Now that you are “the parent”, perhaps you’ve forgotten that the gift of summer is time…unstructured, simple time.

Even if you are a working parent, you can create space for your child to have unstructured time and:

Rejuvenate and relax Get bored and discover something new to do Make new discoveries about themselves Savor and strengthen family relationships

Ideas for savoring those lazy days of summer:

Nature! Be outside in new ways:

Get up early and take a walk in pajamas. Who is up at that hour?  Are there workers?  What are they doing? Have an all-day, out-side day…do everything outside…eat, sleep, read, play.

Eat! Summer is a perfect time to change the way you eat – even if only for a day.

Make popsicles and have them with dinner! Picnic on the living room floor, on the porch, or in the backyard. Try some new foods, try a new recipe.

Music! Many communities have free summer concerts.

Take a picnic. Meet friends, make new ones. Be sure to dance!

Books! Have a Book Festival!

Grab pillows, blankets, make a fort and bring out the “old” children’s books that your kids may have outgrown.  They love reading them again.  And this time, maybe they’ll be reading them to you! Libraries – visit often and take part in their summer reading programs. Be sure you have a stack of books for yourself. Read cartoons, comic books, and magazines, too.

Art! Summer is a great time to explore free-form art:

Sidewalk chalk – Decorate your sidewalk…and your neighbor’s (ask permission, of course).  Invite them to join you.  Decorate the neighborhood! Washable markers make great body paint.  Draw on each other and then wash it all off under the sprinkler. Have lots of paper around…make little books, hang butcher paper on the side of the garage for a mural, envelopes and funny stickers for letters to grandma, make paper airplanes and have a flying contest. Papier mache’ (from very inexpensive powdered wallpaper paste) is a great way to create 3-dimensional forms, use found objects and paint the finished ‘creature.’ Paint or collage rocks.  Paint smooth rocks to liven up the garden.  Older children enjoy cutting out magazine pictures.  Mod Podge attaches pictures and also protects them from weather.  Add glitter paint, sparkles, googly eyes and gems for truly spectacular art!

And after all that, they may still say, “Mom, I’m bored!” That’s great!  Bring it on!  Let it happen!  Listen to their complaints (with interest but do not solve their dilemma).  Kids need to experience boredom…out of it comes creativity, innovation and a belief in their own capabilities.

And yes, the kids will argue and fight.  Keep an ear out for danger, otherwise, let them work it out – outside!  They are learning how to negotiate and navigate social relationships.

Be sure to take some time for yourself this summer, too.

You can clean the house in September!

Enjoy!

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone.  Parents everywhere are struggling to keep up with all the daily household and career responsibilities while taking care of the seemingly endless to-do list that comes along with parenting.  In a bad economy, this becomes even more of a challenge.  However, all is not lost.  You can still throw a great party with plenty of fun activities that will earn your child bragging rights and have his or her friends talking about the fantastic time they had long after the party’s over.

Today’s generation of parents have a secret weapon on their side that gives them an edge that their parents didn’t have — the Internet.  We’ll tell you how to save time and surf the web to quickly locate a full day’s worth of fun, and often free, interactive activities to make your child’s party truly unique and memorable without leaving the comfort of your home.

Below are just a few of the game ideas that are sure to be a hit, are ready to play, and just a click away:

Embark on a Treasure Hunt – Kids of all ages love to solve puzzles, follow a trail of clues, and race to track down hidden loot, and a classic printable treasure hunt with fun and clever pre-made clues is the perfect solution when you need an exciting party game quickly that children will love.  An online treasure hunt can be simply downloaded, printed, and played instantly at minimal cost, and comes complete with a hiding guide to help you coordinate and pull off the perfect hunt that will bring your party to life!  And don’t limit yourself to birthdays – these can be used to entertain your young children, teens, and their friends during sleepovers, on holidays, at picnics and while outdoors, on vacation, in the classroom, or for family fun night, plus there are many other themes to choose from.  To learn more about how these hunts work and order online, visit http://www.treasure-adventure.com

Play the Pantomime Game – This hilarious game will have children up on their feet and in all sorts of crazy positions as they attempt to mimic poses picked from a deck of printable cards.  It’s a great way to break the ice and get kids interacting while having fun and improving their coordination and creative thinking skills.  All you need is a printer and flexible children ready to play.  http://www.printgames.net/english/pdf_e/panto.pdf

Solve Puzzles & Word Games – You can create your own personalized word searches, crossword games, or jigsaw puzzles based on your party theme.  For example, for your child’s birthday you might want to create a word search or puzzle containing your child’s favorite things, for a music themed party use names or pictures of instruments, or for a pirate party have the kids search for pirate jargon or treasure items, etc., and award small prizes to the one who uncovers all the words first or completes the puzzle first.  Several web sites exist that let you generate your own unique puzzles and word games.  You can even add your own graphics and personalize with your child’s name.  To make your own word search puzzle you might try the web site http://www.billybear4kids.com/jigsaw-puzzles/WorkSheetMachine/WordSearchMachine.html, create your own jigsaw photo puzzle using a generator like that found at ”flash-gear”, or build a fun and challenging crossword puzzle using “edhelper” online.

Compete in the Paper Airplane Olympics — Have each child create a paper airplane, and then let them decorate their aircraft with their own personal style.  You can divide the pilots into fighter teams or play as individuals.  The planes then are raced through the air towards a target and judged in 3 different categories:  best appearance, greatest distance in flight, and most accurate.  The kids will love showing off their artwork and sending their airplanes soaring.  The best part is all you need is some paper and crayons!  Learn how to fold airplanes online at “wonderhowto” website.

“Capture the Spoons” – This is a fast-paced exciting and very popular card game that is perfect for large groups.  All you need is one or two decks of cards depending on the size of your party, and kitchen spoons for all but one of your players.  The kids form a circle and rapidly pick and pass along discarded cards trying to get 4 of a kind while keeping an eye on the spoons and other players in the event someone else gets 4 first.  The first person to get 4 of a kind then tries to sneak away one of the spoons that have been placed in the center.  Once one spoon is taken, the rest of the children must all dive into the center to get a spoon before they’re gone, and the one left without a spoon is either out of the game (shorter version) or given a letter each time, starting with “S,” until “SPOONS” is spelled and they’re out of the game (longer version).  Don’t forget to include this easy classic party game that is a sure-fire winner that kids will love! Full rules are available online at “about boardgames”

Do-it-yourself party planning becomes a breeze when you take advantage of all the free and inexpensive kids games and activities that can be found on the world wide web that are perfect for livening up any children’s party without the stress of last-minute shopping in crowded stores with limited time and paying high prices for party games or party planners.