Banish the phrase, “I’m Bored”: 10 Ideas to Beat the Summer Boredom Blues

School’s out and the whole summer stretches before you. Time to relax and recharge. Maybe you’ve got a great vacation planned or some short trips to visit family and friends. Perhaps your child already has some camps and classes lined up for the summer ahead but no matter how many activities you already have planned, chances are at some point you’ll hear those awful words, “I’m bored.” Instead of giving in to electronics or a day of binge watching their favorite show, encourage your child to try something new.

Fresh Kidz, makers of safe, chemical free deodorant for kids and best chemical free deodorant for girls, has a list of 10 great ideas based on some of our favorite past summer activities.

Form a bowling league — whether they form a league with a group of friends who meet up every week or just go occasionally with friends and family, bowling is great exercise for kids with the added bonus of being indoors so you don’t have to worry about the weather. Bowling can build muscles and exercise your legs and arms. If kids do want to form a league with some friends and set up a regular time to get together to play, make it even more fun by getting them all matching shirts. There are even programs all across the country that give kids free bowling admission.

 Learn to cook — whether they take a class, camp, or consult a cookbook, cooking is a great life-skill for kids to learn. Let them pick out a few recipes to try each week. You can suggest they start with breakfast foods or appetizers and then work their way through the menu to desserts. Kids love looking for recipes and you can continue the life-skill leaning by having them make the grocery list themselves and find the items at the grocery store. Once they are confident about their cooking skills, give them challenges like making a meal for under $10. By the end of the summer you may be able to quit cooking dinner every night yourself.

Rock Kindness — Spread some love, kindness, and inspiration in your neighborhood and let your child express his or her creativity by joining The Kindness Rocks Project. Find some flat, smooth rocks or purchase a few at a local craft store or garden center, paint an inspirational message or artwork on the rock and include #thekindessrocksproject to the back so they can follow their rock’s journey, and then have them hide it in a local park or area for someone to find. Be sure to tell them to steer clear of areas that will be mowed!

 Skate the day away — whether they choose ice-skating, roller-skating, or roller blading, skating is a great way to get in some exercise and have fun. Find a nice paved path and they can enjoy some time outside while they roller blade or go for the air conditioned comfort or your local skating rink for the perfect way to wile away the day.

Call a relative — it can be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin — no matter who you child picks, the person who answers the phone is sure to be thrilled to hear from them. If they don’t get an answer on the first try, encourage them to keep calling until they reach someone — bonus points if they haven’t talked to them in a while and texting does not count. If it’s an older relative suggest your son or daughter ask them how they used to spend their summer vacations.

 Gaze at the stars — if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere without a lot of light pollution, your child can take a blanket to your backyard and look up at the night sky. There are even apps that will help you identify the constellations up above. This summer in mid June, Saturn will be brighter than any other time of year and visible all night long. The end of July will bring the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower as well as the best viewing of Mercury. And in August there will be a partial lunar eclipse and the Perseids Meteor Shower. Often local universities and museums will set up telescopes for the public to come see special astronomy events.

Keep a daily journal — even if you child only writes a few sentences about what they did (or did not) or wanted to do that day, they’ll have a great reminder of Summer 2017. If they write a bit more about their feelings and thoughts, they’ll find years from now that they have a perfect memento that they’ll come to treasure.

 Read a good book (to someone else) — encourage your son or daughter to read a book to a younger brother or sister or some young neighborhood kids. They could start a reading club and spend an afternoon each week reading books to the younger children. Maybe throw in a craft that goes along with the book.

Try a new game — summer is the perfect time to try something new. Croquet, frisbee golf, badminton — have your child do some research to find a game they’ve never played before and then help them try it out. They may find a new favorite. Or if outdoors games aren’t their thing, suggest that they try playing a new board game or learning a card game like bridge or rummy.

 Knit a scarf — it may be warm outside but they can get ready for cooler weather by knitting a scarf for themselves or someone else. Many craft stores offer classes to get you stared and some cities even have knitting stores to guide you in the right direction. If you don’t have either of those in your town, have your child check out a book from your local library or look for an online class.

Fresh Kidz all natural deodorant for teens and tweens can help your child stay fresh all summer long and  Kids body odor is no longer an issue, no matter what they’re doing. Our full line of deodorants and body wash for boys and girls is chemical free, aluminum free, and safe for all kids.

Enjoy your summer and stay fresh.