Keeping Kids Fulfilled Throughout the Summer

The e-book I am currently wrapping up, as I mentioned in my debut post, is about ways to keep kids busy in the summer. That is the topic I was given to work with, but I chose to write it from a different angle.

As a teacher and mother, I don't feel that kids should just be kept busy. That seems like a way to say "keep them out of my hair!" I prefer to see summer activities as ways to keep kids fulfilled (or at least on the way to fulfillment.)

My slant on the topic is to embrace the time that we are given during the summer months to spend with our kids. My job as a teacher allows me to have uninterrupted time with my baby in the summer (unless I schedule in some time off for myself, which is necessary, too!) If you don't have a job that allows you the summer off, you should still have some extra time with your kids in the summer. If you don't have it, I recommend making it.

Childhood is fleeting and we need to show our kids how much there is to learn about themselves and how much there is to do in the world-even if their world right now is their own backyard or neighborhood. Summer activities can lead to a bit of their own self-discovery.

As I was researching kids' games, I found "Ghost In the Graveyard". It's like a backwards hide-and seek where the person who is "It" is the one who is chased. You play it at night and it is so scary and sometimes dangerous, running around in the dark. But so much fun. It was my absolute favorite when I was a kid!

Think back to the games you played when you were a kid and teach them to your own kids. You really don't have to do much, think too hard or spend much money to keep your kids busy or entertained during the summer.

Just make sure they are given the opportunities to try new things and to re-discover some of the things that are already in front of them. Sometimes that guidance has to come from you.