Activities for Kids

A Space of their Own

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For studying, reading or just for some downtime create a space where your child can go during the summer or after school starts to call their own. Let them help you create the space so it has what they need and are comfortable there.

A desk for your child or a worktable can be a place to do their homework, crafts, or keep their collection. Communicate with your child what they would like to do in their workspace and try to incorporate as many elements as you can into their space.

A quiet space is ideal, whether it be in their room or maybe a corner of the home office. But it should be away from the TV and other distractions like a telephone. Some things you may want to consider adding or providing:

* Shelves for books
* Pencil/pen holder
* A cork board and/or whiteboard for posting assignments or keeping important reminders
* A calendar for marking down events or due dates
* Comfortable chair
* A lamp or other adequate light source

Consider setting up an office or desk space for your child an investment in their future. They will have a sense of pride over their desk and a place that isn’t cluttered or loud to concentrate on their work.

As your child gets older, esthetics are going to become more and more important. Understanding this will help down the road. Just like parents feel better when they have things in their home that they like, a child needs the same sense of pride and ownership.

Chances are your child is going to need a computer to complete their homework as they get older. If they have one of their own they don’t have to book computer time against you or siblings. Another good investment.

Start a Collection

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Give the children an activity that can last the entire summer and maybe beyond. Starting a collection is a good way to learn more about a topic and can be the start of a new hobby. A good summertime activity is to begin a nature collection or book.

If your child is interested in a particular collecting genre it would be best to go with that first (seashells, stamps, hockey cards, etc.) but if they don’t and you want to introduce them to the world of collecting here are some easy suggestions.

But them a scrapbook or make one with acid free paper and encourage them to find things outside that are a part of nature that can be added to their nature collection. They may decide to fill the entire book with different kinds of leaves or the same type of leaf in different shapes and color variations.

Another option is to start a pressed flower collection. This does take time to let the flowers dry out in a flower press or a heavy book. The heavier the book or the tighter the flower press the quicker the flowers will dry out and retain more of their original color.

Once a child begins collecting and getting the hang of it you may be surprised by how focused and enthusiastic they become about it. This should be encouraged, take them to the library to learn more about collecting or the items they are collecting. If they are interested in collecting an item that are of high value, try starting out at the smaller (and cheaper) end of the scale. As their interest grows so can the value of items they collect. It will make gift buying easy for relatives and friends too if they know your child has a specific collection.

Summer Memory Jars

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Instead of keeping a journal or starting a scrap book a child may be interested in making their own memory jar from the summer. If all the memories will not fit into one jar, they may want to make several for special days or outings that happened during the summer break.

What you will need is a large clear glass jar with a lid. This can be used from an empty pickle jar or other food container that is empty and has been cleaned out. If you are having trouble getting the entire label off, you can use nail polish remover to dissolve the glue and paper that is still stuck.

Have the child collect small mementos or other meaningful objects that will fit inside a jar. They can be photographs, a special rock found, something they made, a friendship bracelet, the options are really only limited to their imagination. A good example for a day trip memory jar is one from the beach. Fill the bottom part of the jar with sand or pebbles that were collected from the beach, add in some shells and other interesting finds.

Take a picture of your child at the beach and they can use it as a backdrop for the items.

As time goes on the children may want to open their jars and rearrange them and as long as they are careful with the glass that is fine. Put up a shelf in their room and they can have a collection of memory jars. Put a label on the top of the jar with the date or date range and the location of where the items were collected. These can be kept for years as a lasting reminder of the fun they had growing up and going to special places with mom and dad.

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