Summer Activities or Games for Children

I think that site is called mykidseatfree.com.
Just FYI.

You might search this site for the article "Summer Camp at Home." It's got some great ideas. If it helps, the lady (sorry, I forgot her name) called her summer activity/camp "Camp Laffalotta."

Scavenger/treasure hunts are always fun. Or find something a certain color or shape from each room in the house.

A few more thoughts on the activities. I don't know what town you live in, but a lot of cities have web sites set up.(some by moms) Azkids.com etc. You could do a search. One I love is kidseatfree.com (put in your city, and it gives a list & requirements of restaurants in your city). If transportation isn't a problem, you could do a "field Trip" that the kid participate in planning. Zoo, park, beach etc. Hope this helps you enjoy your time with the kidlets this Summer & year round!

FamilyFun.com is an Amazing resource for kids of all age groups ! Games, free printables, crafts, tons of things to keep the "Littles" busy ! The public library is also a great resource & free! If you have the space & your not afraid of a little DIRT, help them plant a garden. If you don't have a workable yard you can do a MINI garden in pots. The person(above) that mentioned The Toymaker is so, right! A great site ! Bubbles, playdough, sidewalk Chalk are also cheap & fun outdoor activities.

Hi Teresa! I have a ten year old son who is out on summer break right now, so I kinda know what your going through! I would suggest getting the kids together and asking them what they would like to do, a lot of people forget kids have their own opinions. Maybe taking them to the park to play. The 99cent store has tons of lil' toys to buy and play with, puzzles to put together. You can do hunts around the house area and play whom ever finds it first gets a prize. You can play regular board games, put paper and markers in front of them and tell them to draw like its a contest. You gotta make it fun for them. If you have the money then take them to arcades, Chucky Cheeses, Boomers, let them run around Mcdonald's, take them to the beach for a beach day.. Maybe just a good movie, or tv show for them all, or just tell them to go outside and have fun with the things they have.

Sometimes the most simple things work the best, it just depends on the kids and their likes. You know your kids the best better then I do but I hope I helped a lil'. I know my ten year old, so I know what to do when it's time to go out and do things or if he gets bored. Just relax, take a deep breathe and tell them to go and have fun with their toys. Oh sometimes if they have toys they don't play with anymore it can be fun to tell them to get them together and put them in a box to donate to kids who will use them and have fun with them like they did. Theres lots of activities you can do with 5 to 11 year old's you just gotta be fun about it. Good luck. Take care.
Always,
Nicki

Check out the PBS kids' show "ZOOM". They have a website at www.pbs.org/zoom and it has TONS of activities for kids that age to do; arts, crafts, science, cooking, great fun activities. You might also check with your town's community center or rec. center to see if there are any free or low-cost activities or camps, oftentimes they have sports camp weeks, or arts/crafts. If you live in a town with a museum you should check them out too - a lot of museums have summer activities (sometimes even free ones); most children's museums have a free Friday Night program.

Also, check out http://www.thetoymaker.com/ which has beautiful paper toys and crafts that are free to print out and make.

Good luck and have fun. If I have any other ideas, I'll write again. :)

It is amazing what you can do with a little glue and stuff you would consider trash or non essentials. String, rubber lids, cans, boxes(little and big), crayons, aluminum foil, tape, paper plate, tissue paper and any other thing lieing around the house can be the ingredient for a master piece. Put them out on a picnic table and tell them to let their imagination soar. They can make a mask, a rocket, a flying saucer, a shadow box (you'll probably have to explain what one is) or (if the boxes are big enough) a card board car they can stand in, pickup and "drive".

Beads are cheap and easy to make into things like bracelets and necklaces. Also paper crafts can be found online and there are tons of fun things children can do with paper and a few household items. Take them to the library. Books are always a good choice. Make your own playdough and clay from online recipes that are made from flour and salt. Start working on handmade Christmas gifts. Pull out some old Christmas balls and let them decorate them. Take them to yardsales. Dine out at McDonald and allow some friends to spend the day with them.