Summertime is filled with opportunities to make lasting memories with your children. Family vacations, a day at the pool, or an afternoon playing board games are all things that your child will remember for a lifetime.
Activities that your family isn’t expecting can be some of the most rewarding experiences of the summer – things that they will talk about long after childhood is over. Spontaneity keeps things exciting, fresh, and memorable.
Over the years there are things that we have done in our family that have become favorite memories. Use these ideas as a springboard to things that fit your family’s tastes and lifestyle.
Middle of the Night Slurpee Run
Well, not actually the middle of the night. Shortly after the kids had been put to bed but before they had gone to sleep I used to walk into their rooms and tell them to get up and get in the car. It was time for a Slurpee Run.
We would head over to the nearest convenience store and, in pajamas, get those icy treats that all kids seem to love. We would then sit in the car and people watch, sipping our Slurpees and chatting about whatever subject happened to come up.
The excitement was in not knowing when it was going to happen. Once my eldest daughter was having a slumber party and we packed up everyone and went on a Slurpee Run. She says it is one of her favorite memories.
Water Fights
I am pretty relaxed when it comes to play. As long as nothing gets broken (including children) and everything is cleaned up afterward I won’t interfere in their fun – and sometimes I instigate it.
Water fights are one of the things very likely to happen around here. I may hide a squirt gun next to me as I am working and when one of the kids comes in they get squirted. This leads to a hunt for more squirt guns and generally everyone is stalking everyone else within a very short time.
There is lots of laughter and the small squirt guns don’t make much of a mess in the house. For anything bigger we take it outside with the big guns, hoses, and water balloons.
Picnics
Not too many families that I know of go on old fashioned picnics anymore. You know, not the kind that you go to a park or somewhere specific and play Frisbee but the kind where you pack a lunch and take off for parts unknown. We’ve had picnics in fields, at lakes, and in the fort at the top of our swing set. It’s always fun, no matter where it is.
Go on an Adventure
Get a map of your area and blindfold one of the kids. Have them place their finger or a tack on a spot on the map. Take a day trip to the place and check it out. Take lots of pictures, eat at one of the local restaurants, and explore local places of interest. Even if it is a tiny little town, there are bound to be interesting things to see.
photo credit: stewartde
