How to Beat Summer Boredom with Kids

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Welcome to Teen Teacher! 

Tomorrow will be the end of the first week of summer with the awesome kids I babysit! I babysit 5 kids during the summer, some everyday and some on random days. I have 3 girls, ages 7,5, and 4, and two boys, ages 7 and 2. I babysit both 7 year olds and the 5 year old every weekday, and the other two I babysit on random occasions. This will be the 4th summer that I have babysat most of these kids (the 7 year old girl, 5 year old, and the 4 year old), and although we have so much fun, we do have days where we cannot figure out what to do!! This can be frustrating and it often makes the kids say my least favorite word... BORED. It makes me crazy when the kids say "I'm bored" or  "This is boring"! So this summer before we get to the dreaded boredom that pops up in our summer days, I came up with a list of things we are going to do this summer, so I do not ever have to hear the word "bored" ever again...hopefully. Most of these are free and do not involve a car, but some are just extra ideas that will probably cost something, even if it's just gas money.

Rainy Days:

• Make a music video- If you have an phone, take videos of the kids dancing and singing to their favorite songs, then later edit the video so they can see it. There are lots of free video editors that you can find online.
• Make a fort- Let your kids build a fort, tell them they can make it as big as they want as long as they don't break anything, this takes time and brain power. If they like it enough, you might be able to convince them to watch a movie in there!
• Do a puzzle- Puzzles make kids use their brains, which is something that doesn't happen a lot during the summer. If you have a child that does not necessarily like puzzles, try to make a game out of it, EX: Lets see who can finish their puzzle first. 
• Go bowling- This will probably cost money, but it takes up time and gets your kids moving around!
• Bake cookies- Try a new cookie recipe with your kid, letting them help you in the kitchen is not only fun but it is a great boredom buster! Also, if you find an egg free recipe you can even let them lick the spoon!
• Prank calls- I love doing this with my kids during the summer! I will pick a few friends and family that I know are not busy and shoot them a text to let them know that they will be getting a silly call from one of my kids. Then I give my kids silly voices or things to say and let them call! They die from laughter every time and my friends and family usually get a kick out of it too!
• Try to teach them a new skill- There is plenty of skills that you can show your kids, this summer when my kids start to get bored I plan on teaching them basic crocheting! 
• Clean your room- Even if your child does not want to clean their room, this is sure to stop the B- word (bored) from coming out their mouth! If you're that bored, go clean your room! 
• Write letters- This summer I plan on starting pen pals with my kids, this is a fun way for them to keep up with their writing/reading skills while also getting to keep in touch with old friends or make a new one! 
• Visit a library- At my local library, they have events for kids going on all the time, but even if your library doesn't, the library can still be a fun place for kids. My kids love getting to choose their own books and play on the computers, and when we go home, they are so excited about their new books that all they want to do is read... SCORE!
• Throw a movie party- Invite some friends for a movie party! Make forts or pallets, pop some popcorn, and pick an age appropriate movie and you are good to go!
• Scrapbook- All the memories made during the summer can be turned into a fun activity where they can decorate and add pictures to a scrapbook! Just print some pictures from their summer and give them some art supplies, tell them to go wild!

Outdoor Fun: 

• Tie Dye Party- I recently had a tie dye party with my afterschool class and we had SO MUCH FUN! The kids can be artistic and they get to be proud of their artwork and wear it!! 
• Wash the Car- To adults, this sounds not so fun, but I remember when my parents let me wash the car and I remember loving it! Put on some music, put the kids in swimsuits, give them some rags and they can spend some time having some water fun while making your car look awesome!
• Lemonade stand- Have your kids help you make some lemonade, and invite your friends and family to come enjoy some lemonade! Afterwards, count the money made and go buy a treat for everyone.
• Try a new park- Good parks are hard to find, but they are so worth it when you do find one! Make it a summer mission to find the perfect park, and try a new one each week. After you try it, everyone can give their opinions and compare them to other parks!
• Water gun fight- The kids I babysit are always wanting to do something in water, so if they are bored of the pools and splash pads, then I try to throw something different in... WATER WAR! 

Some other things you can do with your kids:

• Visit someone that your kids love that they do not get to see very often
• Make care packages for the homeless to keep in your cars
• Make cookies and deliver them to a friend or loved one
• Make a playdate
• Make cards for people and then send it to them

For other post about babysitting, teaching, and so much more, come back and see what I have going on at Teen Teacher!