One Mom's Cure to Summer Boredom
The end of the school year arrives with much anticipation by children, and many parents also welcome the change in pace. As the children adjust to summer however, boredom sets in and it doesn't take long to get tired of hearing "I'm bored!"
Here's a few tried and true tips for curing summer boredom.
Have an Activities Brainstorming Session: Involving your children in planning summer activities is a great way to kick off the summer. Simply have each child create a list of things they'd like to do before fall.
Summer Activity List: Drawing from the activities that were brainstormed create a master activity list for the whole summer. This can be in list form or, better yet, create a family calendar just for summer.
Keep it Affordable: Although the kids might list some big (expensive and full day) activities, spread these out throughout the summer calendar, one per week or per month depending on what you can afford or handle is sufficient!
Keep it Simple: Once you have the big activities on the calendar, fill in the other days with planned simple activities that you can do at home. Don't forget to plan in even basic ideas like play in the sprinkler, sidewalk chalk contest, pool party, slip and slide, etc.
Flexibility is Key: Life happens. Bad weather, illness, and more can simply get in the way of the master plan. Being flexible will help everyone adjust easily. Creating a jar of indoor activity ideas and alternate activities is a great idea in the event you have to be indoors all day or come up with a Plan B activity.
If your child comes to you and still says "I'm bored", keep a jar of chores on hand for them to draw out of and almost always upon completing the chore, their boredom is magically cured.
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