As the long and dreary months of winter begin to come to a close, parents begin thinking about summer activities to get their children involved in. Summer activities provide children with something to do when they’re out of school for a few months. Not only are summer activities fun, but they also give kids the exercise and social interaction they need to stay healthy. Below are several great summer activities ideas that your children may enjoy!

Swimming: For the most part, one of the most exciting summer activities enjoyed by children is swimming. So, why consider signing your child up for a summer swim team? Not only will they learn how to be better swimmers, but they’ll meet others who enjoy swimming just as much as they do and they’ll also learn about the benefits of working hard towards a goal and healthy competition.

If you have young children who are too little for competitive swimming, then consider enrolling them in swimming lessons. Every child needs to learn how to swim and it’s never too soon to start. They even have swimming classes for babies – and their mothers, of course!

Horse Riding Lessons: Perhaps, you have children who aren’t really into the traditional sports and don’t care too much about swimming. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any outdoor summer activities that they’ll enjoy. Horse riding lessons may be the perfect solution. Children not only learn the proper way to ride a horse, but they’ll also learn about how to care for the horses as well.

Sports: The most common summer activities children participate in are the traditional organized sports such as t-ball, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, flag football and others. Some of these sports children are able to play as young as 3 or 4. So, if you have a child who enjoys playing games and sports, then sign them up to play on a summer league team for the sport they like best. They’ll have a blast playing with their friends!

Camps: There are summer activities available for children regardless of what it is they enjoy. A lot of times, there are even camps available that allow children to enjoy their interests more in-depth. These camps can last a week, two or even a month! And, just because it’s a “camp” doesn’t always mean your child has to stay there throughout the week. Many of these are considered “day camps.” So, if you’re looking for summer activities, check into the nearby summer camps for kids!

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Summer activities for teenagers are important for a number of reasons. However, once the school year is completed, a lot of parents let their kids do whatever they want. Generally, this is because the parents still have to go to work every day and, after all, their kids are teens, so they can stay home alone, right? While this may be true, unattended teens or teens who don’t have anything to do during the day tend to get in more trouble than those who are busy.

Keeping teens busy through summer activities for teenagers is one of the most important things parents can do for their teens’ safety. While teens are young adults, the fact is that they aren’t adults yet and still lack the maturity to make good decisions – for the most part. This is where summer activities for teenagers helps. They keep teens busy and out of trouble.

There are a multitude of summer activities for teenagers available to choose from. In fact, many of the activities available aren’t even considered “activities.” For example, you could require that your teenage son or daughter gets a summer job to keep them busy during the day. This would help them in a number of ways. First, they would be learning the value of work while earning extra money. Secondly, they would held accountable for their actions to someone else (their boss), which is something all teens need to experience before they get out on their own. Why? Because, that’s the real world. Lastly, by holding down a job during the summer, they will be building up their resume and work experience, which colleges and future employers will look at.

You may not want your teen to take a job during his or her time off and that’s fine, but summer activities for teenagers are still important. If you have a teen who enjoys sports, then getting them involved in a summer league will not only give them something to do with their days, but will also help them improve their talent. Many parents dismiss the value of sports, but the truth is that teens learn discipline, life lessons and can even earn college scholarships through the sports they play during high-school.

Finally, there are still more summer activities for teenagers that are beneficial for them other than a summer job and sports. If you have a teen who is very goal-oriented and has the desire to continue his or her education or work on creating great experiences for their college applications, then it is probably worth your time to talk to your teen about enrolling in summer college courses. You should also check into internship and volunteering opportunities available during the summer for your teen.

As you can see, there are many summer activities for teenagers available. All of these activities have their own unique benefits for your teen, but the one common benefit they share is keeping your teen busy during the summer. Keeping your teen busy, with the right activities, means that your teen is less likely to be getting in trouble during the summer – which will be a huge relief to you.

Plant Flowers: It’s true that planting flowers may get done quicker if you just do it yourself, but if you have young children it’s much more rewarding to take the time and let them help. Even if you dig the hole and place the flower in it and just let them pack in the dirt around it – they’ll love it. When you’re all done, the satisfaction you’ll see on their faces will make the extra time letting them help worth it. Additionally, because they helped plant the flowers, they’ll more than likely want to help water them throughout the summer, as well.

Make Homemade Ice Cream: One of the best treats enjoyed by all children during the summer is ice cream. So, why not make it a fun family tradition to make your own ice cream? Your children will enjoy and learn a lot as they help with the ice cream making process.

Plant a Garden: It’s important that children learn where their foods come from. So, one of the best ways to help them learn this is to show them. Take them to the store in late winter/early spring and pick out some packets of vegetable/fruit seeds. Then, when the weather is right, have them help you plant the seeds. They will enjoy watching the “fruits of their labor” begin to grow…and eventually get to eat them!

Take a Walk: Summer evenings are too good to let pass by while being indoors. So, take advantage of the great weather and take the entire family on a walk around the neighborhood. If your children don’t want to walk, let them ride their bikes or pull them in a wagon. The activity is very simple, but a lot of fun for everyone!

Above are just a few of the many simple summer activities you can do with your children that are not only fun, but create great memories. Just remember that children are much easier to please than adults. Things like homemade ice cream, going to the park and water gun fights are just as much fun for them as big family vacations. Therefore, look for little things you can do together this summer and have fun!

Gymnastics: One of the most universal activities for toddlers is gymnastics. This is because gymnastics provides toddlers with a constructive way to burn off the extra energy they have while improving their socialization and coordination skills. They will also become more aware of their body and increase their physical fitness levels. While gymnastics is available for children all year, it’s one of the fun summer activities that your toddler is sure to enjoy!

Swimming Lessons: All children love to swim and toddlers, for the most part, are no different. However, swimming can be dangerous for little ones who don’t know how to swim. Drowning incidents are reported every year from all over the world and generally occur because the child didn’t know how to swim. So, not only are swimming lessons fun for toddlers, they are extremely important and one activity all toddlers should do every year.

Soccer: Most people think that soccer is a sport that is for older children, but it is actually one of the only sports available that children as young as 3 can participate in. Even most T-Ball programs require children to be at least 4 before they can play. This is why soccer is one of the best fun summer activities available for toddlers.

Scheduled Play Time: It’s understandable that you may feel that you don’t have enough time to enroll your toddler in a specific activity, especially if you have other children. However, you should still dedicate some time just for your toddler a few times every week. Therefore, one of the best ways to do this is by scheduling specific play times for just you and your toddler. Just taking your little one to the part 2-3 times a week for an hour will do wonders for your toddler as he or she needs to feel special too.

Go Camping: One of the best ways to teach your kids about nature is by getting out in it. You can easily do this by going camping for the weekend. Yes, you can take a travel trailer or camper, but chances are you’ll make more memories and have more fun by doing it the traditional way and pitching a tent. A few of the things you can teach your kids while camping is how to use a compass, how to bait a hook and go fishing, the things involved in setting up a campsite and much more.

Hiking: Another great way to teach your kids a few things about nature is by taking them to a trail and spend the morning hiking. Your children will get to see a lot of things they wouldn’t be exposed to in the back yard like different types of plants, rock formations, animals, insects and much more. This is also a great morning exercise for the entire family.

Traveling: Most families take a family vacation during the summer, but traveling doesn’t have to mean getting away for an entire week. Traveling on the weekends will suffice too. Traveling with your children will teach them a number of different things. First, you will be taking them to a variety of different areas where they will get to see things they haven’t seen before. However, you can also take the time in the car to teach them how to read maps – a skill many kids won’t learn with the invention of the GPS.

A Trip to the Zoo: If you have younger children, then take them to the zoo one sunny afternoon. Not only will they love looking at all of the animals, but they will get to learn about them too. Most zoos have interactive shows and activities for kids to help teach them useful information that they wouldn’t otherwise learn.

A Day at the Beach: If you live relatively close to the beach, then take the time to take your children every now and then. They’ll have a blast swimming, building sandcastles and looking for seashells. The great thing about the beach is that you don’t have to do much to teach them – especially if you have young children. Seeing the ocean in person is an awesome experience and will give your kids the chance to learn about seagulls, waves, high tide and low tide and a host of other things!

Finally on our list of family fun activities we have the yard sale. Now, you might be thinking that this cannot possibly be any fun, but it really can.

This is a superb way to rid your home of unwanted, or unused, clutter and to teach your child an alternative way to earn some money. Let your child(ren) help by making up "yard sale signs", gathering up goods to sell, setting up the items for sale in the yard, or garage, and counting out money you have on hand for making change for customers who purchase items.

Also, allow your child(ren) to price their own items they've decided to add to the yard sale, and then add the price tags to those items themselves.

Once they've earned their money by selling their things in the yard, or garage, sale, pool all of the money together, including the money you earned from selling your unwanted items, to pay for your next family fun outing!

Again, this is another great free family activity that will teach your child(ren) lots of "real world" skills when it comes to customer service, money, and setting up shop.

Now let's get out there and make some money!

Not to be outdone by the previous outdoor activity, riding bikes is always fun to do. And, for grown ups, it takes them back to their youthful childhood.

This is a wonderful way to spend time with your child(ren) while taking a trip down your own "memory lane" in the process. Instead of driving to your local park, why not ride bikes to it? Need to make a quick trip to the corner store? Ride your bikes down.

Of course there are local bicycle trails you can utilize as well. Both paved or natural dirt trails can be loads of fun for your family to enjoy together.

Plus, riding a bicycle is a great way to get some much needed exercise for everyone. Remember when planning extended biking journeys to take a water bottle along with you to recharge your batteries. And always encourage your child(ren) to wear a helmet when biking. Don't forget to set a good example for them by electing to wear a helmet yourself too.

Here's to bicycling for a free family activity!

Roller skating is a great way to have a little outdoor fun with your family anytime. Except if it's raining that is   While you can have plenty of fun skating around your neighborhood, why not try heading out to your local park for a different scene?

You could always venture off to your local bicycyle trails for an even better skating arena. Most bike trails that are made from blacktop will give you a smoother skate. And, the trails are designed for bikes, joggers, and skaters ONLY. Meaning, you won't have to worry about oncoming traffic from cars. Making it all the more safe for your family to enjoy the outdoors.

Let's not forget too that learning to roller skate, or roller blade, can be a very enjoyable activity. Especially if the parent is the student and the child is the teacher! Be sure you put on your safety padding and helmet before heading out the front door for your day of learning. Or you could end up worse for wear when returning home!

This is one free family activity wear your child is sure to have the upper hand!

What better way to spend a refreshing and playful time with your family than going swimming! Even if you don't have access to a swimming pool in your own backyard, you can always take a trip to your local lake or beach. You won't need money to enjoy the water, but you will need enough gas to get there and back

Plus, you can always take a picnic basket full of your favorite healthy snacks with you for a quick lunch. Now, if you happen to live in an area that doesn't have access to lakes or oceanfront beaches, why not pull out the garden hose for some watery fun?

Using what you have "on hand" with water is always a super way to have some fun on a hot day. Sprinklers, water pistols, and water balloons are great alternatives to keeping cool and having fun on a hot day. Divide your family up into teams and see who gets the most wet. Have a big bowl of fresh, frosty fruit as a reward for the winning team.

Most apartment communities have swimming pools available to their residents. Why not go for a dip? Also, many other community areas have public pools that are quite inexpensive to get into. Some only charge a quarter for access for the entire day. Visiting your local community pool can help build your child(ren)'s social skills too. And that's always a fabulous idea!

Whatever your plans, don't forget to put on the sunscreen to protect yourself and your children from the harmful UV rays of the sun. This is especially important on extremely hot days.

Try some watery fun for a delightful free family activity!

Local libraries are a wonderful wealth of information for you and your child(ren). Making plans to visit a library during the summer month's can be a fantastic way to keep the learning process going when the kids are on summer vacation.

Plus, most libraries have a plethora of activities planned during the summer for your child(ren) to enjoy ranging from all age groups. Make it a plan the next time you're running errands to stop by your local library and pick up their activity list for the month to see what's in store. You may just find something interesting and fun for your child(ren) and yourself!

There are more than just books available at most libraries as well. Things like DVD or VHS movies can be checked out, music CD's, audio books, etc. can also be a day of fun that doesn't end once you walk out the library doors.

Checking out and returning items to the library can also help develop your child(ren)'s responsibility skills too. Keep that in mind when you go out to discover what your local library has available for you.

Put Your local library on your list of fun free family activities!

What better way to spend time with your family than appreciating fine art? Most museums are free, but you would really need to check with your local area museum to be sure. Some museums may have summertime family oriented activities planned as well. Yet still, there may be discounted "family" days for specialized educational museums such as The Center for Science and Industry in Ohio(COSI).

While some may not be free, you can find out which days of the month, week, or year, have been designated as "family" days that offer discounts. Many museums have websites that list most of their information including pricing and hours of operation.

It's never too late, or too soon, to begin the learning process. So keep this in mind when heading off to your local museum. While your children may think this activity will be boring, there are always "battle plans" to make it fun for everyone. You could always visit the museum's website to see what is on display as many museums have time limited exhibits to research first what may be of interest to your child(ren) beforehand. Then make up some list printouts to take along with you that have checklists to be sure that you view everything on the printouts.

You could even put in some random questions to ask your child(ren) while at the museum. Or you could even do a sort of scavenger hunt to see who can find the items on your checklist first.

Going to the museum can be a fun and education free family activity!

Going to the park can be an outstanding way to spend quality time together as a family. Of course there are all the jungle gyms, slides, and swings you can play on, but there are other things you could also do afterwards.

Collecting wild flowers, pinecones, nuts, and leaves that you could classify later on when you return home is plenty educational and fun. You could also take a shoebox for each of your children and begin a little "memory box" by taking the wild flowers or leaves and pressing them, then placing them inside the shoebox along with the information discovered about the plants such as computer printouts. Take the printouts and glue the nuts, leaves, or flowers to them is another activity you can do with the treasures you find while at the park.

Also, encourage your child(ren) to write down the date they found the park treasures so they can always look back and remember when you spent those moments together as a family. This is an excellent way to strengthen your family bond.

Make going to the park another one of your "Free Family Activities"!

The way the phrase "home movie night" is used here is not to watch movies you have made of your family, but, rather it is to allow each member of your family to select a movie from your own DVD or VHS collection and watch them.

Try having each family member select a favorite movie or one that they have not viewed for quite some time to make it more interesting for everyone. Pop up your own popcorn, make your own special "smoothies", and have a healthy snack to go with your movie.

Make it an entire day of family fun and participation. Get everyone involved with the snack making and movie choosing. This can be a great way to spend time together on a rainy day.

You could also do some sort of fun activity during "intermissions", or between movie playing as well to make it more interesting. Such as, to decide which movie will be watched next, try playing a quick game of charades. The winner gets to watch their movie. This way, you're not just "vegging out" in front of the television.

Home Movie Night is a free family activity that the whole family will enjoy!

If you need a bit of quiet time, then working on a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle may just be what you need. Not only does this type of activity build a child's problem solving skills, but it also helps develop their multi-tasking skills when you add conversation into the mix.

There are other forms of puzzles you could work on together, including crosswords, word finds, and of course the ever popular Sudoku. Any one of these can help develop yours and your child's brain power while spending some wonderful quality time together.

If you don't have money to spend on "paper" puzzles(meaning those other than jigsaws), you can always print some out from these websites for free at: http://www.teacherhelp.org/puzzles_and_games.htm, http://www.mirroreyes.com/crossword/, http://www.billybear4kids.com/jigsaw-puzzles/main-page.html, and http://www.sudoku.com/program.htm.

Remember too, that if you don't have a "physical" jigsaw puzzle, there are plenty of free online jigsaws you can do together available from websites such as: http://freejigsawpuzzles.com/, http://www.jigzone.com/, or http://www.thekidzpage.com/onlinejigsawpuzzles/index.htm.

Puzzles will always remain in the top 10 list for free family activities!

Almost every "dollar store" sells decks of cards for a buck. And, almost everyone knows how to play card games. Whether it's "Go Fish", "Old Maid", Gin Rummy, or 5 Card Draw Poker. Obviously, you wouldn't want to teach your child how to become a poker virtuoso, but playing a card game such as "War" or "Go Fish" can help develop your child's math skills.

Now, you don't have to have a special deck of cards for games like Go Fish, Old Maid, or War. Any standard deck will do. So, when the kids are awake, you can play those card games that are child oriented, and when they go to bed, you and your friend, or significant other can play a more adult oriented game such as poker or Rummy.

Always have some sort of "prize" on hand if you plan on having a family Go Fish tournament. And be sure that everyone is a winner with the prizes going down in value or size. This is especially important for younger children so that no one every feels as if they are a "loser". And, no one likes to feel that way, even older children. Although they might never admit it

Now go find those card games you have laying around the house for your next free family activity!

Always a great way to pass time on a rainy day, coloring pictures is a fantastic way to have some fun while developing artistic skills. Not only that, but you can turn an otherwise boring day of coloring into an "in-house" art contest. But, be sure that you have prizes for everyone so that each time everyone is a winner

If you don't have any coloring books, you can always print out pictures from websites like: http://www.free-coloring-pages.com/, http://coloringbookfun.com/, and http://www.kidprintables.com/. Don't forget to check out all the other free information within those websites for other terrific family oriented ideas, tips, and more.

Now, if you don't have any new crayons for coloring, the best time to pick some up is right before the new school year begins. You can get a box of 24 count crayons for 20 cents or less. So, if you need to stock up, this is the best time to do so.

Coloring doesn't have to be limited just to crayons and coloring books. You can do some fingerpainting, watercolor painting, or creating clay sculptures too.

Add Coloring to your list of Free Family Activities!

Almost every family home has one form of board game or another. Whether it be your standard board game such as Monopoly, Sorry, Trouble, etc., or a DVD type trivia game, these can provide hours of fun.

While DVD style games are fun, the classic board games are better as you will never have the same outcome. Meaning, even though you are playing the exact same game, the winner is unknown until you have finished the game.

Try spicing up the game by playing for different types of prizes, but be sure that everyone will win something. The prizes could be dividing up chores that are to be done, having the 1st place winner getting the easiest household chore and the last place winner receiving the more difficult, or the chore that is least preferred by all family members.

You could also try having the prizes consist of allowing the 1st place winner pick tomorrow's activity, 2nd place winner picking the following day's activity, and so on.

If you don't have a board game lying around, why not invent your own games? Activities such as "treasure hunts" can be fun and educational at the same time. You can create your own maps or clue lists and let the first place winner(s) have first pick at the treasures. And, of course, the treasures can be anything you can think of that would have significant value within your particular family unit. Try your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or any thrift store in your area for some awesome finds in previously owned board games.

Also, a good game of hide and seek can also be hours of fun for all ages. And, hide and seek can be played both indoors or outdoors depending on the weather. Let's hear it for Free Family Activities!

Making your own bubbles couldn't be easier! You can use liquid hand soap and a bit of water to do this. All you would need is a bubble wand, which you could create out of a bit of thin wire(left over Easter Egg wire dippers would be excellent for this), and a container for the bubbles(you could simply use a bowl or plastic container for that) and you're all set.

For smaller children, try picking up some "tear free" shampoo to create your bubble mixture with. Do remember that the more "foamy" a liquid soap is, the lower quality your bubble mixture will be. Now, to create your own bubbles, simply take 1/15 cup of liquid soap(actually it is said that dish washing liquid works best) mixed with 1 cup of water inside whatever container you want to store it in.

Bubble mixtures of liquid soap and water can also be mixed with glycerin, sugar, or corn syrup as well. For even more bubble recipes, check out these websites: http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/bubbles1.html and http://bubbleblowers.com/homemade.html.

Who says that family activities can't be free and fun?

For some delightful Kid-tested ideas for kids crafts, activities and travels that will delight and entertain--making your life with the kids just that much more enjoyable and rewarding!  Seen through the eyes of McAveler The Time Traveler and his adorable little sister Mimi, two very fun loving and observant kids who report what they learn back to us. Visit this site today for some fun and entertaining crafting ideas!