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Trying to find things for your kids to do during summer vacation can be hard for parents, but there are simple ways to keep your kids entertained and away from the boredom associated with the dog days of summer.
Activities aplenty
Parents have to fill the long empty days ahead. Bryan and Amie Larsen are pulling out the big guns.
"Horseback riding lessons, and swimming lessons, bicycling. So, a lot of outdoor stuff," says Bryan. "That's the key. Keep them busy. It helps our sanity."
Amie will also take advantage of playgroups and grandma when she's working.
Stacy Brubaker with Valley Mental Health says to get involved in a group of women and swap babysitting.
"You're no good to anybody if you haven't taken care of yourself," warns Brubaker.
Children really could benefit from downtime, some free time, some boring time.
–Cheryl Wright
Check out the library. It has many free activities and opportunities. Make a play date out of free school summer lunch. You can find out if you qualify by checking with your school district. Many parks, campgrounds, and university campus events are free.
Or you can pay for day camps. Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation spokesperson Martin Jensen says they have everything from sports to theater.
"We also have some programs called field trip frenzy or summer frenzy. We go to Hogle Zoo or the Discovery Gateway," Jensen says. "The programs are designed to get kids engaged and keep them active and healthy."
But Jewish Community Center Youth Camp director Jerrod Strand says to choose carefully.
"You want to find a camp that your kids are interested in. You don't want to put them somewhere and they don't want to be there," warns Strand. "Camp should be something that your kids really hold on to."
"You really want to make sure you are talking with your child," continues Strand. "We have a summer camp brochure, and my advice would be to sit down with your children and say ‘What looks fun in here? What doesn't look fun?'"
Strand says parents should also look at a program's history and reputation, and make sure there is a good ratio of counselors to kids.
Keep learning
Don't forget the brain drain of summer. Experts recommend reading with your children and having them read, write or draw by themselves.
Amie's girls have homework.
"They like to read and write a lot," says Amie. "We do activity workbooks and stuff like that. They like those."
Downtime is valuable time
You really want to make sure you are talking with your child.
–Jerrod Strand
But Cheryl Wright, the chair of the Family and Consumer Studies Department at the U of U says don't over schedule.
"Children really could benefit from downtime, some free time, some boring time," Wright warns. "Boredom can be a good way to facilitate creative thinking."
But she and Brubaker say still have a routine.
"Even though summer's here, kids still need to have bedtime. They still need chores. The routine always helps, especially when summer's over," suggests Brubaker. "You do them no favors by letting them sleep in, because then they stay up until 1 a.m. the next night and can be tired and it's more difficult."
Above all, don't stop being parents. Still have family dinner, keep the curfews and ask your kids what they are up to. Those things will help the whole family survive the summer.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
