Family activities for the summer

Fitness 11 years ago Brooke Artabasy Less than a minute to read

The days of summer are here. The kids have time off of school and the weather is getting warm. While experts say that having down time with no scheduled activities is a good thing for children, spending the entire summer doing nothing doesn’t sound like a ton of fun.

The good news is there are lots of inexpensive and fun activities families can do to create great summertime memories.

  • There are so many beautiful parks in the area. Take a picnic to a different park each week. This is a great way to get your kids away from technology. Plan a hike, scavenger hunt or bike ride and get in a little physical activity while you are at it.
  • How about spending one day a month volunteering as a family? Learning how to be a generous giver starts early. Whether you pick up litter in your neighborhood, help out at a mission or do something special for residents at a nearby nursing home, you are helping teach your children how to give back.
  • Plant a vegetable or flower garden. Even if you don’t have space in your yard, you can have a container garden.
  • Break out the chalk and have a sidewalk or driveway art extravaganza. No need to worry about a big mess, the next good rain will take care of the cleanup for you.
  • Teach your children to cook. Summertime is a great time to let your kids help you plan menus that include food from all over the world. Grocery shopping, measuring ingredients and cook time provide opportunities for easy science and math lessons, not to mention the chance to learn about another country and their culture. This will help your child learn not to be picky eaters.
  • Dust off your board games, invite your friends over and let the board game marathon begin! This is a great way to connect and catch up, especially on rainy days.

Get out and enjoy all these free activities that Sheboygan County has to offer. Below is a link with 40 Free and Affordable things to do in Sheboygan County. Enjoy quality time as family during these warm, sunny months!

Go to visitsheboygan.com/play/free-affordable-sheboygan for more ideas.

—Brooke Artabasy is the health promotion coordinator at Aurora HealthCare and member of the
Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 Activity and Nutrition Coalition.