10 Indoor and Outdoor Summer Ideas for Kids
Rainy days or very high temperatures can prevent outdoor enjoyment. Warm, sunny days encourage you to organize a picnic and enjoy the outdoors. Summer falls in between these two situations, and, in addition, because it coincides with vacation time, plans multiply. So let’s take a look at some indoor and outdoor summer ideas for kids. Don’t miss them!
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Some useful indoor and outdoor summer ideas so your kids can enjoy the season
More or less elaborate or structured, the plans for the summer season are varied, and you can carry them out alone or with company. Pay attention to the following lines, as we’ll bring you some inspiring ideas.
Indoor summer ideas for kids
- Shared games. For example, you can suggest an afternoon of board games, card games, or puzzles. Each member of the family can contribute their ideas and take ownership of the theme for a day to ensure fun all week long.
- Culinary challenges. You can cook as a family and play cooks and helpers, or set up a talent show with judging and voting. You can also suggest a themed meal for the family dinner: Movie, oriental, sweet and savory, or an idea that especially appeals to teenagers.
- Treasure hunt. This is one of the most classic games, and also the most loved and accepted by all ages. Through clues, teams will try to guess where the treasure is hidden.
- Karaoke. Those who are fans of singing can find their moment of fame in the living room and have a great time.
- Drawings and crafts. Blank paper, colored paper, scissors, pencils, and anything else you can think of. A large surface can become the perfect place to create a work of art as a family.
Outdoor summer activities for kids
- Water play. In addition to providing relief from the heat, water always provides an optimal environment for group games. Don’t worry if you don’t have the possibility of having a pool, you can take advantage of rainy days or use the hose. Some of the best ideas are slipping games with soap and water or water balloon wars.
- Walks. On foot, skateboarding, biking, or rollerblading. You can think of a shared idea, or else, everyone can go at their own pace and through the medium of their choice. To these outings, you can add the spice of mindfulness (‘attention in the here and now’), through questions that help you to capture all the details of the path: What do you see, what do you smell, what do you hear? It’s a way of highlighting something you hadn’t paid attention to before.
- Picnic or camping. Prepare the tent and a basket with delicious food and look for a place to disconnect from your routine. You can even take the opportunity to visit new places. If you have a stream or river nearby, all the better!
- City plans. During vacation, different organizations and institutions activate schedules with varied proposals for all ages. Many of them are free or at a low cost. They usually include theater plays, water parks, open-air movies, and live bands. Check the options in your city and choose the one your children like.
- Obstacle course. This game is also one of the “classics” and adapts very well to different ages. It can even be played indoors if the weather isn’t nice. There should be challenges to overcome (crawling or jumping on one foot, for example) so that the journey to the finish line is entertaining and isn’t just a matter of running.
Don’t forget these tips!
Whichever plan you choose, don’t forget that staying hydrated is essential. Especially on days with higher temperatures. In those cases, light, cool, light-colored clothing can also help you find relief.
The most important thing is that everyone feels good and wants to participate. Therefore, take into account their opinions and ages and look for plans that suit their participants.
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With these ideas for the summer, you can turn every day into great memories
Vacations are that “sacred time” where we can connect with our loved ones and get away from the usual routine. It’s a different way to spend time with, to move at a different pace, to think about other things, to make room for our interests, etc.
Leisure and recreation always work well to “oxygenate” us and allow us to recharge our energy for the rest of the year. It’s also worth noting that play is a vehicle for development, strengthened learning, and the different skills of our children.
As you may have noticed in the list of suggestions, it’s not always a matter of leaving home or organizing a trip far away: There are very simple indoor and outdoor summer ideas that kids can enjoy in a big way.
However, it often happens that, due to a lack of planning, the days go by and, in the blink of an eye, we’re back to our obligations. So, take some time to explore what you can do and get to work with the plans! It’s time to enjoy summer with your family.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Gómez, A. M. G. (2009). La importancia del juego y desarrollo en educación infantil. Cuadernos de Educación y desarrollo, (10).
- Anderson-McNamee, J., & Bailey, S. (2017). La importancia del juego en el desarrollo de la primera infancia. Recuperado de: https://maguared. gov. co/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/La-importancia-del-juego. pdf.