I don’t know about you guys, but my kids normally drive me crazy during the summer. I always have to figure out a way to keep the kids entertained because they are always crying that they are bored and that they want something to do.
This summer is a little different than most. Some of us don’t want to send our kids out of the house to camp, some of us can’t, be it for medical reasons or financial, and for some of us the camp we normally send the kids to is closed.
What makes it worse is the fact that these kids are over being home all the time. They are tired of what school looked like for them, they miss hanging out with kids their age, and they are over all the craziness that is happening in our world right now.
I pulled together some resources to entertain the kiddos and keep them busy and happy. I also pulled together some resources to help moms stay sane during this crazy time.
To Help Keep the Kids Entertained
1. Stayhome.miami
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- The Children’s Trust is offering ballet classes, soccer classes, fun craft ideas with paper, read-aloud books, and a Romero Britto coloring book all for free.
2. Quarantine Friendly Activities
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- Set up an inflatable pool in the backyard, family facials, play outside, spring cleaning, mommy & me manicures, coloring, building with Legos, color the sidewalk with chalk, make vision boards, rearrange their rooms, bake, or make lemonade
- For even more ideas you can check out these 101 Quarantine Friendly activities to help keep the kids entertained.
3. Go Noodle
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- Gonoodle.com has all kinds of videos to keep the kids entertained. The videos are for all ages and come in English & Spanish.
- Videos include breathing exercises, yoga, drawing, dancing, and all kinds of awesome ways to get kids moving.
4. Free Virtual Summer Programs
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- Camp Wonderopolis
- Camp Google
- Varsity Tutors Virtual Camp
- Makers Summer Camp
- San Diego Zoo
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5. Bored Sticks & Chore Sticks
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- For this, all you need are popsicle sticks, a pen or marker, and something to hold the popsicle sticks (ex. 2 jars or 2 cups).
- For the bored sticks: You just need to sit down and brainstorm fun activities to keep the kids entertained when they are bored. It would be great to include them in this and see what ideas they have. Then write each idea on a popsicle stick.
- For the chores sticks you just need to do the same thing but brainstorm chores they can do based on their ages. If you have children in different age groups, I recommend you make a mark on the popsicle sticks so you can know if it is age-appropriate.
- The way I use them is if my child tells me they are bored I tell them to grab a bored stick. If they do not want to do what the bored stick says, then they have the option of doing what the bored stick says or getting a chore stick instead.
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To Help Keep the Moms Sane
Now once you have the kids entertained it is time for you. They say the strength of the family is with the sanity of their mom. If you do not fill your cup and take care of yourself, you won’t be able to be the best mom for them.
1. Parenting Workshops
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- Stayhome.miami offers free online workshops to help parents manage stress, COVID, and other parenting issues
- Miami Moms Blog also has an “Ask A Therapist” Series. You can find it here.
- UHealth Jackson Children’s Care + Miami Moms Blog are hosting a Summer to School Virtual Series
2. Free Self-Care Ideas
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- Learn something new
- Find a new playlist
- Start a gratitude journal
- Eat outside in the sunshine
- Dance like no one is watching
- Follow inspirational accounts on social
- Drink more water
- Move your body
- Declutter your home
- Make a vision board on Pinterest
- Hide to find alone time while kids are watching TV safely
3. Stay Connected!
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- Talking/venting with other moms is so important to keep moms sane. It helps you realize you are not alone in this. Also, maybe another mom figured out a trick that might help you.
- You should check us out at Miami Mom Collective :: Community + Connection
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4. Have a Laugh or Get Inspired!
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- I took this time to follow some funny or inspirational accounts on social media. There is so much craziness and negativity that I prefer to use social media positively.
- Some examples of funny or inspirational parenting accounts on Instagram are:
- @The.Truth.Bomb.Mom
- @Parenting.memes
- @KidsAreTheWorst
- @AverageParentProblems
- @BuzzfeedParents
- @ScaryMom
- @HonestToddler