Exhausted parents will quickly tell you that summer holidays can seemingly drag on forever. Without an arsenal full of games, activities, and fun ideas, 8 short weeks quickly feel like years!
But wipe away those tears and beads of sweat, here are six fun games to keep kids entertained this Summer!
Bowling
Starting a family bowling league might just be your new favorite activity. You can make a set of outdoor or indoor pins by recycling some plastic bottles. Empty bottles fall over easily but as everyone gets more skilled you can fill the bottles with rocks or water to make it more difficult.
Keep score all summer and see who will be the champion by the time the kids go back to school. It is a safe, mess-free, and family-friendly game that kids won’t soon grow tired of.
Set
Set is one of the best 2 player card games on the market today. It can be played by more players too, but its scalability and easy rules make it perfect for kids. Players put nine cards, face-up, in a grid formation and race against each other to find a set of three cards.
The sets need to adhere to certain rules pertaining to color, shading, shape, and number. The game is fast-paced and has tons of benefits for kids like improving concentration and developing analytical skills. Just because it is summer doesn’t mean kids should stop learning!
An Escape Room
Escape rooms are often gory or based on violent stories, not always the ideal space for kids. But building an escape room at home is a fun way to get everyone involved. You can get creative and build your own or buy a premade kit on the internet.
Create clues, tie knots, get padlocks, and write with invisible ink as you set up a labyrinth of tasks for kids to complete. An escape room is almost as much fun setting up as it is trying to escape, just let everyone lend a hand when it comes to the cleaning up.
Scavenger Hunt
This classic summer activity can be done both indoors and outdoors and can involve as much prep work as you have time for. There are tons of pre-made scavenger hunt lists available online that will have kids searching all around the house or in the garden. You can even have a scavenger hunt list for when you go to the grocery store or on a drive through the city.
If you have some spare time, create a list that is customized to your house or environment. You can hide some candy or hidden treasure around the house to sweeten the deal. For a two-in-one activity, hide puzzle pieces that they can collect and build at the end of the hunt.
Croquet
This game was once reserved for English aristocracy but now your kids can play a better version in the backyard. Saw some hula hoops in half and stick them into the lawn to form the course if you do not have a croquet set.
Another hack if you don’t have mallets is to use balls that kids can kick. Any version of croquet is a great way to help kids with their ball skills and hand-eye coordination, not to mention the perfect way to let them play outside for a few hours!
Giant Bananagrams
Elevate a classic tabletop game and take it to the outdoors. All you need is some Masonite squares or any other durable outdoor material. Paint letters on 144 squares and let kids loose with their new favorite game on the grass.
Place the giant tiles face down and give each child a few, to begin with. They will be running and jumping to get more tiles and build the best words. This game tests their mental and physical ability and you will want to join in on the fun soon before long. The best part is, that the game can be stored and used over and over again.
With these 6 games, you are guaranteed to have some happy campers around the house this summer. The games are simple, clean, and focus on physical and mental development. The winning combination!
