More Summer Activities 

(Activities 1 – 14 can be found at Summer Activities for Children (6-15-17).)

15.  Let’s be all about grandparents. Use your local library or the Internet to find out about grandparents in your culture and also in other cultures. For younger children, you can find the facts and share what you learn. For older children, you can help them find the facts and read all about it. Talk with your child about how his grandparents are alike and different from what you are learning about other cultures. Arrange for your child to share what he learned with his own grandparents, or if that is not possible with some older relatives, friends, or neighbors that are like grandparents to him.

16.  Let’s play “Ask for Help.” Take turns thinking of different ways to ask for help in different situations. Make all the situations be about summertime. For example, “You aren’t sure where you need to go in the library to be part of the summer storytime. What could you do?” Or, “You want to play with your friend who lives across the street, but you aren’t allowed to cross streets by yourself. What could you do?” Take turns thinking of different ways to ask for help. Who would you talk to? What would you say?  Write down the ideas and post them where they can be seen. Ask your child which suggestions she likes the best. Be sure to let your child know that asking for help is a powerful thing to do.

17.  Let’s rhyme. Help your child make a rhyme. Read him rhymes to help him get the idea. You can find things at the library or on the Internet. For younger children, start by finding words that rhyme with their name. For older children, show them how to use the Internet to find words that rhyme. After your child finishes his poem, have him draw a picture to go with it. Post the poem and picture where they can be seen.

18.  Let’s use our green thumbs. Plant something – flowers, herbs, vegetables. Assign your child a chore to take care of the plantings – water, weed, or harvest.

19.  Let’s have a “no-rules” meal. Work with your child to plan a “no-rules” meal. It can be healthy – or not so healthy. It can be just fun. It’s OK if it is something that has never been served before. For example, cereal for dinner or four different flavors of ice cream – one with nuts, one with fruit, one with sauce, etc. Or think up a color scheme and then think of foods to match – something yellow, white, blue, and green.

20.  Let’s sail the seas. Make cardboard boats and try them out on some water – a pond near your house, the bathtub, the pool, a big barrel. Talk about why some boats worked and some did not. Make some more boats trying to improve on the ones that didn’t work the first time.

21.  Let’s be all about Dad. Work with your child to think of three things that Dad says or does that are really good for your child. They can be things that help your child grow up well (for example, when he reminds him of his chores without getting mad) and also some things that are just a lot of fun for your child (for example, when he runs races around the house with her). Share with Dad what you come up with. (Making a drawing of the things is a fun way to share.) If your child’s Dad isn’t in his life right now, celebrate a male friend, relative, or neighbor who acts like a dad with your child.

22.  Let’s make a handmade gift.  Make a gift for someone. While making it, talk about the person you are making it for and how much you think he might like it. Also talk about how much fun it is to spend this time together making the gift. Wrap it. Send it, or deliver it.

23.  Let’s learn geography.  Pick a place – your own state or country, an interesting city, etc. Read about that place at the library or on the Internet. Make a list of the interesting things about that place. What it is near; what it is famous for; who lives there – people, animals, plants; what the weather is like; etc. Have your child draw pictures about the things she learns about.

24.  Let’s make a movie. Let your child use a mobile phone, ipad, or video camera to make a movie.

1. Talk with your child about what he wants his movie to be about; what the message of his movie is; and who he wants to see his movie.

2. Plan the things he will need pictures of to get his message across.
3. Shoot the movie according to the plan; review the movie; make changes and additions, if needed.
4. Plan a “showing” for those people your child said he wanted to see his movie.

25.  Let’s care about others. Go to the park or some other place where children play. Talk with your child about how other children you see there might be feeling. If any of them are sad, talk with your child about how to make them feel better.

For example, if a child falls down, your child could offer a bandage. If a child is sad that he has no playmate, your child could offer to play. If a child is upset that he sees others having snacks and he has none, your child could offer to share.

26.  Let’s chalk it up. Use sidewalk chalk to create an art gallery. Talk about all the different types of pictures your child thinks should be in his gallery. Plan the different locations on the sidewalk. Let your child draw the pictures. Have a “showing” of the art with neighbors or relatives. It may surprise you that this activity will be interesting to your older children as well as your toddlers.

27.  Let’s have a parade. Plan a pet parade in your neighborhood. Talk with your child afterwards about what he learned about different kinds of pets. Were they under control? Were they well taken care of? Which ones did he like best and why? Which ones did he like least and why?

28.  Let’s be silly. Make up a silly, nonsense food like Worm Pudding, Goop Balls, or Sticky Icky Buns. You or your child will pretend to be the main ingredient of the silly food you have made up. Figure out what else you’ll need to add to the main ingredient for your silly food. What can you use to represent those things? For example, confetti for sugar; raisins for ants, blanket for gravy, etc. Make the things that will represent the ingredients you will need. Be sure to name your silly food and to let your child know how
creative he is. After you have all the drawing, cutting, coloring, sculpting, and collecting done, plan a day to use all your “ingredients” to play a Silly Food game.

29.  Let’s play a Silly Food game.  Turn the “silly food” you thought up into a game like Mr. Steig’s Pizza Game. You can see how it is done at Summer Fun or from the book, PETE’S A PIZZA by William Steig. Get ready for lots of giggles and fun. And, decide ahead of time how many games you’re willing to play, because this one is a game you’ll be asked to do over and over.

• You and your child will take turns being the main ingredient of the silly food you have made up. The other person will be the “cook.”
• The “cook” will gather all the ingredients that you and your child made for your silly food.
• The “cook” will assemble all the ingredients by chopping, stirring, kneading, tossing, and patting the “food.” (This means you will knead, stir, and pat your child as though he is a food – and he will do the same to you.)
• The “cook” will cook the “food” – in a stove, skillet, grill, etc. (under a chair for a stove, in a box for a skillet, etc.)
• The “cook” will serve the silly “food” – on a plate with gravy, in a sandwich, on a stick, etc.
• Switch roles as “food” and as “cook” and try the game again.

30.  Let’s play “What If.”  Play “What If” about something scary. You can play it anywhere – in the car, on a bus, in a waiting room, at a restaurant. It takes no equipment other than brains and willingness to use them. Ask a “What If” question and take turns answering it. For example, “What if your neighbor got a new dog that scared you? By listening to your child’s answers you can learn how well prepared he is for that situation. By offering your own answers you can make sure your child has heard some good ways to handle the situation. (Your answers should not include “Don’t be afraid.” Accept that your child is afraid and offer ideas for what to do about those feelings, like “slowly walk away.”)

More Summer Activities will be posted on July 15.

Summer’s Picture Books

We have been amazed at how much good parenting information is in children’s picture books – books that we hope you are reading everyday to the children in your lives – your own, your class, those you take care of.  For each book, we are noting there is something in it to remind you of how to be the parent you want to be.

• THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN by Tiffany Strelitz Haber

What’s in it for you, the reader? 

A reminder that preschool-aged children test out what it means to be mean, but you can help them learn that there are good reasons to give up being mean to be nice.

• OLIVER AND HIS ALLIGATOR by Paul Schmid

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that the first days of school can be scary for your children at any age and that you can help them get over those fears.

• KATIE AND THE PUPPY NEXT DOOR by John Himmelman

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that all children have trouble sharing, but you can help them learn that it also can be fun to share.

• I WILL LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT by Jay Rutland

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that your children need to know you love them no matter what – “On fun days and sad days and happy days and mad days….”