While summer vacation conjures dreamy images of family time and no homework, all parents know that keeping kids entertained throughout the break is no easy task. Without the daily routine of school and extracurricular activities, it’s easy for children to complain of boredom.
Furthermore, in this age of smartphones and digital devices, it’s even easier for kids to get lost in the screen world for hours on end. While phones are an important tool for communication, overuse can lead to health problems like heart disease and obesity due to a lack of physical activity. The good news is parents can head off this temptation by nudging kids in the right direction of imaginative play.
“I remember when my kids were little, there was nothing like the summer days at home when maybe, with a friend over, they entered a magical imaginary play world,” says Bend mom of two, Denise Carraway.
“They would periodically run inside the house and say something like, ‘Mom, we need a sheet!’ When asked why, the explanation was always something like, ‘We’re building a castle, and we need walls!’ Those summer days flew by, and they had a blast, usually outdoors, creating, building and just imagining. It was their favorite kind of day.”
Imaginative play not only keeps kids entertained, but also helps develop critical life skills and healthy family relationships.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ website, healthychildren.org, “Children’s imaginations grow quickly during their first few years of life. By leaning into pretend play, you can help them push their creative thinking skills to new heights. Encouraging imaginative play also allows children to open their internal world to you. With every story, adventure and character they create, they are sharing a small piece of themselves. It’s a wonderful bonding experience.”
In that aim, here are some screen-free ideas for encouraging kids to have fun the good old-fashioned way:
Costume Parade
Gather an assortment of costumes and everyday clothing, such as aprons, capes, fairy wings, crowns, tutus, old Halloween outfits, etc. and declare that the whole family is having a “costume parade.” Allow kids to use their creativity. Maybe they want to borrow a tool belt and pretend to be a construction worker. A cardboard box can be cut into a pair of dragon wings. An old piece of rope becomes a lasso and the broom a horse.
Grab some drums, rattles or other noisemakers and march down the street in a silly costume parade. If you live amongst friendly neighbors, rope them in too, or take your parade to a residential living facility for the elderly where they will smile to see the kids all dressed up, having fun.
Structure Building
Forts, castles, igloos, tipis and other structures are the lifeblood of imaginative play. Whether interior decorating or channeling their inner hunter-gatherer, kids can escape into another world and sail the seas of imagination. Building these structures can be as simple as throwing a sheet over the kitchen table or leaning couch cushions against the coffee table. Stringing ropes and sheets from ceiling fixtures allows for extra height, while cardboard boxes make excellent doors, windows
and walls.
Look for oversized delivery boxes that kids can color and cut. A refrigerator box can become a rocket ship or a palace! Go outside and find sticks, rocks and other natural items to construct a castle or fort. Simple lean-to shelters made of large branches lashed together and set against a tree are easy and classic. Give kids art supplies to make small flags or other decorations to personalize
their creations.
Outdoor Mud Kitchen
Quality time spent outside is worth its weight in gold. Even if your outdoor space is small, you can still create a “DIY mud kitchen.”
Snag free pallet wood from behind any major box store and set up a simple table outdoors by laying it on top of hay bales, logs or any available surface. Raid your kitchen or thrift store for old cups, bowls, cupcake tins, wooden spoons, etc. If you’re crafty, you can use an electric saw to cut a hole in the tabletop and add a bowl to make a “sink.”
Next, just add dirt and water! A garden hose will get the ground nice and muddy and keep kids from traipsing inside the house to use the kitchen faucet. Kids will spend hours outdoors baking mud cupcakes decorated with dried flower petals and juniper berries or cooking dinner. Mud and hay casserole, anyone?
Dress them in swimsuits and sun hats, then just hose them down when finished. This is a messy activity, but it beats spending hours indoors playing video games. Think fresh air, vitamin D and exercise!
By kickstarting imaginative play, parents not only sidestep the summer call of “I’m bored!” but will certainly marvel at the creativity and confidence oozing from
their children.
This article appears in BendNest Summer 2024.
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