Things To Do In Summer Vacation: Activities Beyond Summer Camp

Introduction

Planning your child's summer vacation is a practical approach that can help you and your child make the best of this extra time. While one of the best options to keep your child occupied during summer vacations is to put them in a summer camp, there are more activities your child can do. Since your child is not restricted from attending school, you can think of several productive and creative activities that may benefit their social and cognitive development.

Moreover, it is also the perfect time for you to ask your child about all the activities they have always wanted to do and experience them. Hence, to have a transformative experience, here is a list of things to do during summer vacations for you and your child beyond the regular summer camps.

Things to Do In Summer Vacations Beyond Summer Camps

Here is a deep dive into some of the most creative and inspiring summertime activities for parents and kids that provide ample space for growth and development.

• Go to Historical Places

There is nothing better than a short adventurous trip filled with intriguing historical facts about one's country and culture. To make your child more historically aware, you can plan a nearby trip to a historical place and show your child around. This could be an old castle, a museum, a heritage place, a religious place, or anything else you choose. This may help your child connect theoretical learning with real-world experiences and understand better. Moreover, it may also help your child become more curious about learning and exploring.

• Volunteer at Events

One of the most effective methods of making your child more kind and giving is by encouraging them to volunteer for a charity event. Other than enhancing their emotional intelligence, volunteering may also help your child understand how to be responsible and develop leadership skills. As per JAMA Network, published in 2023, volunteering for a cause may also help your child become a more accountable and mindful citizen who believes in fulfilling their social responsibilities.

• Journal Everyday

Journaling can be a cathartic experience for your child where they can fully express themselves without fearing judgment. Moreover, it helps your child centralize their emotions and indulge in deep introspection. As per Benefits of journal-writing for students in the Emotional/behavior disorders classroom, published in 2020, journaling regularly may help in enhancing the clarity of thoughts among kids and make them feel more emotionally balanced. Since your child has enough time during the summer vacations, they can spend half an hour to one hour regularly journaling their thoughts.

• Read Books

Reading is a simple yet potent tool for enhancing your child's linguistic skills and also boosting their imagination. By surrounding your child with the right kind of books, including biographies, inspirational stories, fiction, and non-fiction books, you can transform them into a voracious reader who is inquisitive about everything around them. As per Reading Aloud to children: The evidence, reading can also significantly benefit a child's academics by improving their overall knowledge and ability to write with better precision and detail orientation.

• Take Up Internships

A great way to gain real-world industry experience is by interning at a company or a professional organization. This may give the child a real-world view of how organizations work to achieve a collective outcome and the hard work that goes into getting a particular task done. It may also help children truly understand their goals and decide what they want to pursue in life. Additionally, interning in a professional space may help a child understand their shortcomings and work on themselves accordingly.

• Play Sports and Exercise

During summer, your child can also have the opportunity to play sports and indulge in regular workouts to enhance their overall fitness. You can encourage your child to play with kids outside, join a kid-friendly gym, or simply practice dance or Zumba at home for their overall wellness. As per Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School, exercising regularly can truly shift a child's energy levels and lower the risk of many chronic health problems.

• Watch Informational Movies and Documentaries

To make this summer break more engaging and entertaining for your child, you can also list some educational and child-friendly movies or documentaries you would like to show your child. Every day for one hour, you may show one movie to your child to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the outer world and things they don't know about. According to The Functions of Films for Children as Learning Media in Children's Education, watching such movies and documentaries may enhance a child's imagination and also improve their retention.

Conclusion

While there are several activities that parents can do with their kids during summer breaks, these are some of the selected ones that offer a balanced dose of learning and engagement. Parents can try these activities to make every moment of their child’s summer vacation count.