time to let your children explore, play, and learn things they will never know in a regular classroom. The above activities provide your children best ideas on how to spend summertime.

We strongly believe in improving classroom and extracurricular activities at Kids on the Yard. We believe that life happens in the yard and the classroom! We are determined to evolve children’s growth in all aspects of their lives.

Please learn more about us by following this link: https://kidsontheyard.com/.

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