10 Activities to Do with Your Children This Summer

If you are like me, sometimes it is difficult to find something fun and engaging for you and your children to do. I find myself just popping in a video because sometimes it is just too hot outside and I can't think of any activities for my toddler and I to do together and TV seems like the easiest choice. But the days drift by and I start feeling guilty because my child is getting too much TV and we are getting fat and lazy. So I sat and began to think of different activities that I could do with my children that would be fun and even educational. Here is a list of ten just to give you a few ideas:

1. Start a garden. A basic garden is not hard to do. Just follow the basic guidelines on the back of the packets and you'll learn as you go. If the first year your garden doesn't produce much food, that's okay because it was doing the activity with your child that was important. Start with simple plants like carrots, beets, radishes or something that your child will pick. If you let your children pick a vegetable, I guarantee if they help grow it and pull it out of the garden themselves, they'll eat it!

2. Baking. Follow a recipe that you and your child choose together and off you go! If you child is older, you can emphasize measurements and bring math into the fun. For really your children, the "recipe" might not have to be much harder than "Ice Cream in a Bag" where you put a scoop of ice cream into a bag and different add-ons to choose from in little bowls and have your children add what they like.

3. Lessons. If your budget allows it, signing your children up for lessons such as karate, piano or ballet will get them out of the house and into a physical or intellectual activity. You could do "Mommy and Me" classes with super young ones that range from yoga to swimming - check out your local classes.

4. Dance. Put in your child's favorite music to wake them up from their nap. Put in a couple of your most outrageous CDs and your children might even learn to appreciate your taste in music.

5. School. Yes, school. Yes, in the summer. You could take a class like pottery or scrap booking where available with your children and learn something together. A lot of times local libraries will put on free classes. Also check into free home improvement classes for adults and kids at your local Home Depot.

6. Appreciate nature. Go to the park, take a walk, go out in the back yard. Lay in the grass. Tickle each other with grass. Collect different leaves from different neighborhood trees and do leaf rubbings and hang them up. Find animals in the clouds.

7. Write letters. Create stationary or buy creative stationary and catch up on correspondence! Write letters to relatives and friends. In a world full of technology and texting, it is a rare and beautiful thing to receive a handwritten letter.

8. Read. Find a comfortable place to read, go to the library (they have Air Conditioning) and browse through books for your children and yourself. You might even get a quiet minute or two to read yourself. Go to the bookstore for a shopping spree instead of a video game or clothing store. Get the local newspaper and look at it together. Order some children's magazines. Look at travel brochures and plot out vacations.

9. Budget. Bills and spending money are inevitable. Use this time as a way to teach your children how to budget, save money, count change, or use or save their allowance,

10. Projects. Start a project together like a quilt, scrap booking, leather tooling, origami, or home improvement.

I hope that these ten ideas will help you get off that couch and get involved in your children's lives. Remember that you are your child's model. You are teaching them how to live. Choose wisely.