For me, my goal, every summer, is exactly the same. To get them to do a little work in the morning. (Usually work books from Costco--my boys will actually do the Star Wars ones--and a few chores like read scriptures, practice piano, make bed, unload dishes.)
When chores are done, I want them playing outside in the backyard as much as possible.
(Yes, we will have trips to the beach/pool/ice cream parlor--just not every day!!)
If they've spent hours keeping busy in the morning and afternoon, I have no problem letting them chill literally and figuratively with a show or Minecraft session in the late afternoon/early evening. I just can't handle being begged for devices all.day.long.
Sure, this seems like a pipe dream, but I know it's possible because when I was a kid
I PLAYED HAPPILY OUTSIDE!!
For hours and hours.
Coming in as little as possible and only when absolutely desperate to use the bathroom or eat.
So last year I made this list and hung it on the wall, but it had one fatal flaw.
One of the items was...
"Make a Lego stop-motion video."
This was the ONLY item on the list that in any way involved electronics, so naturally, it was the only thing anyone ever wanted to do on the list. "Mom, can you un-lock the iPad so I can make a Lego stop-motion video??" That only worked like the first 23 times, and then I cottoned on.
This year, it has been dashed from the list.
Also, I thought I would add a few more specific details to my list to make it easier for my children to actually visualize the activity.
For example
"Go on a bike ride" became
"Go on a bike ride to the Meeting House."
I don't want them to get on their bikes and over-tax their poor, tired little brains by having to come up with a destination. (Lest they give up and come inside.) So I got more specific.
Naturally, if you don't have a turn-of-the-century German Meeting House within biking distance, you might want to amend the list to your specifications.
I recommend copying and pasting the list into a new document and customizing it to fit your kids--and the play structures you have available. ;)
(If someone wants to tell me how to make this into a printable and customizable PDF, I'm all ears.)
Here's to hoping this helps! Good luck to all of us!!!
Time for SUMMER FUN !
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Ride a bike to the meeting house
Ride a scooter up the hill and back down
Go for a nature walk and collect sticks, leaves and cool rocks (but leave them outside.)
Climb a tree
Play hide and seek
Play Sardines
Play Kick-the-can
Play Kick Ball
Play Red-Rover
Play Sardines
Play Kick-the-can
Play Kick Ball
Play Red-Rover
Put on a Puppet Show
Write a play and act it out with siblings (Jane Austen style)
Play Basketball
How many free throws can you make? (100=$1 from Mom
Knock out
Horse
Pig
Jump on the Trampoline
Dead Man
Practice your flips
Freeze Tag!
Read a book
In your room
Outside on a blanket
In a blanket fort!
Play in the Playroom
Board games
Stuffed animals
Blocks
Legos
Trains
Trains
Play a board game or card game with a younger sibling
Play with Play-Doh (outside with permission and you have to clean up after.)
Draw a picture
Jump rope (set a new record for consecutive jumps!)
Jump rope (set a new record for consecutive jumps!)
Cut shapes for a picture and glue together Leo Lionni style
Make a collage with pics cut from a magazine
Play Kickball
Play Wiffle Ball
Play Badminton
Play Frisbee
Keep an Art or Nature journal of your summer
Make mud pies
Make mud pies
Build with Legos
Make a Lego village outside
Make a Lego zip-line
Make a Lego universe
Make a Fairy House or Fairy Garden in the corner of the yard
Build a fort (EVERYTHING needs to be put away after)
Eat lunch outside on a blanket
Press summer flowers for an art project later
Run through the sprinklers
Blow bubbles
Draw pictures with chalk outside
Use chalk to make a Hopscotch game
Memorize a scripture and earn $1
Read 10 stories to little sibling and earn $1
Do 10 extra chores to earn Special Time (art/cooking/clay) with Mom
Do a secret service for someone
Write someone an anonymous love note!
Paint (with permission)
Paint beach rocks (with permission)
Make a panorama in a shoe box-but only if you can find your own shoe box. (Do not ask Mom to find you a shoe-box.)
Write a and illustrate a story. Bind with yarn.
Write in your journal
Write to the missionaries
Open and use one of the many How To {craft/draw/experiment} Books Mom has bought for you!
Open and use one of the many How To {craft/draw/experiment} Books Mom has bought for you!
Draw an imaginary creature and write a story about it
Make dinner for your family with Mom's approval.
Brush your teeth and don’t forget to floss (--Your Dentist)
Go to bed and stay in your bed until 7 am tomorrow ;)
Get extra practice on your instrument so you’ll be extra AMAZING
Don’t veg away your summer! Fill it with FUN ACTIVITIES!!!
Have a FABULOUS and FUN DAY!!!
P.S. It occurs to me that I should have an alternative list of "Mom's Choice" activities for the times they refuse to pick something from the first list. THIS list will have things like...
- Move the Wood Pile from where it is, to three feet to the left of where it is.
- Wash all the lower level windows on the inside and outside.
- Pull 200 weeds and lay them out in stacks of ten so I know you actually did it. And...
- White wash the fence...
I'll get right to work on that one...
