20 Relaxing Summer Family Moments

Summers used to be a time for kids to play without structure and enjoy the simple things that are bypassed during the school year. Those times seem to no longer exist. Children are enrolled in camps, enrichment tutoring, sports lessons, craft classes, etc. Their summer days are as packed as the rest of the year. Parents are stressed juggling the many activities. If families come together for a few minutes each day to enjoy some classic summer whimsy, not only will everyone have fun but the pressures of the hectic day will ease. Children often remember the simple, but fun family experiences. Adults should take a break from being chauffeurs and managers to relive their most precious childhood memories with their children.

These are twenty simple joys of childhood: catching fireflies, tying clover flower necklaces, playing in the rain, building a fort, playing cards or a board game, coloring a coloring book page with a parent, making fresh lemonade, going on a nature scavenger hunt, dancing, pretending to be anything, having a water gun fight, performing in an impromptu family talent show, playing a party game (musical chairs or hot potato), attempting to blow the biggest bubble gum bubble, making up a silly story, looking for constellations in the night sky, spinning until dizzy or rolling down a grassy hill, playing in the sandbox, challenging others to a game of flashlight tag and making paper airplanes. Everyone has their own special list. This is a good indicator of its enduring importance.

The activities listed above take very little to no planning and only a few minutes of time. The lasting effect is immeasurable. In this hurried society, often parents will complain that there just isn't time for family activities. It simply isn't true. Children don't need a day at the amusement park, an afternoon at the museum or a night at the pizza parlor to connect with their parents. A simple fun activity with undivided attention is sometimes more meaningful. Slow down and celebrate summer with your children.