We’ve still got a month of summer fun, but I’m sure there are days where you wish school was back in session. Here are some fun activities designed for kids who are reading age and older. The idea is for them to stay engaged independent of much adult intervention, but if you’re feeling inspired, they are also great activities to enjoy together.
- Choose a story from your favourite book of myths, fairy tales, or folk tales and create a play to tell this story where you perform as all of the characters! Use music, musical instruments, dance or cirque as part of the play. Raid the dress up bin for costumes and props. Choose a day to present the play to family and friends, either indoors or out, depending on the weather. Create invitations and deliver them by hand or by mail.
- Choose a species of local butterfly or insect to research at your neighbourhood library . Using craft supplies, create some butterfly or insect specimens and build a habitat from a shoebox. Do a scientific presentation about your species of butterfly or insect one night after dinner for your family.
- With a grown up choose a day to help them plan and make dinner, including a dessert. Before the day of the dinner, decide on the menu together, get groceries, and create invitations. Plan a beautiful table setting and make some decorations. On the day of the dinner have the grown up teach you how to cook the meal. The other grownups can do all of the clean up that night.
- On a non-rainy day, use your sidewalk chalk to transform your driveway into a city street. Include shops, offices, banks, and other places to stop and see. Use your bicycles to tour through the city, pretending you’re on motorcycles. Make sure you wear a helmet!
- Choose two of your friends who you are missing most and write each of them a letter that includes a drawing of what your summer has been like so far. Ask your parents to help you get your friends’ mailing addresses.
Make sure you take photos of your munchkins hard at work on their projects!