The summer is fast approaching which means it will soon be the season where we’re hearing little voices saying that they are “bored.” The summer is a perfect time to try some projects with the kids, to get them outdoors and to get a little messy. Every parent knows how important it is to keep children busy and to keep their minds active whilst not at school, but also for them to have a well-deserved break. Statistics show that crime rates go up during the summer months. Keeping children busy and accounted for can keep them out of trouble and out of harm’s way.  If you’re looking for some fun activities to help keep the kids entertained this summer take a look at these project ideas to get them involved.

Whether it’s a playhouse, tree house, pirate ship or a makeshift fort, customizing an outside den can be a brilliant project for you and your kids. Depending on the ages of your children, you could either build the den together or build it in preparation for them to help customize it. Having them sit down with some pens and paper to draw some designs is an excellent way to get started and you can even get them involved with choosing the proper materials from the store. There are all sorts of things you can do to customize their space from adding curtains, cushions, and seating, to adding space to store activities such as board games. A nice touch could be to include some fairy lights or solar-powered lighting on the outside so they can see it lit up from their window at night time. This is definitely a perfect project for the older children especially if you’re getting them involved with using paints or handing you the equipment to help with the construction.

For smaller children, it may be a better idea to use a pre-made den such as one of the small garden houses you can get at supply stores or try using a fort kit that you can put together. To create a fort that you can use again and again use items such as a large bed sheet, rope, a flashlight, clamps, suction cups, and clothes pins. If you have a clothesline outside, this could be a really easy-cheat way of building a quick fort. A good idea would be to get your kids to collect a few books, cushions and favorite toys to bring into the fort. The best part about making fort kits is you can build them anywhere; in your garden, at the beach and even in-doors on the rainy days. Why not try building a fort in the living room and setting up a movie night with popcorn and hotdogs?

Gardening doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be especially fun when you get your children involved. You could try having your kids create their own masterpiece and mini-garden within your garden, all you need is to dedicate an area for them to use or maybe even buy a few large plant pots for them to get their hands on. Taking them to choose the plants, ornaments, and decorations that they want to use is a good excuse for a day trip to a garden center, where you can really get to know what your children love about the outside habitats they can create. Allowing them to create an area in the garden that’s theirs can encourage them to spend more outside too. Plus, it will give your garden the same individual personalities that everyone in your family has.

Another great way of getting your children into a gardening project is to have them create an outside space inside. There is a large variety of indoor plants that can really brighten up any space. Buying plants such as the ones they sell at Succulent Depot means that the kids can have the early responsibility of looking after something living as their plants don’t require constant maintenance, making them the perfect plant for children to learn about. You could even get the children involved in painting and decorating some plant containers to pot their plants into, this is a great way of them adding their own little touches.

Every family understands the importance of educating children about their heritage and teaching them about their relatives. Children grow up naturally curious wanting to know where they came from. Building a family tree as a project can be a fantastic way to not only educate your children on their history but also to allow them to get creative. Whether you want to build a family tree on paper or display a huge tree on the wall, it is a great project for children of all ages and a brilliant way for the family to get together. You could look at design ideas online and even use services where you are able to research your ancestor’s information, then grab all the supplies for building your project. It’s a lovely touch to build a tree stump from paper mâché and then add colorful leaves with all the information and maybe include family photos.

Younger children may not quite grasp the concept behind the information that you are including in the project but they will be sure to enjoy getting their hands dirty build a paper mâché tree with colorful leaves. Another good idea that you can do is to put together photo albums or scrapbooks with your youngest children and allow them to pick their favorite family photos to include. It may be advisable to get copies of some of the photos for your children to use, especially if they are your only copy and are particularly sentimental, or sort through some photos you don’t mind them using.

Most children enjoy arts and crafts so restocking your arts and crafts supplies to get ready for the summer months is a good idea right now. The summer gives you the perfect opportunity to let the kids get as messy as they want. You can set up an art station outside and then hose it down later for easy cleaning. Hurray, no glitter in the house! Children love to get involved with choosing projects when it comes to art so by allowing them to come to the store to pick out some supplies could be another fun activity for them. You can even get some ready-made projects for them to work on. There’s always lots to choose from when it comes to arts and crafts. Taking the kids to the store with you will give you more chances of finding a project they will really want to do.

A nice little project for the little ones is creating artwork to hang on the walls in their rooms or if you’re brave enough in your kitchen or family room. Getting them involved in a project like this can really make them feel like they are injecting their personality into the home. You can even buy a plain canvas for them to use that is easy to hang, plus you will end up with some very unique, memorable works of art to keep forever. The older children may enjoy trying to paint some scenery or flowers from the garden they have planted, whereas younger children may prefer to get involved with finger painting or gluing and sticking.

Do you have any other projects for the kids to get involved with this summer? Please share them in the comments section below.

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