7 Activities For Engaging Your Kids This Summer: No 5 is Your Best Bet!
The summer holiday is fast approaching. It is also the time when parents take on the challenge of keeping their children physically busy and mentally active. Otherwise, they may end up getting too much screen and unproductive time. The key is to let them slow down, flex their creativity and make exciting memories. Whether you work from home or outside the house, here are some practical ideas and activities to keep your kids busy.
- Explore Nature.
Since school activities barely allow them to enjoy nature, summertime is a good time to indulge the kids for this. Take them to where they can explore, enjoy and learn about the natural world. Some of the activities that could be done are; making a visit to Lagos Conservation Centre, beach/museum visits, picnic time-out, etc. They could even learn to start and grow a garden; which improves their locomotive skills and makes them responsible to their environment. During these activities, get them to preserve the memories of their favorite view, exhibits, or animals on a camera.
2. Engage in Volunteering Activities.
The act of volunteering will open your children’s minds to the idea that the world is larger than them and their needs. You can get them a volunteering opportunity in a place relevant to their interests and communicate with them on the importance of the activity. This will also serve as a great opportunity to encourage them to develop value and empathy, as well as keep them engaged through the summer. Although the majority of existing volunteer groups have age limits, you might want to supervise their volunteer activities.
3. Take Them on Virtual Field Trip
Virtual tourism became a thing when we started practicing social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, it has become an irresistible idea; particularly for places that are still not open to the public. Get your kids on some virtual world exploration from your couch.
Check out places like Buckingham Palace, The Louvre, Taj Mahal, The British Museum, International Space Station, and many more. It will definitely fascinate them!
4. Help Them Explore Their Creativity.
If you already know the form of art your kids enjoy, get them a wide selection of related science/art/exploration kits to explore their creativity. You can also check the internet for creative activities. The key is to experiment with different things in order to see what sticks. You can also allow them to try out physical activities like instrument playing, dancing, and singing. This way, they will be motivated to learn new things and create amazing results.
5. Empower Them with Tech Skills
As we enter the digital era, it has become important for kids to get acquainted with tech skills. And more importantly, ensure that their screen time is used productively. The saying that, little by little the bird builds its nest, emphasizes the need to lay a foundation for them to acquire the skills offered by new technology. Beyond this, tech skills like programming, design, and artificial intelligence enable kids to develop an inquisitive mindset, gain valuable problem-solving skills, increase their creative flexes, as well as boost their career potentials. See what 10-year-old Joshua who learned programming at Semicolon Africa said about his training and how he has been using the skill to build innovative solutions. (Enroll your kids to our Summer School Program, happening this August by registering here).
6. Scavenger Hunt
This is particularly a fun activity if you do not mind your home being turned upside down. Give the children a big box and send them off on a scavenger hunt indoors or outdoors to a garden or park. You can find many scavenger hunt ideas across the internet. Just make sure you choose the one that seems right for your environment and with items you already have or can find around you. You should also ensure that you give a time limit for each game. The kids can play as a team or against each other.
Just like the heading says, no 5 is your best bet because the world is moving fast into technological advancement. The summer vacations can be described as a period of fun learning. So, get the kids engaged in interesting activities because long hours of idleness can create boredom.
