{"id":2327,"date":"2014-06-03T14:04:57","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T20:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devrahblog41\/?p=2327"},"modified":"2014-06-03T14:04:57","modified_gmt":"2014-06-03T20:04:57","slug":"5-fun-summer-activities-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/5-fun-summer-activities-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fun Summer Activities for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>School&#8217;s out and the kids are home for the summer. Now what?<\/p>\n<p>Left to their own devices, many kids will spend all day <em>using<\/em> devices\u2014like a computer, tablet or TV. If you&#8217;re looking for some more active, educational and creative alternatives for young children, check out some of our favorite ideas for summer fun at home.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/NTL0514157_SummerActivitiesfortheKids.jpg\" alt=\"Summer fun for kids\" style=\"float: right; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px;\" width=\"280px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Break out the sidewalk chalk!<\/strong> If you&#8217;re feeling creative yourself, you can make your own <a title=\"Check out this pin from Reading Confetti!\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902809\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ice chalk<\/a> or <a title=\"Check out this pin from Crafting Connections!\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902808\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sidewalk paint<\/a>. We love this bonus idea from <a title=\"Visit CraftingConnections.net\" href=\"http:\/\/www.craftingconnections.net\/the-blog\/#.U4eYAXJdU-E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Crafting Connections<\/a>: Have your child use the paint to <a title=\"Check out the pin from Crafting Connections\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902811\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create an adventure trail<\/a> for you to follow. It&#8217;s a great mix of healthy exercise, artistic expression and outdoor exploration. Just be sure your children are in their play clothes; you&#8217;ll be glad when it&#8217;s time to clean up!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Plan, plant and tend a garden.<\/strong> Gardening can be a great way for kids to learn about the life cycle of plants and experience the pride that comes from nurturing growing things. If you\u2019re lucky, it may even inspire them to eat their vegetables! This <a title=\"Check out the pin from KidsGardening.org!\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902798\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parents&#8217; Primer<\/a> from <a title=\"Visit KidsGardening.org\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kidsgardening.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KidsGardening.org<\/a> is a great place to get started. <em>No yard space for a garden?<\/em> <a title=\"Check out the pin from The Micro Gardener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902794\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Try container gardening!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Invent (and play) a new game.<\/strong> If your children like to play board games or card games, they probably have some ideas about how they&#8217;d do things differently. Using craft supplies like construction paper, cardboard, felt, glue, glitter, markers\u2014and even <a title=\"Check out the pin from AlphaMom\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902801\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paint chips<\/a>\u2014they can <a title=\"Visit the Activity Village website for examples.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.activityvillage.co.uk\/make-your-own-games\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create a game<\/a> to play with friends or siblings. Children follow rules all day; why not empower them to make a few of their own? <em>Green tip:<\/em>\u00a0Rather than throwing away old board games with missing pieces, let your child upcycle them into a new game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Play with story stones.<\/strong> Sometimes used as a children&#8217;s counseling tool, <a title=\"See the pin from Paint on the Ceiling\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902805\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story stones<\/a> can be a fun way to encourage storytelling and language development. Each stone shows a person, place, thing or event that kids can use as a building block for an original story. If your child is old enough, he or she may even be interested in creating their own set of story stones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Learn a song a day. <\/strong>Kids and music are a natural match. Even if you have no musical experience, <a title=\"Visit the National Institute for Environmental Health's website\" href=\"http:\/\/kids.niehs.nih.gov\/games\/songs\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sites like this<\/a> make it easy to learn a wide range of age-appropriate songs, from kids&#8217; songs and show tunes to rock n&#8217; roll. But, the fun doesn&#8217;t have to stop with singing. Your children can <a title=\"View ideas from the New York Philharmionic.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nyphilkids.org\/lab\/main.phtml?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make their own musical instruments<\/a>, invent some dance moves or write their own songs. We especially like this <a title=\"Check out the pin from Tinker Lab\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/351210470913902788\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">music basket idea<\/a> from <a title=\"Visit TinkerLab.com\" href=\"http:\/\/tinkerlab.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TinkerLab.com<\/a>. <em>Bonus:<\/em> Music isn&#8217;t just entertaining; it offers a wealth of <a title=\"Visit the PBS Parents website.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/parents\/education\/music-arts\/the-benefits-of-music-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cognitive, emotional and social benefits<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These ideas are only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of great crafts, games and other activities out there, just waiting for you online. Pinterest is a handy resource for both finding ideas and keeping track of those you&#8217;d like to try. Follow our <a title=\"View our Pinterest board, Summer Fun For Kids!\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pinsbyra\/summer-fun-for-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summer Fun for Kids<\/a> board to get started!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>School&#8217;s out and the kids are home for the summer. Now what? Left to their own devices, many kids will spend all day using devices\u2014like a computer, tablet or TV. If you&#8217;re looking for some more active, educational and creative alternatives for young children, check out some of our favorite ideas for summer fun at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[100,181],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"rahblogadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/author\/rahblogadmin\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Enjoy the Season: Fun Summer Activity Ideas for Kids<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained? 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