Summer is a great season to go on a vacation. Kids would love a change in environment after being stuck at home for a year. They might also just want to spend time outside with their friends. Besides, the risk of COVID-19 infection and severity of illness is relatively lower in children. However, going out frequently is still not recommended since the pandemic is still not fully under control.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that children can’t go out at all. For instance, in the case of divorced parents with shared custody, children will still need to spend time with both parents equally. So these children will still go out, even if it’s just to go to their parent’s house.
Out of concern, the other parent might consult their child custody attorney to make changes that will limit the need for children to be transported from home to home. This way, the children’s exposure and risk to COVID-19 will be reduced.
Nonetheless, children can limit their time outside by doing something interesting indoors instead. Luckily, there are many fun indoor activities they can try.
Online Museum Tours
Going to a museum is a great learning experience for people of all ages. Museums are starting to reopen these past few months. But you and your child can skip going out and take online museum tours instead.
Through a virtual museum tour, your children can learn a lot about different topics, such as history, art, and science. You also won’t have to spend anything since a lot of virtual tours are offered for free.
Virtual Camps
For many children, going to a summer camp is a must-do during their summer break. But because of the pandemic, this is no longer possible, at least not in person.
Kids can instead go to virtual summer camps. There are quite a number of summer camps that kids can participate in. And they cover different topics, so your kids have a lot to choose from.
For example, some camps teach kids foreign languages, board games, programming, online games, and many more. Participating in a virtual summer camp can help kids stay intellectually engaged even during the break while still having fun.
Board Games
To combat boredom, parents can play board games with their children. Depending on the nature of these board games, they have many positive effects on children. For example, word board games such as Scrabble and Boggle can help children build their vocabulary and improve their spelling skills. Meanwhile, playing chess will help kids improve their focus and analytical skills.
Quiz Nights
Nurture your children’s competitive side by holding quiz nights. Consider choosing different themes for each quiz night.
You need to consider your kids’ interests. This way, they’ll be more willing to participate. For example, if your kids are into Disney animated films, you can make a trivia quiz about their favorites. Or if your children like to read, you can create a quiz that challenges their knowledge of their favorite books and stories.
To further motivate your kids to participate in quiz nights, give the winner a prize. It doesn’t have to be grand. For example, whoever wins the quiz will have a chore-free week.
Gardening
Another activity that kids can engage in during the summer is gardening. Technically, this is an outdoor activity. But at least they won’t have to leave your property.
Gardening has many benefits for children. Many children have become less active because of the pandemic. Since gardening can be a form of exercise, this activity will help them become more physically active. Gardening can also be a stress-relieving activity for your kids. Exposure to nature itself is a therapeutic activity. In addition, succeeding in growing a plant can be very rewarding.
Movie Marathon
Movie theaters have reopened in recent months. And many new films are coming out every month. You can take your kids out to watch a movie. But since theaters are closed public places, going to a movie theater is still very risky.
Take advantage of your subscriptions to online streaming platforms instead. You can hold a movie marathon for the whole family at least once a week. Watching movies can be a great bonding activity for the family. To mimic the feeling of being in a theater, watch movies during the night. You can also consider renting a projector for a more immersive viewing experience.
Hopefully, by summer next year, things will begin to go back to normal. But until then, kids can spend their summer doing fun activities at home.
