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Summertime Fun Activities

© Marie-Helen Goyetche

It's now mid-summer and the children need something to do. Here are some of my summertime favorite activities you can share with your child or with a group of children.

Take the fun and wonder of texture rubbings outdoors this summer. Provide your child crayons and paper. Peel off the paper from the wax crayons, as rubbings are easier to make using the side rather than using the tip of the crayon. Make prints of outdoor objects by placing the paper on an object (ex: a log, brick or fence) then rubbing the crayon over the paper. The print of the object will appear on the paper. Follow up this activity by making a book of "Guess What Made This Print?"

Have fun painting with tennis balls! Start by covering a low outdoor table with newspaper then with a large sheet of manila or craft paper. Provide a few shallow containers of paint and some tennis balls. Children love to roll the balls and gently bounce them across the paper.

Painting with water is a refreshing idea. Give your child a paintbrush and a pail of water and let him paint the walls, the sidewalk, the fence and whatever else needs painting. The water dries quickly and will not damage any surfaces.

Let your child have fun by making a paper bag kite. The kite (paper bag) can be decorated with crayons, markers or paints. Special effects can be made from gluing glitter, yarn, ribbons and any other recycling materials available on hand. Punch a hole on the top side of the bag near the opening and tie a piece of string through the hole. Make the kite fly up and down and let the children run.

Summer would not be summer without the joys of making and eating popsicles. Make a few types using different juices, or find different shaped glasses (plastic) or containers. Enjoy them the next day!

Children will enjoy the tactile experience of foot painting. Children just like adults will like the cool feeling of paint rolled onto their feet. Then comes the walk onto a long piece of paper. Make sure "the painter" can be supported by someone else as it can be very slippery. Have a bucket of soapy water waiting before the next color.

Drawing pictures on sidewalks with coloured chalk is also fun to do. Play a paved version of Pictionary, hangman or another guessing game.

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