Summer Activities

ACTIVITIES TO DO INSTEAD OF WATCHING TV

Summer is coming and if you are searching for an alternate activity for you and your kids check out this list from Catholic MomVibes! They each teach something and strengthen us mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or physically. Many of them can be turned into lifelong hobbies you can enjoy for decades!

BUILD SOMETHING. Legos are fun but try something new like: create origami from paper; make houses from cardboard; construct tents with fabric; build toothpick or card towers; get craft sticks and go crazy with any ideas you come up with.

CLEANING ACTIVITIES. Whaaaaat???? Yes! You could use it as an activity of teaching and learning a new skill. Play some upbeat or motivational music while doing this activity to make it fun. Or create your own “cleanup” song.

PLAY BOARD GAMES. Playing board games with your family and children is one of the best ways to get to know each other, laugh together, and learn something together.

PRAYING ACTIVITIES. Praying as a family can have massive benefits to the spiritual life of you and your kids. Here are some ways to make it an inclusive activity: ask your children what or who they think needs prayers; ask them how God is working in their lives; pick out prayers to pray with each other; read Scripture as a form of prayer; draw Bible verses on papers to hang in their rooms; talk to them about guardian angels and how they can talk to them as a form of prayer. The list is endless!

MAKE A VIDEO TO TEACH SOMETHING. Get with your kids to decide on something that you already know about. Encourage children to teach it to somebody else. Make it a series of videos or just one video if it’s something short and simple. It’s a great way to really showcase what they know, and it gets them used to teaching others how to do things.

DREAM ABOUT POSSIBILITIES. When we dream, we find ways to explore who we are and what we were made to do. Visit and revisit things they would like to do. Get them a note- book to keep and write things down. All things are possible and sometimes it starts with dreaming.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES. The outside exists as a wonderful playground and exploration for kids. And the mud and all that they can get into? They are only young once, let them enjoy it!

PLANT A GARDEN. To plant a fullon garden takes a lot of work but it is the kind of work that older kids could help with as a summer activity. You could even create a small indoor garden to work on together.

WRITE/CREATE A STORY. Teaching your kids to express themselves by creating stories can be super positive and fun! Try giving them writing prompts to get them started. Encourage them to illustrate what they are writing. Start small, then help them make longer stories if they are interested.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW. There are online courses for just about everything! Go to any search engine and search for things like: Online Art Courses; Free Online Courses; How to Speak Spanish; Learn How to Bake Bread; How to Make a Picnic Table. Or literally, anything that you are interested in!

GO FOR A WALK. There are many ways in which you can turn a walk into something extra as well. Go geocaching and let the kids find the hidden treasures in your neighborhood. Pick up aluminum cans and trash on your trail and donate the recycling money to a charity. Pick wildflowers if you live where they are abundant and create a bouquet. Play “I Spy” with objects outside. Look for God in the world around you and share with each other what you find and why that moved you!