How to Keep Your Child Engaged This Summer Vacation

Besides heat, the other thing that rises rapidly during summer vacation is boredom. Long hours in front of TV, incessant complaining and unproductivity can fill the days. To beat all these, here are some fun things we can add to our children’s calendar this summer.

Start a Project

Build character and skill in your children by starting a project. It’s productive and fun. Pick from any of these –

• Make a bird feeder, build a Lego house or paint the garden pots – for boys.
• DIY projects for girls – jewellery making, home décor items or knitting.
• They can clean their rooms and start a garage sale. Better, they can sell stuff online.
• Build a garden patch – landscape and plant flowers, vegetables or herbs.

Idea is to increase the fun quotient and to teach them a new skill at a minimal cost.

Enroll them for Activity Classes

Teach them a new sport, skill or art this summer. Enroll your kids in summer classes. There are various fun programs that run in every city, and are available at flexible schedules. Choose from – guitar lessons, swimming, painting, dancing or baking. For older kids, robotics classes, science workshops and language classes could be a great option. Keep in mind your child’s interest and aptitude and enroll in advance. Remember seats are always limited for such courses.

Make it Outdoorsy in the Evening

It’s very important for the children to go outdoors and interact. Make sure they go out in the evening rather than sticking to their electronic devices. They can play a sport, go for walks or pick up grocery for you. Spending 2-3 hours outside when the temperature is pleasant is crucial to keeping the boredom away and also keeping them physically active.

Assign them Responsibilities

Don’t call it a task. Assign them a responsibility. Watering plants twice a day, dusting, taking the dog for a walk or chipping in the kitchen. Make them in-charge of that work for the length of the summer vacation. Give them a schedule to stick to, and ask if they are enjoying it. This is the best way to initiate them in household chores.

Invite their Friends Home

Children miss their friends from school during holidays. One way to overcome it is to invite their school friends at home. They can do a sleepover, play, or simply unwind with their friends. If they want, they can plan a cool summer party to keep themselves entertained.

Plan weekend Picnic or Hike

On weekends when you have time at your disposal, take the kids for a picnic or a hike. Escape the city heat in the lap of nature. And do it with a fun purpose – collect shells on beaches, play games, explore different hiking routes to a summit. Bring alive their sense of adventure.

Organise a Summer Tournament in your Neighbourhood

Want to keep the kids on the brink of excitement? Organise a summer tournament in your neighbourhood. Supervise it and let the kids do all the work – from planning to prize distribution. It can be an outdoor or an indoor sport. Choose from cricket, badminton, quiz or board games. This also increases their social and organisational skills.

Plan for Plenty of No Activity

Get a library membership or buy them plenty of books. Summer is the best time for leisurely reading. While you want the kids to be gainfully engaged, do not over plan their holidays. Give them plenty of time for fun or to do nothing. This helps them in recharging their creative energies. Indulge in activities like storytelling where the next person completes the next line of the story is an exciting activity. This hons their creative skills. Playing board games like chess, carrom and Scrabble etc. are fun ways to keep them off their gadgets and TVs.

Have some fun anecdotes from your childhood to share? Share it in comments below.

A Company Secretary by profession, Saru found her true calling in writing. She blogs at sarusinghal.com which she religiously updates every Monday for the last four years.

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