10 Fun Summer Activities to do with your kids

With Summer winding down for most there is still time to create a bucket list of fun educational summer activities to do with your kids.  We have compiled 10 fun things to do.

  1. Have a lemonade stand – Gather a lemonade recipe and go shopping.  Have your child write the list themselves (get them writing and reading).  Design some cool signs to attract attention (challenge their creativeness) and decide on the price for a cup.  Have your child collect money and give change when applicable (sneaking in a math lesson).  Make sure to have coins and bills for making change.
 
2. Catch fireflies in your backyard or at a park – Fireflies come out a dusk and love to hang around tall grass, fruit or flower gardens.  Make sure everything is dark outside and then turn on a flashlight and beam it up and down to attract fireflies. Let the kids try to catch them in nets or in their hands, but advise them to be very careful as fireflies can easily be squished.  Have a clear jar with a vented lid waiting nearby.  Enjoy them for the rest of the night but be kind and don’t forget to release them before going to bed. You can repeat this activity every night because it is so much fun to do.

3. Movie night outdoors – Rent or buy a movie projector and screen and invite friends over to a movie night experience!  Bring sleeping bags, tons of popcorn and beverages and get ready to have some fun!  Optional: you can also split the cost of the movie equipment with other parents as well.


4. Sleep in a tent outside – prop some camping tents in your backyard (hint: after movie night) and let the kids sleep outside.  If you’re the adventurous type then head to the nearest campground for the full experience. To top off the camping experience we recommend you purchase a camping book to reinforce what your child has learned during their camping adventure.  We have a personalized camping adventure book for children that can be personalized just for them and is a great gift to give after the camping trip.

5. Have a picnic – Grab some snacks, a beach blanket or sheet, and that is all you will need to have a picnic. You can picnic in a park, beach, lake or even your own backyard.  Kids will love the change of setting and you can get creative with it.  You can have them read a story or tell jokes over lunch or dinner.  Planning this more frequently will develop cherished memories for kids.  Maybe every Saturday for brunch or lunch you head out to your favorite place and have a picnic.

6. Go the zoo – Visit your nearest zoo and find out about the extra activities they host in the summer like movies, family nights, campouts and more. A zoo trip is a great way to sneak exercise and education into a fun family outing.  Purchase a personalized zoo book and you can incorporate the child’s name, friends or relatives that went along for the trip, zoo name and more.  This will reinforce what they have learned at the zoo about animals.  Our books are educational and are recommended to purchase especially after an event or special occasion has occurred.

7. Fly a kite – the simplest and oldest way of having fun was going outside and flying a kite.  Introduce your kids to the joy of kite-flying.  You can pick up a model at a toy store or if you’d like to be more creative, you can make your own kite.  Pick a nice, windy day at a park, beach or your backyard and voila!  You’re flying a kite and your kids will enjoy themselves.  Make sure to take pictures or have a video camera handy for when your child’s kite takes flight into the sky to record their reactions.

8. Feed the ducks or birds at the pond – Kids love to feed birds or animals in general.  This can be a fun and educational adventure for your child by showing them what types of food birds and ducks eat.  We have ponds in our town and you can’t go by them without seeing some child feeding the birds or geese.  They are always so eager to feed the animals.


9. Visit a drive-in movie theatre if you have the ability to do so.  This new generation has not been able to experience a drive-in movie like we or our parents did.  The excitement of watching a movie in your car outdoors on a big screen is fascinating for children and beats being indoors in air-conditioned.  They can even camp out outside of the car on the ground.  Bring blankets and bug repellant.  If you don’t have the privilege of having a drive-in nearby then do fun activity #3 above where they will be able to experience something very similar.

10. Go fishing – Fishing is an exciting sport for children because it builds their confidence on being able to capture something on their own.  If you’re not a fishing type of person let your child go along with someone who knows how to fish (preferably an adult).  We also have a personalized book that can accompany the adventure for your little one after they have returned from their fishing trip, surprise them with their very own personalized fishing adventure story all about them.

How can gardening help your kids improve their reading and listening skills?

 
Now that Spring is here get your kids involved in outdoor clean-up
and planting activities.
 
·         Involve them from the beginning.  Have them pick the seeds (flowers or vegetables) they would like to plant.  Remind them that they can’t plant until they have read the instructions first.  
 
·         Let them have their own spot in the garden to dig for worms, catch bugs and prepare the soil.
 
·         Get them their own kid size garden tools to work with you.
 
·         Let them have their own space to plant the seeds they picked.  They are to read on how to plant them and how much water is needed, etc.  They can be responsible for caring for their part of the garden.
 
·         Create a picture journal marking each step of the journey.  Sit with them every day and write, draw and take pictures of what is happening in their garden.
 
·         If the child is smaller and does not know how to read show them either pictures of instructions if available or simply speak out the instructions and have them repeat it back to you.  Repetition improves their listening skills.
 
·         Keep some of the seeds they are planting outside and plant them indoors (they are to read the instructions again or repeat the process to you to see if they paid attention) in a clear plastic cup or container so they can see how the roots are formed and experience the miracle of growing something.
 
·         If planting vegetables encourage them to eat their own creations!  How cool is that!
 
·         Lastly and most importantly make it family time and have fun gardening whatever your child’s age is.  Encourage the love of nature and gardening.
 
Note: You can incorporate reading lessons and instructions in your everyday duties.   When you see the opportunity to read seize it!  Promoting literacy while doing your normal activities will get kids more involved instead of making it a chore (since they won’t realize you’re actually making them read or teaching them).
 
Personalized Kids Books by KD Novelties

Get Your Child Enthusiastic About Reading

 Parents it’s your job not the schools to get your kids to read books that will interest them…Sorry.

Some parents rely on the school system to provide the literacy education that the child needs but in fact it is the parents’ job to find books that will interest your child and get them to read or if they are not able to read yet, YOU can read to them.



This can be as simple as getting books that your child can relate to.  For example if they are learning how to ride a bike, get books on bikes.  If you’re going on a camping trip, get camping books.  Have you made a trip to the zoo lately?  Get a Zoo book. 

Freedom of choice is a key to getting them motivated and excited.  They get to pick out their own books which will motivate them to read.  Most children complain that there is no book that they want to read or are interested in.  This can solve the problem and there will be “no more excuses.”

Let them read whatever they’d like especially boys.  If all they want to read is comics, joke books, pop-ups, let them.  Boys have different reading needs than do girls.  As long as they are reading they are building their literacy skills.  Libraries are the best places for kids to find books that kids will gobble up and most bookstores and book websites offer a large variety of children’s books.

Reality Check: Due to technology gobbling up most of parents’ time, most of us don’t realize that we are failing our kids as role models.  The best role models are in the home (parents, siblings, grandparents) and not in the schools.  It is important that your kids see you read (books and newspapers) all the time.

Incorporate into your household 20 to 30 minutes of reading either daily or on special days of the week.  These 20 or 30 minutes would be considered a drop everything and read (no television, phone, computer, or anything that can be a distraction) that goes for parents too!

When parents read with their children, they are fostering the bonds of healthy interpersonal relationships. The benefits of reading are unequivocally positive.

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