• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Learning Table

Eclectic Homeschooling

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Advertising/PR/Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure/Terms
  • Homeschool
    • Themed Unit Studies
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Terms & Conditions

Surviving Summer at Home with Kids

July 2, 2021 by Anne Campbell Leave a Comment

In Stay-cation Mode?

Are you staying close to home this summer? Since our homeschool schedule is flexible, we take a week of vacation just before school gets out for summer. It is a great time to travel, and most places we tend to go aren’t crowded yet. But, because of our work schedules, we usually spend the rest of the summer at home. Surviving summer at home with kids is nothing to be araid of! Plenty of memes might poke a little fun at the idea, but enjoying some down time together is the best.

We love to explore our city’s attractions, and off-the-beaten-path locales while we have longer lazy days. Of course, we love to hop in the car and visit some of our city’s museums, parks, ice cream parlors, and movie theaters.

We also enjoy doing things as a family that support our community and local businesses. But for the most part, my kids just want to spend the day playing outside. We also have a troop of buddies that come to play in our yard, taking advantage of our big skateboard-friendly driveway, and our magical fort/playhouse in the woods.

Surviving Summer at Home with Kids

As any mom will tell you, however, the reality of the long summer season, is that kids inevitably play the ‘I’m bored’ card all too often, and Mom is the one who usually has to deflect it. Before long, you begin to feel like survival mode has kicked in.

Many times, starting off with a structured activity leads to unstructured play. Giving kids an idea usually gets them going, and then their imaginations will take over. With a few inexpensive playthings, you can mix things up for variety.

Summer days really are fleeting, and the school year begins all-too-soon. So make the most of unstructured time and do more than just survive summer–THRIVE it! Check out our summer list of playtime essentials for ideas, and if all else fails, declare “NAP TIME!” I guarantee the kids will go running outside! 😉

It doesn’t take much to make a summer at home fun for our kids and their friends. Read on for a list of affordable and easy playtime ideas. These items are easy to mix and match and use for multiple activities!

Here are some of our tried-and-true summer playtime essentials:

  • Water! It will be the main ‘toy’ kids will flock to during the sweltering weather
  • Water squirters
  • Foam swords, or pool noodles for ‘battling’
  • Summer themed books for sharing, when it’s time for a rest. (Our local library is a regular summer destination)
  • Balloons (just remember to pick up the pieces and discard safely)
  • Hula hoops
  • Sidewalk chalk
  • Flying discs
  • Bug nets and a magnifying glass
  • Toy cars and trucks
  • Kiddie pool (for cooling off, refilling water squirters, rinsing off feet, washing toys)
  • Sand buckets
  • Sprinklers
  • Bubbles
  • Walkie-Talkies
  • Backpack
  • Skateboard/Scooter/Bike/Trike/Wagon/ANY riding toy!
  • Nature journal and color pencils
  • Seed packets, garden tools, watering can
  • Inflatable balls
  • Ring Toss
  • Small plastic animals
  • Sandbox (it can be a small storage box of sand)
  • Cones and markers
  • Tent
  • Plastic bats and balls

Activities you can do with items from the summer essentials list:

  • Set up an obstacle course
  • Freeze small toys in large block of ice (use a drink carton) for ‘excavating’
  • Have a water balloon or water-squirter ‘war’
  • Play tag
  • Have a relay race
  • Plant and tend a garden
  • Play capture the flag
  • Play hide-and-seek
  • Study outdoor nature finds
  • Make a collection (rocks, leaves, texture rubbings, colors)
  • Go on a scavenger hunt
  • Draw a roadway with sidewalk chalk for toy cars and trucks
  • Have a toy car carwash
  • Run around wild and free!
  • Play farm, jungle, zoo, animal rescue, dinosaur world, veterinary hospital
  • Play ball
  • Set up a backyard Olympics
  • Camp out
  • Have a backyard picnic
  • Play hopscotch
  • Play driveway tic-tac-toe
  • Go on an ‘expedition’

surviving summer at home with kids

What other ideas do you have for easy ways to thrive this summer?

Don’t forget your older kids. They need less screen time and more activity time, too! Even my older kids still like to play, and it’s good for them! You’re never too old for an old-fashioned water balloon war, are you?

You might also like:

  • 10 Fun Summer (Home) School Activities

Filed Under: Home Keeping, Outdoor Play

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Connect with me!

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinrsstumblrinstagram

Hello! I am an English/Language Arts teacher, writer, homeschooling consultant, and speaker and believe in embracing the “light bulb” moments of discovery that happen both in and out of the classroom.
anne@mylearningtable.com
Click here to read more. This blog uses referral links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Take a look around!

Cart

Anne's bookshelf: books-i-teach-on-outschool

Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
tagged: books-i-teach-on-outschool
Okay for Now
it was amazing
Okay for Now
by Gary D. Schmidt
tagged: books-i-teach-on-outschool
The Wednesday Wars
it was amazing
The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
tagged: books-i-teach-on-outschool
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
by Gary D. Schmidt
tagged: books-i-teach-on-outschool
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
it was amazing
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
tagged: books-i-teach-on-outschool

goodreads.com

Popular Posts

Hamlet for Kids (Free Printable)

what you need to know about the new SAT for college admission

What You Need to Know About the New SAT

A Homeschool Curriculum Game Plan

Valentine's Day Activities for Kids mylearningtable.com

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

New Year Bucket List Free Printable

New Year Bucket List Printable

Follow Learning Table 's board Homeschool Support on Pinterest.

Copyright © 2022 · Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in