Summer Fun That Won't Break The Bank

For kids, summer is a time of fun- playing in the sun, running through sprinklers, riding bikes with friends...; but for busy parents, it can be stressful wondering how to fill your child’s days while you are at work and how to pay for it all. Just when it looks like the weekly worry of carpool, school lunches, and homework assignments are over for the summer, a new worry hits – “What are the kids going to do when I am at work?” Not to mention, many summer hobbies can really hit the pocketbook, leading today’s parents to think about not only how to help their kids have a fun summer, but also, how to make it fit in with all of the other budgeted expenses.


How do we do it?

A recent survey by BlogTalkRadios FlyLady found “the single biggest problem parents say they're facing this summer in terms of the kids being home from school isn't the fact that families don't have enough money for travel and other fun activities (25.5%), it’s that the kids have too much time on their hands and are bored (32%).”

I work with Education.com and have some great ideas to share with parents of kids who are bored and have too much time on their hands.

• Promote summer reading – I was a HUGE fan of summer book clubs. From the time I was six, I was constantly entering book reading contests during the summer. And, many studies show that children are ready to learn to read anywhere between ages four and eight. Here’s some great tips for promoting summer reading.

• Embrace the next great American writer – Developing good writing skills takes practice, but it can be fun. Here’s 10 tips for summer writing that can help children embrace their inner Shel Silverstein.

• Science projects – What would the school year be without a science experiment. But, don’t wait for class to try to build a working volcano. Summer vacation is also the perfect time to get your child interested in hands-on science experiments, from playing with water and flowers in the younger grades, to causing chemical reactions and solving scientific mysteries in the upper grades. Here’s some awesome summer science activities to try with your kids.

And, for the 25% of parents that don't have enough money for fun activities?

• Don’t wait for the big top to roll into town – plan a backyard circus.
• Make memories to remember – build a time capsule.

Hope these ideas help. I’ve passed them along to the moms I know that are planning summers on a budget and thought it may help some other moms (and dads too!)

Cheers,

Danielle Simmons



originally posted on 7-22-08