SUMMER FUN AT HOME!
by Aricia E. LaFrance, MSE

The summer months are approaching quickly and along with them comes the joy and the frustration of having children at home for three months, but this time provides invaluable opportunities for children and parents to bond together.
Most of us can use a reminder to slow down, and summer gives us that message in spades! Our children try to teach us that lesson by encouraging us to read to them, play a game, or just sit quietly and hold them. While summer gently nudges us towards slowing down, our children demand it. And that’s probably a good thing.

Summer can be a frustrating time too, because unfortunately, laundry and dishes don’t go away just because it’s warm. During the summer, allow kids to help you with things you’d normally do on your own. It will take longer, but they’re learning valuable skills and take pride in participating fully in the family. Work together on household chores and then do something fun together. The ideas below are inexpensive and fun. They don’t include the traditional trip to play places or amusement parks. These are quieter stay at home ideas, that nurture the relationship between parent and child and can give you insights into your child’s world.

1. Learn something new together with a video of a foreign country, a language cassette, or a craft kit. You may be encouraging a lifelong hobby!

2. Invent a game utilizing things around the house. Have your child come up with rules and determine if the goal is to win or work together to accomplish a goal. Then play it together.

3. Create an instrument: what makes something a musical instrument? Use things from around the house to invent something totally different.

4. Plan a mind vacation. Ask your child "If you could go anywhere, where would you like to visit?" Ask them to describe the details of what it might be like there and what they would do.

5. Create an edible village together. Use life savers windows, sugar cookie doors, licorice for streets. Be creative!

6. Write a book together complete with drawings. The book can be laminated at most office supply stores.

7. Learn about archeology. Take a terra cotta pot and gently break it and round the edges a bit with sand paper. Then bury it in the sand or dirt of your yard. Help your child gently dig up the pieces and reassemble them.

8. Prepare dinner together, allowing your child to make age appropriate choices about ingredients and preparation.

9. Bake and decorate a cake together. The cake can be any size or shape and can be decorated with anything edible. Be creative!

10. Build a clock. The parts of a clock run about $10 and can be put on cardboard or tin. Decorate cardboard with wrapping paper, lace, beads and glitter. Designs can be punched in tin.

11. Build a desk fountain. Pumps can be bought over the internet or in most craft stores. Use a glass or ceramic bowl or pot, stones and marbles. You can add a candle or statuettes.

12. Make a claymation video using modeling clay and video camera. Put the camera on a tripod and film for a second, move the figure, film again, and so on. Have your child create the story.

13. Teach your children a skill that you have, like cooking, art, music, or language.

14. Have them teach you a skill that they have. Could they teach you to build a fort? Teach you to play a game?

15. Repair something together. This is a skill they can take into adulthood. If you don’t know how to fix that squeaky door, get a book from the library or consult an expert.

16. nvent something. Ask them what they think would make life easier and then come up with something together.

17. Have a party. Create a guest list of everyone they would like to invite, even if that includes the Queen of England. Invite friends over for a real tea party or game day.

18. Make a documentary of your child’s life. This can be a time when kids learn about their genealogy in a fun way. Video frames can be taken of old family pictures with an explanation about each person. Tell a bit about your life and let your child tell you about theirs.

19. Learn how they do things in another country and then give it a shot – chop sticks or eating everything with your hands.

20. Have a scavenger hunt. Hide and allow children to find items important to your family’s history. Perhaps it’s a toy you played with as a child, your grandfather’s watch, or a special book. When they find all the items, tell them the story of each special thing. NOTE: Make a list where you’ve hidden everything just in case the kids don’t find it!

Additional Ideas for Summer Fun:
1. Design a puzzle using cardboard and paint.
2. Have a picnic where your child chooses the menu.
3. Create a language with your child.
4. Plant a garden together. Ask your child what they would grow if they could plant anything.
5. Create a family flag with markers and paper or fabric.

Aricia LaFrance is the mother of two boys and a psychotherapist currently running the non-profit organization, The Angel Project.