Summer is coming...how do you keep your kids active?

Summer can be a wonderful time to bond with your children...but only if they're kept busy!!!! This summer I am bringing my kids to the local pool and my 4 year old is taking swim lessons, while my 11 and 14 year olds are taking pre-life guarding lessons. My 11 year old plays the clarinet..so she''ll be taking lessons to keep up with her music...and my 14 year old wants to Direct movies one day...so he'll be filming the neighborhood goings on this summer...my 4 year old will be taking dance lessons. The beach is also a great get away for us...we're only 5 minutes from the beach...so my beach bums will be soaking it up with they're friends at the beach....The library always has great stuff for the kids to do as well....art classes...reading clubs....and summer fun days...just to name a few. I try to get each of my kids different friends together a couple of times during the summer and have afternoon barbeques also...they swim, eat, and chat...it's good camaraderie.....and I get to know they're friends....Good luck everyone with your summer plans......Sincerely, Brenda...

Oh yes, the all too familiar "School's out, School's out..." is being rehearsed as we speak by my kids. (They have 5 days left after today.) My oldest son will have his vacation with his dad and his 2 half brothers. That's good for him. My 9 year old daughter is taking part in a sports day camp sponsored by the University here in our town. Great exercise for her, plus a chance for her to make new friends. So, my youngest son (he's 7) will be taking part in the summer reading program at our local public library. They have lots of neat things to do. I really like Brenda's idea about getting her kid's friends together a couple of times during the summer for a bbq. My daughter is at the age where she loves having friends over. I'm gonna try that, so I can meet more of her friends here in the neighborhood. Great idea Brenda! Have a Great Summer! :cool: -Sheila-

First thing I do is inform them that we will not be watching more than an hour of TV per day. They can choose which hour it will be. We set up a Library run once a week for all to get new books. Then it is down time, I think kids need to find their own fun sometimes it make's them more creative. I also think that kids do not need something to do all of the time. Learning to entertain themselves is huge. They can play outside, read, build tents, play act, play ball, cook, make bow and arrow set's out of sticks, play in the creek behind our house (looking for snakes, turtles, bugs etc), play army, build with blocks, pull out their costumes from last halloween and play. There are so many things they can do. We go to many free events (our town offers concerts in the park in the evenings) we go to the zoo, parks biking, picnic's, VBS. I also make it clear when the are whining about have nothing to do that I have a list of chores they can help with. It is amazing how quickly they find something to keep themselves busy with. :D

I'm with rainbow mom. We have a pool to swim in, a nice back yard, a neighborhood park with eight basketball courts, friends come over or they visit friends). The kids ride bikes, rollerblade, skateboard. I have a big box of art supplies, including finger paint which is great for painting rocks outside. We have a toy house full of toys to play with. Kids need to develop their imaginations.

I agree with lucyjoy and rainbow mom. When they start saying I'm board I say there are lots of walls and windows to wash. We do the library run every couple of weeks, and go to the swimming pool, and they have the option of sports day camp, generally a week at a time. We do plan some special outings, but I think that children need to use their imaginations and figure it out. I don't know about anyone else but when I was a kid my Mom never made sure I had plans all the time. Anyway, just my two cents worth. SHelley Mom to 3 boys, in the process of adopting a little girl

My 11-year-old is attending a karate camp this summer... he's too old for daycare, but too young to stay alone while I'm at work, plus I don't want him zoning out and stuffing his face in front of the TV all summer. We live in an apartment complex that has a pool, so we swim most nights after I get home from work... other evenings my husband, son and I go roller-blading or go for walks around the neighborhood. ~Sharon

Maybe it is because I have always kept my kids busy, but I don't think I have ever heard them say they were bored! this summer should be fun! We go on a brief family jaunt to Las Vegas the first week after school each year. the kids spend all day at the pool, eat at a buffet, maybe see a show and watch movies in the room at night. We have a blast and is fairly cheap. We will go camping a few times, local, so my hubby doesn't take off work, he joins us at night. (Working in Malibu has it's advantages!) My 20 year old son who goes to our local jr.college and lives at home, will be renting a room at my eldest daughter's apt for the summer break. (He just got a 4.0 GPA!!) He needs a monetary reality check, and we need a break from him! LOL That gives us an empty room for the 23 year old who comes home from HER college in the summer. She is a State lifeguard, and helps run the jr. lifeguard program here in town. (Fabulous program) My son will attend that (he is 14) while also being on the YMCA swimteam and playing water polo. My 11 year old daughter is busy as she is currently on 2 cheer teams at her gym. that adds up to about 12 hours of practice a week. Plus she is taking diving and swimming for 6 weeks, 4 times a week. It gets pretty crazy! LOL It is a bit easier than the school year, where they do tons of stuff AND go to school! The 2 younger ones also participate in a dance program that runs 10 weeks, twice a year, and ends with a production. I think the 14 year old is about done now, but the little one will go on. My hubby is currently picking her up from her school as she has been in Catalina with her 5th grade class at a science camp since Monday! Never a dull moment. I keeps us ALL happy, healthy, athletic, busy, and most important, OUT OF TROUBLE! LOL (Maybe I'm not so athletic...) Here's to a happy summer! Love, debi

My kids will be learning how to cook this summer. They will be helping make dinner every day. I don't require this during the school year; it's unreasonable with our schedules. They also will be working on their artwork (their dad and all of dad's side of the family are accomplished artists). There are also some great science experiments at [url]www.hoagiesgifted.org,[/url] go to the science page and then to the hand on stuff; it's not hard and uses nothing expensive; different age levels available. They will also spend one hour every day working on cleaning out their rooms. We will also be eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and using the grill. We will also be redocorating the living room, painting the kitchen and finishing their rooms' decor. We will also go to Barnes and Noble for fun and the library for fun. We will babysit our first dog that my sister now owns (we have the dog she gave birth to). We will visit family and maybe even go to the beach one time. We will not be 1. spending a lot of money 2. watching the Disney channel all dang day and night 3. say we're bored 4. get up and say we don't want to go to school :D

I have four children...so I'm ready to spend some time at the park/beach. Like a couple of you, I also tell my children to clean the house if they say they are bored! Swim lessons, day camps, and VBS will fill our summer. Our #15 wedding anniversary will also happen this summer as well as a couple of birthdays in our family. My husband is a teacher, so his schedule is more flexible in the summer. We will go see some friends that live a couple of hours away for a couple of days. Their kids are the same ages as ours which is amazing since they also have four. All in all, it will be fun, busy and full of family time. Blessings to you! sherryk

Hi, I love, love, love the idea of only one hour of TV per day/evening. That was the way for us when my kids (now 21 and 23) were young, and as a result, they were became athletic and well read. We went to the library regularly and they chose books and also learned responsibility by knowing that the books needed to be returned on time. I think free activities for kids during the summer are a great idea ... and also having them learn to keep busy on their own. When kids say 'I'm bored' it's a good idea to allow them the freedom to find things to do on their own (given certain suggestions and perameters). It's also wonderful when kids have certain interests and talents to encourage those with lessons - music lessons, art lessons, etc. One summer a teacher was giving writing lessons to the kids ... they met on our deck ... that was fantastic and made a big difference in my younger son's confidence in writing. Summer is a fast season, and I agree, the season for bonding! NancyNic