How to Engage Your Children During Summer Vacations?

Students’ schedules these days are packed with school, coaching, co-curricular activities, sports training, etc., which usually keep them busy throughout the day. Because of the same, parents rarely get to spend the desired quality time with their kids. But each year, summer vacations provide a chance for children to recharge themselves by having fun and spending time with their families. They can take a break from their regular schedule and finally unwind. And you, as a parent, might want to take full advantage of it by teaching them new things and bonding better with them.

Before we go ahead, we have a question for you.

If we ask you to go back to your childhood days, would you distinctly remember a specific summer vacation or a summer activity that stands out as one of your fondest childhood memories with your parents?

Now think about this. Are your children making the same kind of fun and adventurous memories with you that they will recall and cherish for their lifetime?

That puts you into deep thought. Right?

Worry not! In this blog, we bring you some amazing ways to engage your children during summer vacations and make beautiful memories with them.

Meet and Greet with Nature

Nature is a massive, unending learning environment. Nature delivers several long-term advantages to physical health and mental wellbeing. Children are natural scientists who like exploring the sights, smells, sounds, and textures of their surroundings.

Taking children to different natural areas helps them think about more than just where they live and gives them a more well-rounded view of the world. Introducing children to nature’s diversity—from distinct species to varying landscapes and weather patterns helps them develop an admiration for the world around them and comprehend their role within it. Here are some nature related activities to engage your children during summer vacations.

• Plant a veggie garden
• Observe clouds and interpret the shapes formed by them
• Go birdwatching and make a bird feeder
• Gaze at the beautiful starry nights
• Make a flower scrapbook

Go Outdoors

Summer is a season for stepping out, discovering, and having a good time. Outdoor education enables students to develop important life skills and constructive coping methods. Physical activity is an important component of outdoor play, through which children get the room and flexibility to roam about, expend energy, and break a sweat. They can increase their speed, strength, stamina, and motor abilities by participating in vibrant outdoor activities. This, in turn, helps to improve consciousness, self-esteem, and knowledge of their own body. There are various outdoor summer activities that you can easily practice with your kids.

• Vacation travel/ road trip to the city
• Go and meet distant relatives
• Discover unknown/new areas of your city
• Visit a local fair/market/farm
• Go camping
• Take an industry/factory tour
• Go kite flying

Brisk the Brain

Several types of brain teasers and conceptual puzzles provide countless possibilities to think over a solution. While your kids are at home during their summer vacations, you can encourage them to play brainteasers and games that help them develop the foundations of problem-solving and critical thinking. This will eventually increase their learning, focus, and memory. You can engage your child in mental puzzles that require strong reasoning skills so that the abilities they develop for a game can also be adapted to their school tasks in the future. Some of the related summer activities for kids are mentioned below.

• Solve puzzles and brainteasers like Sudoku
• Have a summer reading challenge
• Do science projects and experiments
• Solve Rubik’s cube
• Craft a comic book
• Create a summer scavenger hunt

Art for the Heart

The practice of art fosters imagination and creativity, two abilities that help children in their lifelong journeys. Students who are exposed to art think effectively and easily develop creative problem-solving abilities. Children develop self-confidence and self-expression skills by making their own, independent decisions about how to convey what they are thinking and feeling through the medium of art and craft. It nurtures curiosity in the children and enhances their attention span as well. Here are some fun summer activities related to art and craft for your kids –

• Paint rocks and marbles
• Create wall chalk murals
• Make music with utensils
• Create newspaper crafts
• Learn a new musical instrument
• Train the child in a traditional/classical/western dance form

Fun with Food

– Almost every child loves to be around food. Kitchen and its related activities are the best if you’re looking for ways to engage your children during summer vacations. Through these playful tasks, children will develop knowledge regarding different kinds of foods, culture and will also understand its importance in their lives. It will enhance their tender culinary skills and provide them with exposure to the cooking environment. Some of the summer activities combining food with fun are mentioned below –

• Prepare lemonades
• Describe food like a chef
• Assemble and plate a dish
• Identify food by smell/taste
• Listen to the kitchen sound and guess the utensil involved

Summer vacations can be made very engaging and fun for children through inclusion of multiple thoughtful, yet interesting activities. It is the best opportunity for parents to get involved with their children and make wonderful memories with them.

So, what are you waiting for?

Enjoy this precious time with your kids and let them explore and discover their interests.

The Narayana Group wishes you a cheerful summertime with your children!