Parents: You Can Do It!

As of today, we are a little more than halfway through summer, which means you are halfway to the finish line. Sadly, it also means that more than likely your youth has started to hit the bored phase. They’ve played all their favorite games, hung out with their friend down the street for a month straight, and now they’re hot and sitting on the couch asking how you’re going to entertain them.

It’s important for your youth to be able to entertain themselves, you’re not a traveling circus, but that doesn’t mean you want them in your hair all day. Below, we’ve compiled some suggestions of how to get through this last month with your sanity intact.

They’re hot, you’re hot, sounds like it’s time for a water balloon fight! Water balloon fights are excellent for a couple of reasons. water dayOne, they take a long time to set up; filling up all those little balloons is an activity in an of itself. Two, it can create all kinds of opportunities for relays, water sports, tag, and other time consuming games. Once the hose is out, consider the afternoon finished. With fun games such as trash bag pinata (google it, it will rock your kid’s day), youth can keep cool and play without needing a ton of supervision. Make cleaning up easy by rewarding the child who collects the most water balloon pieces.

Build a fort! Now this might sound dangerous/exhausting/crazy, but fort building is a time honored tradition guaranteed to take up a solid chunk of time and a create fun activity zone for your youth. Fort building is flexible, anything can be fort material from blankets and pillows to chairs, bunk beds, couches, and rugs. Fort building also requires teamwork and collaboration, so it is a great way to eliminate fighting amongst siblings or friends. Once the fort is built to satisfaction, have them bring in their favorite coloring supplies, books, or board games to add another dimension to what may have been a previously rejected activity.

Kids craftingAnother great options is crafting. Crafting can be as open ended as that, or you can find specific projects. If there’s one thing I have learned from working at the farmer’s market is that paint brings out the best in kids. A project oriented craft has its benefits, who doesn’t need more paperweights and painted garden stones, but a couple colors of paint and paintbrushes will keep children entertained for hours. Lay down some old newspaper and set up an area on the floor where going over the edge won’t create negative consequences and see where their imaginations wander. If they get stumped, give them a theme such as nature, kids at a pool, beautiful trees, fantasy land, or their favorite video game. You might not see the connection between the final outcome and initial idea, but you’ll be blown away when they explain it to you.

Ready to get them out of the house? Corpus has some fantastic outdoor areas. Cole Park is a great place to take restless kids. Pack up skateboards or scooters if you have them and enjoy the skate park. Kids in ParkThe shade areas provide a great place to get out of the sun and enjoy a snack, and the pirate ship and pier are both fun games zones. The water area near the downtown visitor center is a fun way to cool off in the afternoons, as well as local pools. For a high excitement activity, visit Hurricane Alley and be assured the kids will be busy for hours. The Bay Jammin Series is also a great, free summer time activity for youth of all ages. Check their facebook pages for information on what is happening each week.

You’ve made it this far, use these tips to finish the summer out strong!