With the ending of the school year for many and the arrival of days without all the structure, Summer can be a challenging time for children with special needs and their parents. With more leisurely days can also come the need for our children to have some structure and outlets to keep busy. Parents and caregivers with extra time to fill during the day.
Here are some easy ideas to keep you active, your kids happy and entertained and hopefully find some moments to enjoy and watch some smiles! Plus I made a Pinterest Board for you too!
Build a tent or a fort!
Grab some blankets, maybe even a box you have lying around and take over your living room or even your backyard! Playing in a fort can be very soothing for your child and before you know it, hours may have flown by! Add a pillow, maybe even a favorite toy.
Take a Ride On A Train.
Most children love trains. We have a few option here locally. Short Pump Mall has a small train ride around the mall or you can make a real adventure and head to Ashland for a train ride! You can travel at off hours to assure less noise and easier access to a seat.
Create a Backyard Water Park.
This is another easy, low cost way to take up hours of fun on a hot day, and most kids enjoy water play. You can quickly create your own water park in the backyard for an afternoon of fun. You can go as simply as just with a hose and a nozzle that sprays in a variety of ways or if your kids like, you can have a small pool, water balloons, a sprinkler to run through, a slip and slide, a table with water and play toys , hula hoop, etc, any thing your kids have fun with, can be made ore fun with some water and a hot day!
Sensory Fun
Don’t worry about the mess and grab some shaving cream at the dollar store, some play dough, bubbles, chalk and maybe even some rice with small cups and let your kids have fun while working on their senses. The ideas can be endless and your kids will have so much fun with this,if they make a mess, grab a hose and clean them off 🙂
Painting / Coloring Rocks
Grab some rocks, some paint & brushes and let your kids create their own masterpieces. Painting can be very therapeutic and if it outside, there is less worry of a mess. Rocks are great afterwards for sorting, counting and in our home, we even give them away to our friends as gifts .
Indoor Play Space
There are a few play spaces around locally that you can go to and let your kids jump, bounce and slide. We also have trampoline parks. These places usually have down times with less crowds on weekdays and your child may enjoy the freedom to get sone steam out!
Visit a Firehouse or Police Station.
Give a call to your your local fire or police department and ask about stopping by to visit . Firehouses are known to give a tour of the truck I have heard that some Police Stations do the same. You can take some pictures of your kids with a Firemen or Police Officer and maybe even have them talk about safety for a minute . It can be a fun adventure.
Head to a Park or Water Playground
There are playgrounds at most schools and also in neighborhoods, swings can be very calming for children and it the playground may also help to start some social interaction. There are a few spots locally that have water fun as well.
Make a Movie Date – at home too!
Sure a theater can be fun, but think about making a home movie experience. Even during the daytime, close the lights, grab some popcorn, pillows and your child’s favorite movie and you will have a perfect cinema experience. There is less of a chance for overstimulation at home too !
If you have any other ideas you’d like to add, we’d love to hear them!