Summer is nearly upon us here in Australia and your mind might be turning to summer boredom busters. My kids are all exhausted and ready for a break from school. And I’m so looking forward to a break from making lunches. That is my absolute least favourite thing! It is a few weeks off yet but I thought now would be a good time to repost a post from a few years ago (when my kids were younger) and I approached the long summer holiday with just a little dread. How do I keep us all sane through those hot six or more weeks? Here are some ideas from around the web.
8 Ideas for Summer Boredom Busting
Bubbles
I don’t know if you ever grow out of blowing bubbles! One of my sons picked up a bubble machine at a fête some time ago and we haven’t ever got it out to see if it works. One issue is that we haven’t had a quantity of bubble mix to use but I have found a recipe recommended by Questacon – so it must be good! I think we will give it a try
Water Play
My kids loved playing with the hose on the trampoline. The appeal of water play when it is hot can’t be denied. Unless there are strict water restrictions, it is always a go-to. Running under the sprinkler is always an option too (plus it waters the lawn) but for something different, what about this water wall from Happy Hooligans?
Sponge Bombs
My kids loved water balloons but I really hated having to pick up the little bits of plastic all around the yard – and now I am very conscious of the environmental impact of them. Here is an awesome alternative idea – sponge bombs. They could just soak and throw sponges at each other but Whipperberry has come up with a cute version which look really great for throwing!
Make Ice Cream
My ice-cream churn attachment for my KitchenAid gets a good workout in summer and the kids love getting involved. I figure that if we are going to eat sweet treats, it is better that they also don’t contain the nasty additives too. We always experiement with new flavours. If you don’t have an ice-cream churn, Delicious has a no-churn recipe. And for a science-y twist, get the kids to make ice-cream in a bag with instructions from Scientific American.
Mouldable Sand
Moudable sand or ‘moon sand’ is a wonderful sensory activity but it is one I’d like to keep outside and off my polished timber floors. So it is a great summer activity. If you have been tempted to buy the expensive kinetic or magic sand in the shops, try this recipe for making your own moon sand from Happy Mothering.
Lawn Twister
Summer is the time for moving games outside. Lawn Twister is a great thing to set up, expecially for a Summer party. She Knows has instructions if you need them. How To Build It has more DIY backyard game ideas.
Outdoor Games
There are some games that just never get old. Recently my son had some friends over and they wanted to play darts. This particular game might not be suitable for young kids but mine are teenagers now. One of our family’s favourites is Finska. This company also sell giant games based on Jenga, Pick Up Sticks and Connect 4. Of course there are also old fashioned quoits, Boules (another of our favourites). Let’s not forget all the games that don’t need any equipment like Simon Says and Jump Rope. I know several families who are also very partial to slacklining.
Board Games
Let’s face it, though, not every day is suitable for being outdoors – either because of the heat or because it is raining. So board games are a good summer boredom buster activity as well, of course, being fun all year round. The digital generation may be missing out on an opportunity to learn important skills by playing console games rather than board and card games. Board games offer the opportunity to learn turn-taking, gracious losing, verbal communication and the ability to wait, along with a chance to spend time connecting with each other over a fun activity. Some of the oldies are still goodies – Monopoly, MasterMind, Scrabble, Cluedo, Battleship. But there are always new and fabulous games coming out. I’ve mentioned a couple before in Creative Winter Boredom Busters for Tweens.
So there you have it. A quick round-up of some fun activities for the warmer months, particularly the long, hot summer break. Do you have any other Summer boredom busters? Please share them in the comments below.