School's Out For Summer! But... Now What Do I Do With My Kids?!

Today was my first official day of summer break! As a teacher, I long for that mid-June release from the lesson planning, chaos coordinating, strategizing, and pretty much everything else that comes with running a preschool classroom. I long to be home where I can finally focus on getting things done around the house that I don’t normally have time for during the work week. I long to be home where I don’t have to put on “work clothes” and I’m free to stay in PJs if I damn well feel like it (yes, it’s happened. On more than one occasion.). Most importantly, I long to be home with my kids.

I’m that mother that loves being with her children. Mind you, my girls are mini versions of my own sarcastic, sassy self. It’s not easy being around little “me”s, especially because I know exactly where they get their attitudes from. But regardless, I love love love being able to be home with them. I truly enjoy watching them grow and experience new things, and the summertime gives me that opportunity to do so.

Now, if you’re like me and you’re home with your kids in the summer, you’re probably sitting there twiddling your thumbs thinking about how to keep your littles occupied for two and a half months. Most toddlers, like my own, need to be kept engaged TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN. I run a classroom of eleven 2 & 3 year olds. Trust me, I know.

But sometimes, it’s difficult to decide what will keep the kids going. There’s only so many times you can say, “Hey, let’s do this!” or “Want to do that again today?” before the kids get bored of doing the same thing repeatedly. In order to keep your children active and engaged, you have to provide some fresh, new ideas you all can enjoy together! Does this mean you have to do something or go somewhere every single day? Absolutely not. There were days last summer that the girls and I stayed in PJs and watched a few films with some snacks. It’s okay  to do that! You’re allowed rest days. Butttt too many of them may result in some seriously bored and restless littles.

Now that my summer break has begun, I’d like to share a few things I’ve done with my kids over the past couple summers and intend to do with them this summer. I’m planning on picking up a few weeks of summer camp at my school, so that will keep the girls occupied as well. However, I’d also like to be able to do some things with them while we’re home at the end of the summer, too.

1) Check out a local beach or lake. If you’re anywhere within driving distance of a local beach or lake, check it out! I know the beach is usually a favorite in the summer for most people, but it really is the perfect setting! What we do with our kids is try to head out early in the morning, around like 8-9am. We’re 45 minutes from the shore, so I like to head out early enough to give us some time to enjoy the day. A few shore cities around us require beach tags, so we often head towards Strathmere in South Jersey. Not many people crowd that beach, so the kids have tons of space to run around and play. And I know what you’re thinking: if I bring the kids to the beach, then I have to lug everything under the sun to keep them entertained! I’m going to tell you: that’s not true! When Everleigh was a baby, we thought we needed absolutely everything! We’d bring a thousand and two beach blankets, towels, snacks, extra swim diapers, etc. We would hike down to the water with four different bags full of things, and honestly, it was a sincere pain in the butt. Now, Joe packs a rollable cooler with a few drinks and a couple snacks while I throw a couple blankets and towels in a bag. Each girl carries a bucket with a few sand toys in it, and that’s it! We each carry one thing and it makes the trip to the ocean soooo much better! Plus, the trip BACK to the car is a piece of cake! And let me tell you, I learned this trick a couple years ago. BRING BABY POWDER. Once the kids and yourselves are dry, sprinkle some baby powder all over the sand-covered areas of your body. It immediately removes the sand! Super easy, and I’ll tell you it’s a freakin’ lifesaver.

2) Check out a nearby park. Nothing my girls like more is finding a new playground to hang out at! Last summer, we’d go around town to a few different parks to check out the playgrounds. It’d keep Everleigh busy for a couple hours, and she loved getting to play with other kids! If there were swings, Emma was set. She loved getting pushed back and forth, and when I saw that tired look in her eyes, we’d collect our things and head home for a nap. Easy. Cost-free. And you can usually find a park just about anywhere.

3) Get your hands on a summer-favorite: ICE CREAM. I can’t tell you how many times we went out for ice cream last summer. Whether it was during the day or an after-dinner treat, it was always a win with my girls (I mean, come on. It’s ICE CREAM. When is it NOT a win?) My husband would work late some nights, so sometimes it was a nice way for me to just take the girls on a little mommy-daughters date.

4) Make some tie-dye shirts! Last summer, my sister-in-law and I found these $5 tie-dye kits from Target’s bullseye playground section! We each bought a few and let our older girls have at it! The kits include the dyes, gloves and rubber bands. I snagged a few white t-shirts from

Old Navy for like $5 a piece, but I’m sure you can find them at Walmart or Target as well! We sat outside at our picnic table and let the girls do a bunch of shirts! Everleigh even made red, white & blue ones for herself and Emma that they wore for July 4th! I stocked up on a couple kits last year, but I have seen them at my local Target this year. Check it out!

5) Visit a sunflower field. Sunflowers are my absolute FAVORITE. We discovered a few fields last year, and we would drive out to them to pick a few fresh sunflowers. The girls enjoyed playing in the field and picking their own flowers out to take home. Many local owners do not charge to walk through the fields, but they do charge if you choose to cut down your own flowers. Usually the cost is SUPER cheap. This year, we’re planning on visiting the sunflower field at  Turkey Trac Farms in Millville (where we got married!) for some family photos.

6) Utilize a pool. I know it’s not easily accessible to everyone, but if you have the opportunity to get in a pool, GET. IN. THE. POOL. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve taken the girls to my parents’ or my in-laws’ to go swimming. We would be in there for hours and it was super refreshing when temperatures climbed near 100 some days. There were also days where we’d blow up our inflatable kiddie pool in our backyard and let the kids have at it. They may not have been able to swim or float in a tube in it, but they were completely satisfied with jumping in and out. This year, our pup Harley is already finding herself enjoying the kiddie pool with the girls, so I’m sure we will be getting sufficient use out of it this summer! Inflatable pools and the plastic round pools can be found just about anywhere at decent prices so you won’t break the bank, and I’m telling you, kids LOVE them!

7) Visit a local zoo or farm. In past years, we’ve visited two free zoos near us. This year, we’ve already taken a trip to one! It’s an easy cost-free trip (but remember to make a donation!) and the girls are always excited to see the new animals! We also are fortunate to have a farm near us that allows visitors – the Funny Farm Rescue in Richland. The kids are able to purchase a small bucket of carrots and apples, and feed some of the animals. The animals range from chickens and ducks to cows and horses. We spend about an hour there, and it helps teach our children how to be kind and gentle towards animals when handling them. We visited the farm quite often last summer, and I intend on doing so again this year. I highly suggest searching your area for zoos or farms because honestly, it’s such a wonderful experience for children.

Some other awesome low-cost things you can do this summer are:

8) Have your child build something at your local Home Depot. They offer kids’ classes every first Saturday of every month!

9) See a movie! Regal Cinemas offers movie showings of already-released kids films for $1 in the summer.

10) Visit the library. I hope to visit our local library this summer and get Everleigh her first library card. My girls love to look at books, and I hope to share my childhood love of the library with them.

11) Build a fort in your living room and have a picnic on the floor. 

12) Do a puzzle. (One of Ev’s favorite things to do!)

13) Create some summer arts & crafts. Pinterest has a million toddler-approved crafts for you to do with your littles this summer!

14) Go fishing. (We’re a fishing family, so it’ll be on our to-do list with Daddy this summer!)

15) Learn some new things. Use some flash cards or apps on the iPad. Grab some manipulatives or practice writing letters. Just because it’s summertime doesn’t mean your kiddos can’t learn something new to prepare for the upcoming school year! Make it fun, and they won’t even realize they’re learning!

Take a look online and see what other new things you can do with your babies this summer! There’s so many activities out there to keep your kids engaged while also creating so many memories with them! Happy Summer, everyone!

♡ Kelsey