FUN SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR YOU & YOUR KIDS!

Are you a mommy just like me? It's summer time, the heat is driving me crazy, but more than that, the kids are! But there are lots of activities you can do with your kids this summer. Kids spend most of their time in school for 10 months, now is the time to reconnect with your kids and cherish long lasting memories with them.

1. Go Swimming!

This activity always works well for me. For one, I am a swim enthusiast and with the heat and all, kids would definitely welcome time in a pool or a safe beach. (Don't forget the sunblock for kids! ) If you have the budget for it, you can enroll your kids in swimming lessons. I enrolled my eldest son in swimming lessons 2 years ago and he hasn't gotten over it yet, which is wonderful. To date, he has 6 medals from swimming including a stint at the regional swim meet in our province.

2. Read books together

It doesn't really matter if a child is 3 or 12, he always loves stories! Choose a story book appropriate for your child's age. If your kids are of different ages just like mine, try telling a story. Maybe something about you or a family member. This always works for me and keeps them still for an hour or so depending on the length of the story you're telling. PHOTO SOURCE HERE

3.Go walk the dog together

Are you a pet lover? Do your kids own a dog? Why not walk the dog together? My kids and I owned a dalmatian (God bless her soul) and we would take long walks with the dog at the beach. Fortunately, we live in a place that's approximately 5 minutes walk away from the beach. Sad to say though that Beauty (dog's name) has passed away a few months back. The kids are begging for a beagle now. Still finding one though. If you don't have a dog. A long walk is also an option. Not only is this a good way to bond with them, but you and your kids could also get to do some cardio exercise.

4. Cook Together Kids appreciate it when they're given responsibilities. My kids love it when I ask them to flip the pan cake or mix the soup. It always makes them feel like a real adult. But this activity should be done with complete adult supervision. We don't want you finding out that your child burned the house down while you were away. :) For younger children, like 5-8 year olds, since it's summer, a good recipe would be a cold fruit salad. Make them assist you in mixing the creamer, milk and fruits! Aside from the time well spent, you get to enjoy eating something that you and your child made together. PHOTO SOURCE HERE

5.Do arts and crafts together

There are arts and crafts that are age appropriate. You can find a lot HERE. If you have to deal with paint, it is always helpful to spread old newspapers on the floor to prevent the paint stains. (We don't want to stain mommy's marble floors, do we?) And... always use materials that are hypoallergenic. For paints, use one that is water based. What I used to do when my kids were younger was to stick whole manila papers on the wall so they could doodle and draw. If slip ups happen like your 4 year old drawing accidentally on the wall, you can easily wipe this out with a wet washcloth. It also helps if you buy your kids washable crayons instead of the usual crayons we see in the bookstore. It's very important that kids explore their abilities. Who knows? That little 4 year old boy you call "bebe" might be the next Fernando Amorsolo or Leonardo DaVinci. PHOTO SOURCE HERE

6. Enroll them in summer or youth camps

My kids right now are enrolled in one. It gives me a week to relax and spend time with myself . This morning my eldest told me, he was invited for a 3 day youth camp in Baguio City and that's great! I personally think that exposing a child to such activities helps in building a child's self esteem and self worth. Filipino mothers tend to be very protective sometimes and I admit it quite helps in building a child's sense of security, however, like what I have always told my mother (who disagrees with me sometimes) is that I don't want to clip the wings of my kids. I want them to soar and discover things! PHOTO SOURCE HERE

7. Go to a Museum.

My children always loves stories from the past. How history was made, the important people in history. Why not go to a museum together? They probably know little snippets of facts and figures from school. Make this more exciting by touring them to a real museum with artifacts, documents and even dioramas. PHOTO SOURCE HERE

8. Get a weekend off together

This is really exciting. Unless you are sure of it, don't tell your kids that you are going on a weekend vacation. They will hound you with questions and queries as to when this will happen. Trust me. Plan this weekend off together with your kids. Maybe a place that's 2-3 hours away from where you live would be fine. This would give them new insights about a different place, if you are planning on going to a place thats completely new to them, then this is even better. Ask them to observe, ask them to note the difference of that weekend place from where you live. Again, it's putting what your kids learned in school to action.

9. Do something completely new to you and your kids

This activity depends on the age group of your child, if he is older, maybe something exciting like kayaking ( again, don't forget the life jackets... SAFETY FIRST!) or something as simple as planting a rose garden for younger kids. PHOTO SOURCE HERE 10. Give hugs to each other.... should I explain more?

Most of these activities strengthen parent child relationships. If you have been busy, for the past school year, now is the time to make up for it. If you're a blogger, these would probably decrease the times when you should be blogging, but hey, these are your kids. :) Have a happy summer everyone!!! So, tell me about your plans this summer? :)