As summer starts to wind down and you get into back-to-school mode, it can be easy to let those last weeks of freedom slip by. If school is about to start up and you haven’t finished your summer bucket list – there’s still time! Don’t look at your summer to-do list and get discouraged that you didn’t really do anything. Sometimes it takes everything just to get the kids fed and to bed every day.
But if you want to make the last bit of time you all have together count, we can help with that. If you haven’t had all of the fun and games you wanted to before the kids only want to hang out with their new friends, then listen up. Let’s go over 7 fun things to do with your kids so they don’t forget about you once they go back to school.
Good family activities before the kids go back to school
Enjoy the sun
Yes, it’s hot and sticky and sunscreen doesn’t smell the best, but getting outside one last time with your family for a sunny day can be awesome. Don’t want to drag everyone to the water park? Well, if you have a backyard, you can bring the park to you.
Set up a water balloon station. Get a kiddie pool. Get the monster squirt guns. Lather everyone up with sunscreen and have a blast. Sure, water slides are awesome, but so is getting to peg dad in the back with a water balloon. Your kids will remember the fun and you won’t have to worry about parking.
Have one-on-one time
If you have a partner and can take turns, get some alone time with each kid. Take them out for a special date. Get that connection with the child individually. It will help them to be able to go to you with any issues that might pop up when school starts. Plus, they will really enjoy that quality time without their sibling trying to hog you.
If you don’t have a partner, see if a neighbor or family member can take the other kids while you rotate one-on-one dates with the others. That bonding time will help comfort your child and you’ll really enjoy those special times.
Festival days
This one can be hard on the budget, so plan for it. But going to one local festival or carnival is what kids live for! Let them eat cotton candy until their stomach hurts. Allow them to go on that ride for the third time.
Just watching their faces run around and having fun is enough to justify the long, hot, sweaty day spending way too much on a snow cone. There are always a ton of church and community fests, so look up one that you wouldn’t mind spending the day at.
Parks for days
Stretch it out and get ready for park days. Plan the week before school starts and hit as many as you possibly can. Pack up backpacks full of drinks and snacks and whatever other supplies your kids might need.
Try to stay out all day. Or until there have been too many meltdowns to count and it’s time to pack it in. Your kids will have plenty of fun stories to tell their classmates about which parks are awesome and which aren’t that fun.
Museum and zoo trips
If you put off taking the kids to the zoo and museum all summer break, then now is the time. It might not be best to do this the weekend school starts, but if you have a few days the week before, you can do the zoo one day and the museum another.
The kids will have so much fun that you won’t feel bad about spending $10 so they can feed the giraffe a leaf. Do that though – it’s really cute to watch.
Just pack a bag with what you might need to survive an all-day adventure and make sure your kids have on comfy clothes and shoes and have a blast. They will also get a bit of learning in. Depending on what city you live in (or by) you could be a tourist in your own area and get a CityPass if you already don’t have an annual pass.
Enjoy the night
You can turn your backyard into a fun family evening. Get a projector and turn your backyard into a private movie theatre. Or set up a tent and have a backyard camping adventure. Or do both. Your kids will love the adventure and you don’t even have to travel far if you don’t want to.
It’s the time spent together that your kids will love. They might also appreciate not being in a car for hours as much as you.
Watch Yes Day
Yes Day is one of the best family-friendly movies to come out in a while. For just one day, the kids call all the shots and the parents have to say yes. It’s the parents’ biggest nightmare, and the kids’ ultimate dream. If you haven’t watched the adorable movie, go check it out.
Set parameters, set boundaries, and then let your kids have a blast. It might do you some good as parents to let loose a bit yourself. Your kids might surprise you with the cool stuff they come up with.
So go – right now – and get started on this list. Your kids will love that you want to make some final memories before the hectic school life starts. Everyone will enjoy that extra bit of time spent together before practice, rehearsals, play dates, homework, and everything else starts taking time away from each other. As long as you have plenty of coffee, you’ll be fine.
