Jinny Hopp, former Human Development Specialist, and Angela Fletcher, Human Development Specialist, Douglas County, University of Missouri Extension
During the summer months, children have lots of unstructured time and parents or grandparents may have more time to spend with children. Adults can enhance children’s development while building great memories by planning fun and stimulating summer activities. Here are some ideas that don’t cost much money. The key ingredient is an adult who is willing to spend TIME with children.
- Turn off the TV, video games and computers! The average child spends more than 21 hours each week watching TV. Children need interactions with other people to develop social skills. Summer is a great time to hang out in local public parks where children can climb, slide, swim and swing. All of these physical activities promote coordination and enhanced self-esteem….
- Churn up a freezer of ice cream. Any food preparation activity is an opportunity for a science lesson. What ingredients go into ice cream? How do salt and ice make it freeze? Most children also just enjoy helping prepare snacks and meals. The end result is a cool treat for a hot day.
- Go further than food preparation — go to production. Get the children into the garden to help see where food really comes from. It is surprising how tasty vegetables become when you grow your own.
For the complete list of fun ideas for kids of all ages, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
