Summer Activities for the School-Aged Child

"I'm bored."

How often have you heard those two little words come out of your child's mouth? How about some fresh and fun new ideas to keep your child active and motivated all summer long? These activities will keep your child busy and his brain working, so he enters the next school year ready to go.

Here, you will find appropriate activities for your school-aged child. These activities are divided into active/outdoor play, arts and crafts, and learning activities.

Give your child this list of activities and have him do at least one thing on it every day.

Active/Outdoor Play:
Go swimming. Plant and care for a flower and/or vegetable garden. Go on a nature walk. Make healthy smoothies and homemade ice cream to share with family and friends. Have a water fight with friends. Climb a tree. Give the dog a bath. Create a scavenger hunt for your friends to go on. Build a tree house with your dad. Go to a ball game. Go camping. Fly a kite. Go horseback riding. Build paper airplanes and have a paper airplane contest. Have a game night with the family. Participate in a day camp program or other summer camp. Bird watch, star watch, start a rock collection, and dig for fossils. Go to a museum

Arts and Crafts:
Tie dye t-shirts. Make a photo album or other summer scrapbook. Make charm bracelets or friendship bracelets.
Illustrate stories.

Learning Activities:
Learn a musical instrument. Try your hand at writing poetry. Write short stories. Go to the library and participate in a summer reading program. Help with a yard sale, count the money from the yard sale. Learn to sew. Start a journal. Do some science experiments. Learn to play some new card games. Learn a foreign language or sign language. Build a time capsule. Recycle. Write the numbers 1 - 100 (or higher), write the number words also. Find objects in the house that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Write sentences using number words. Bake using measuring cups and spoons. Write a story about someone you know or a pet. Write 5 words, then try to make as many new words using the letters. Practice your handwriting. Log what you see, using descriptive words, while on a nature walk. Write numbers by 5's, 10's, etc. Write an imaginative or fantasy story. Write letters to friends and relatives. Compare/contrast objects. Make a list of everything you can find in each color. Cut out words from the newspaper, rearrange them to make new sentences. Create a map of your neighborhood. Volunteer at a nursing home or animal shelter. Help your parents with the dinner menu and shopping list. Learn about your hometown. Learn about the weather and weather watch. Create a treasure map.

You could also ask your child to create a list of things he would like to learn about during the summer break. Maybe he is interested in dinosaurs or airplanes, artists or plants. Then, use resources like the library or Internet to come up with things to do and places to go to learn everything possible. Check out books from the library, go to museums, and complete activities which correspond to the theme.

If you're still looking for more idea, try these informational sites:
A to Z Kids Stuff, http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/schoolage.html, Activities and Ideas for School Age Children

Family Education, fun.familyeducation.com/play/outdoor-games/33374.html, Fun & Educational Activities for School Aged Children