So your kids have been out of school for 3 days now and already, they are saying the dreaded words, “I”M BORED! There’s nothing to do!” Look no further. I’ve got some great, affordable (and even free) things that you can do to keep your children safe and busy this summer.

Local Camps

There are many camps that are available to children in the summer. School districts offer football, baseball, volleyball, cheerleading, and even theater camps. Check with your local district to see what is available to your kids! For a small fee, these camps will get kids out of the house for a few hours plus help them stay physically active throughout the summer.

Vacation Bible Schools

Most churches host VBS for an entire week, usually for 3-4 hours during the day. Check your local newspaper or call around to churches to see when churches are hosting these Bible schools. Not only is it a wonderful way to get kids out of the house, but kids can learn about God while having a great time with friends.

Read with your child

As a school principal, I always want to encourage kids to read throughout the summer. Research shows that students can drop significantly in their reading skills over the summer months if they don’t read or don’t have someone read to them. Find a book that interests your child. One of my boys’ favorite books was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I would read 1-2 chapters per day and the boys were so excited to hear about what happened next.

Local libraries often offer a children’s reading time. Check their hours and see what they have to offer. Get a library card and let your child check out his favorite book.

Write a letter

Lately it seems that letter writing is a lost art. Adults very seldom take time to sit down and write a personal note or letter to a friend or family member. It’s much easier to send a quick text or an email. However, letter writing is very personal and something that we need to continue encouraging our children to do. As a grandmother, it thrills my heart when I receive art work from my grand-kids. They are all too little to write letters yet, but if your child is old enough, sit down with them when they are bored and encourage them to write someone a letter. Maybe you could even return a self addressed stamp envelope to encourage the receiver to write back to your child. Children LOVE getting mail!

Volunteer

Have you ever volunteered in a shelter? How about a hospital or nursing home? My children and I were volunteers for Meals on Wheels when they were younger. We would get meals from the hospital and had a list of 10 or so homes of elderly people who we would deliver to. During the summer months, Meals on Wheels always needs substitutes for their regular drivers who take a vacation. My children learned about compassion and empathy when we made these deliveries. They realized that some people don’t have family close by to help them in their time of need. Plus the elderly people were always so happy to see a youthful smile and receive a hug from a child.

Encourage kindness

Do something nice for someone! Bake cookies for the local fire department. (if you want a good cookie recipe, look here.) Take flowers from your yard to a neighbor or to a nursing home. Mow a neighbor’s yard for them. Pick up the neighbor’s mail while they are out of town. Encourage your kids to do for others. In turn, they will feel a love a compassion for the people in need.

Spend time together

Go to the local pool. Eat lunch at the park. Take a nature walk and look for bugs, rocks and leaves. Run through the sprinkler. Ride bikes. Climb a tree. There are so many things you can do that don’t cost a penny. Just spending time together is a gift.

Be present

Whatever you do, lay your phone down and enjoy your child! Be present in their lives and quit worrying about the latest facebook post or how many likes you have on Instagram. Your kids will only be little for a short time. Enjoy them while it lasts.

So the next time your child says, “I am bored! There’s nothing to do!”, come back to this blog post, get a plan in place and enjoy them. And if these things don’t work, tell them there is always laundry to do or toilets to scrub. Somehow I bet that will make them find something else to enjoy!

Be Blessed,