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Summer is finally here and for some parents, summer means fun in the sun with the children. For other parents, summer can be challenging. To help families ease into “summer mode” Wildberry Productions Inc. has chosen to dedicate this article to ideas for a fun summer with the children.

1. Crafts are always a great idea. The best aspect of doing crafts is that creative ideas can stretch for several days. For example, one day can be dedicated to picking different kinds of leaves from trees and plants. The next day, the children can take time to place the leaves in between book pages. A few days later, the children can head to their local library to identify the leaves or if you have a botanical garden you can take your leaves and show them to your local botanist. The children can keep their book of leaves and later during the summer, collect different ones to compare them to fall leaves.
2. Every summer has a number of hot days. A great idea for heat relief is water. Children love to play with water. Filling balloons with water and trying to juggle them or throw them to each other without breaking them is a lot of fun. The activity can end with the children trying to break the balloons themselves.
3. Make a kite. A home-made kite is a good self-esteem booster and is easy to make, can be individually decorated with relatively low cost.
4. Creating your own garden is another idea that children enjoy immensely. The easiest seeds to plant are sunflowers. Sunflower seeds are available everywhere and weather the various conditions very well. Their bloom is amazing. The plants often grow taller than the children, which can also be an interesting aspect for the children to compare their growth to the plants.
5. Children love to be photographed. Buying an inexpensive camera creates a simple project for the children. Choose a theme such as flowers, trees, people, animals, etc. The best photo album is one in which children can show off their different grimaces. It’s hilarious and makes a great keepsake.
6. A project to follow would be to create a photo album and frames for those special pictures. These projects can take a few days to create.
7. Getting everyone to wear their clothes inside out for the day is another fun idea. This works well when the parents also participate. This can be extended to other themes such as a “PJ” day or a “bad hair” day, “red” day where everyone wears something red. A variance can be a “hat” day, where the children take one day to make their own special hat to wear on another day. They can decorate it and make it even more special.
8. Simple bird houses can be made easily with everyday items that we recycle such as juice and milk containers. These can be placed in trees or on rocks, etc.
9. Taking the lids from frozen concentrate juices and tying them together and at different lengths can make beautiful wind chimes.
10. Children have always been attracted to stones. Take the children on a rock venture, where the children get to collect stones which they find attractive. Create a stone garden at home where the children can show off their collection.
11. Another pet project is to collect stones with the intention of painting them. Painted stones can be very decorative placed outside the home. Painted stones can also be used in the home with a theme such as blue stones in the washroom or orange stones in the kitchen on a window ledge. This is also another self-esteem booster for the children.
12. Creating your own story book is a project that children can enjoy and can take several days to make. The book does not need to be made all in one day.  Children can create a series with a theme for their books. Children can use all kind of things to create their stories such as leaves, flowers, feathers, etc. They can colour their story or draw their stories. These make great keepsakes for their own children later on.
13. Board game day is always interesting for children. Board games can be borrowed from your local library or children’s agencies in many communities. Choosing the board game can be challenging. Make sure the games you choose reflect the age of the children and are not competitive. Providing a platter of fruit and vegetables with humus is a nice partner.
14. Taking a walk outside can be challenging for children and parents. But if the walk has a theme to it, the walk is transformed into something fun and exciting. Walking with the intention of looking for red flowers or brown homes keeps the children stimulated and interested in walking. Looking for blue cars can also be a theme for younger children learning their colors. Attaching themes is a great way to stimulate interest in any activity.
15. Exchanging play days with others parents can provide an adventure for your children and provide you with a break. Keep in touch with other parents and book a few days during the summer to exchange one day a week or one day every two weeks for play days.
16. Have a camp-out day inside your home. Gather old bed sheets and chairs and create a great tent in one of the rooms in your home. Plan a snack for the children to eat in their tent. Allow the children to bring their pillows and blankets into their tent along with their toys. Perhaps consider letting the children even sleep in their tent.
17. Children love to create things. Allow their creativity to spread to the kitchen. Give the children one day a week to make a meal, any meal. Provide boundaries and limits and give them ideas. But remember the children may want to be creative with their meals and add smarties to their meal or decorate it with raisins. This project requires parents to step out of the box and allow their children to venture in the kitchen with enthusiasm.
18. Have a dress-up day, where the children choose their special attire and have a formal dinner with relaxed protocol.
19. Paint a face day. Face painting is a child’s favorite activity, especially if the children have activities later in the day so they can show off their faces. Children can paint each other’s faces or can have an adult pain their faces. Your local library may have face painting books to provide you with ideas and outlines to guide your creativity.
20. Spending a day at the library can provide children with a day filled with reading.
21. Here are a few day themes:

Botanical gardens

Movie day

Library day (usually libraries have summer activities planned for children)

Cookie day: baking different kinds of cookies

A day at the market

A picnic (can also be done in the house on a rainy day)

A day at the museum

A day at the park

A day at the pool or the sprinkler

A day to stay in PJ and lounge

A tea party day

A Kennex or Lego day

Whatever the activity you choose for your children, try to remember that the summer is your child’s idea of a break from programmed activities and restraints. Cultivating a sense of humor is essential for a fun summer. The concept of time in the summer is an urban myth! Be flexible and laugh a lot.