As parents, we all know that technology is a wonderful thing to have. However, it can sometimes seem as if our children would much rather be glued to the TV, tablets or games consoles, rather than spending time outside. This means that we need to think of clever and interesting ways to draw them away from the screens and out into the glorious sunshine.
There are many ways in which children can develop as people such as learning a musical instrument.
We have put together 5 creative activities that you can use to lure your kids away from their tech during the summer season. Most of which won’t cause you too much of a headache to arrange.
Camping in the garden
There is something pretty awesome about sleeping under the stars, even if you do so in your own garden. A great way to get the kids outside is to promise them with a backyard camping trip. They get a sense of going on holiday, but you don’t ever have to leave the house.
You could even combine this with a den building exercise, getting them to build a little den to accompany their tent, creating a real sense of camp!
Building a bug hotel
We are lucky to have a real variety of bugs living in our gardens, which means that we should make an effort to look after them best we can. One way that you can encourage your kids to help you is to make a bug hotel together. This fun, outdoor activity gets them messy and hands on plus it helps them to learn more about the wildlife that is around them.
Growing vegetables and fruits
Not only is this a great way to get your kids outside, but it is also beneficial for fussy eaters too. Growing their own vegetables and fruit introduces them to a variety of foods, and they get to see how it grows and becomes something that they can eat. This is great for their learning and means that you can make an effort to get in the kitchen and transform your hard-grown veggies into a delicious treat that the whole family can enjoy together.
Encourage them to become budding photographers
Kids love taking pictures, although these usually come in the form of a misjudged picture of the family pet. Why not set them their very own photography project? Get them out in the garden or local area (under supervision of course) and encourage them to snap different things. This could be animals, buildings or anything that takes their fancy. You can then print these pictures and create a photo album that they can keep! Perhaps even repeating the pictures in the different seasons to see how things change over time.
Get out the arts and crafts
You will be hard-pressed to find a kid who doesn’t love getting creative. So, why not take advantage of the sunshine, and get your kids to try kite making? There are lots of free videos and step-by-step guides available on the internet, with different levels of difficulty. This can cater for younger children, right the way up to teenagers.
Hopefully, this has given you some inspiration for ways to get your kids away from the screen, and trying out other things this summer break. It doesn’t always have to be big adventures. Sometimes the backyard or the local area can be interesting enough to keep their attention.
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