How To Keep Kids Busy During Summer Vacation

I remember being young and in school like it was yesterday. Some days I wish it was still yesterday! Anyway, I clearly remember the summer break countdown starting somewhere around Christmas time. We would begin thinking of all of the great things that we would do during our summer break. My little guy isn’t quite old enough to have a true summer break, but this is his last summer as an only child. I think that qualifies him for a care free summer vacation full of fun!

5 Ways To Keep Kids Busy During Summer Vacation

1. Plan A Family Vacation A vacation is a great way to build family bonds and create memories that will last a lifetime for your children. Going on vacation is usually an expense that families save up for all year long, but it really doesn’t have to be a huge expense. You can visit family members that live nearby attractions or theme parks to save on hotel expenses or take a staycation and visit area attractions.
2. Summer Camp Enrolling your children into a summer camp will benefit in many ways. Summer camps allow children to remain socialized throughout the long summer months. A structured routine is usually lost during the summer months and summer camps allow that structure to exist while keeping things fun and different.
3. Make Something Crafting is one of the more affordable summer vacation activities. Take a trip to your local craft store and raid the clearance section or $1 bin. There are tons of affordable options and the kids will have a blast coming up with new creations such as a popsicle stick bird house or glitter and button covered picture frame.
4. Get Reading The library is a great place to venture off to with children of any age. Most libraries have a children’s section with a great selection of children’s books and even activities. Your local library may even offer story time or other fun activities for your kids to enjoy.
5. New Toys Depending on where you live, summer time may be hot and oppressive. Being on the go every day might not be an option for you. In cases like this, it might be wise to have a stash of fun new toys, games and movies for the little ones to keep entertained while indoors.

I am one of the lucky ones who lives in a place where it is over 90 degrees in May. Unless you are prepared to sweat, it’s almost never a good idea to go outdoors in the afternoon heat. Aidan is fair and overheats pretty easily so I have to be particularly careful in the summer time. Let’s not forget the rain and lightning storms that tend to pop up without notice.  Since it is hard to vacation with a 3 year old and summer camp isn’t quite an option yet, we stick to the last 3 items on the list. When I really want my little man to feel special, I break out the new toys and DVD’s. Aidan has been into planes, trains and automobiles lately, so the the Chuggington StackTrack Koko’s Safari Adventure Play Set was an absolute winner! He gets so excited when he’s able to navigate Koko all the way through the tracks to the very last dip. “Mommy I did it!”

We also watched the brand new release to DVD “Chuggington: Explorer Koko.” Aidan is a big fan of Chuggington as it is, so a new movie featuring his favorite characters was icing to the cake! The Chuggington StackTrack Koko’s Safari Adventure Play Set can be purchased at Toys R Us for $24.99 and the “Chuggington: Explorer Koko” DVD can be found on Amazon for around $15.00.

How will you keep your kids busy during summer vacation?