The Exhausted Parent's Last Hurrah for Summer Fun

Image Credit: Kamchatka via Canva

For those of you, like me, who have spent your summer vacation chasing after kids, you might be ready for a BREAK. Let's face it, keeping up with their endless energy is exhausting.

So, I've put together a list of seven easy summer activities for the tired parent or caregiver. Each activity takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and uses items you probably already have at home. Simple and stress-free!

1. Magic crayon coloring sheet

Have two or more kids? Spark their imagination by teaching them how to draw or write secret messages to each other using this fun method!

Supplies:

• White crayon
• White paper
• Paints or more crayons

Directions:

1. Without letting your child see, draw something on the paper with the white crayon. It could be a simple design like hearts or something more detailed. You can even trace a scene from a coloring book with the white crayon. Poof — setup is done!
2. Then, let the kids grab paints or crayons and color the page, revealing the hidden design you made.

2. Frozen dinosaur toy

Kids love pretending that an ice age has frozen the dinosaurs and that they are paleontologists discovering the remains. Mom win: it takes a while for the kids to melt all the ice!

Supplies:

• Small dinosaur toy (or any small toy your child loves)
• Ice tray or bowl
• Baster or medicine syringes (the kind that comes with children's Tylenol or Motrin)
• Tray
• Paper towels

Directions:

1. Find a few of your child's tiny dinosaurs or any small toy that fits into an ice tray or bowl.
2. Place the toys inside the ice tray or bowl, fill with water, and freeze.
3. Once frozen, bring out the icy treasure for your child to excavate.
4. If you're doing this inside, place the frozen treasure on a tray to contain the mess.
5. Fill a second bowl with warm water and let your child use the baster or syringe to "melt" the dinosaur or toy out of the ice.

3. Plastic egg water fun

If you have some extra plastic eggs from Easter, this activity is perfect!

Supplies:

• Plastic eggs
• Permanent marker
• Pool/baby pool/water table or sink

Directions:

1. Using a permanent marker, write something educational on the outside of each plastic egg. You could include letters, numbers, sight words, simple addition problems, foreign language words, or more!
2. Toss the eggs into the pool.
3. Have your child go on a scavenger hunt to gather the eggs.
4. Each time they retrieve an egg, they need to tell you what they found (such as a letter) or solve the math problem, etc.

4. Sidewalk chalk maze

Have two or more kids? Let each of them design a maze and challenge each other to solve them!

Supplies:

• Sidewalk chalk
• Sidewalk or driveway

Directions:

1. Use sidewalk chalk to create mazes for your kids. The more elaborate, the better!
2. Challenge them to complete each other's mazes. Offer a small prize, like a single M&M, each time they finish one.

5. Sidewalk chalk roadway

Kids adore taking their go-carts for spins around the driveway.

Supplies:

• Sidewalk chalk
• Driveway or sidewalk
• Your child's play car or bike

Directions:

1. Together with your child, create a street scene using sidewalk chalk. You can include features like a duck pond, stop signs, traffic lights, and orange cones.

kconcha from Pixabay

6. Paper collage stories

I'm sure my kids will be thrilled with this activity because they enjoy listening to stories and making up their own!

Supplies:

• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Old magazines or catalogs
• Construction paper

Directions:

1. Give your kids old magazines or catalogs and let them cut out images they find interesting.
2. Have them paste the pictures onto construction paper in a creative arrangement that tells a story.
3. Ask them to tell you the story they've created. See how many fun details you both can come up with and how many different stories you can imagine together!

7. Car wash

Who doesn't enjoy soaping up the car and having a blast hosing it down (and each other!)? Let them bring out their own toy cars too. Sit back and relax while they giggle and have fun. Just remember to stay clear of the spray zone!

Supplies:

• Hose
• Bucket
• Soap
• Sponge
• Car

Directions:

1. Head outside and let your child wash the car. You know what to do!

I hope these seven summer fun ideas for worn-out moms keep your kids entertained for hours today — and give you a well-deserved break!