6 Things Kids Need to Do Every Day During Summer

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Summer’s here, which means moms are trying to figure out how they are going to keep their kids occupied without school. With some COVID-19 restrictions still in place, it also means many moms can’t rely on summer camps to fill the days between now and the start of the next school year. You can find all sorts of summer schedules for kids online. Rather than give you a set schedule to follow, I thought it might work better just to give you a list of the six things kids need to do every day during summer break.

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1. Use Their Brains

It’s important for kids to avoid the summer slide. The summer slide refers to the tendency for kids to lose what they have learned at school over the summer break. According to Scholastic, “A more recent study of children in 3rd to 5th grades also showed that students lost, on average, about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math during summer break.”

Using their brains will look different for each child – and will likely vary from one day to the next. Encourage your kids to read every day and get them to play educational apps before they play apps only designed for entertainment. You might also want to consider signing your kids up for virtual educational summer camps like iD Tech.

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2. Play Outside

Playing outdoors leads to happier and healthier kids. It also forces them to turn off the TV and other electronic devices. The Child Mind Institute claims, “Most of the studies agree that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.”

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3. Exercise Their Bodies

Not only is exercising good for their health and bodies but exercising also helps them to sleep better at night! That should be reason enough for parents to encourage their kids to stay active during the summer. Whether it is going on a family walk or turning on the radio and encouraging a dance party, parents need to encourage their kids to get up and move.

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4. Create Something

Give your kids time each day to create something. This is wide open! It may mean playing with Play-Doh, coloring, crafting, building with LEGOs, or staging their own play or puppet show. The point is to encourage creativity and imagination. Parents explains, “When kids feel good while they are creating, art helps boost self-confidence. And children who feel able to experiment and to make mistakes feel free to invent new ways of thinking, which extends well beyond the craft room.”

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5. Do Some Chores

We all learn best by doing. That’s why it is so important to start insisting your kids help with chores around the house. Summer is the perfect time to encourage these behaviors because you aren’t as pressed for time. By the end of the summer, your kids will have mastered the art of unloading the dishwasher.

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6. Your Attention

Last but not least, every day, your kids need your attention. I don’t mean they need your attention all day every day. Instead, moms should give each kid a few minutes of one-on-one attention. This may look like reading together before bed or simply putting your phone down for a few minutes to talk about their favorite things. A little bit of your attention every day will go a long way.