Summer Must Haves!
With temperatures rising down here in the 904, we thought it was only fitting to give y’all our Summer Must Haves to beat this Florida heat and help fight off boredom! Do you need everything on the list? Of course not! Even just a few will help make summer so much more enjoyable without hours of planning and prep.
Pots, pans, bowls and utensils you don't need anymore are great for encouraging messy, outdoor play. But, if you don’t have anything you’re willing to part with, the dollar store has some great mini utensils that are perfect for little hands. This activity offers so many different opportunities for kids to stretch their imagination and get their hands dirty.
Swingsets/Playsets
Community playgrounds are a staple in our books, but sometimes just opening the backdoor to play is pure bliss since you’re just a few steps away from an air conditioned/bug free shelter.
Sensory Tables
These tables are an excellent way for kids to explore with their senses and develop their fine motor skills. Some of the easiest, and most fun, fillers for sensory tables can be found in your pantry. Cheerios, flour, lentils, black beans, and cornstarch are the perfect starters. Adding in some themed objects like dinosaurs, animals or cars, and pairing them with some cups and spoons can lead to hours of fun!
Bounce Houses
These are great for our high energy little ones! We love to put kid friendly exercise songs on while they’re in the bounce houses so they can jump, run, and do all the fun energy exerting activities in a soft, safe environment.
Gardening Gear
When kids dabble in gardening they get to practice locomotor skills, body management skills, and object control skills. Grab a couple of seed packets to go along with them, and your kiddos can observe the life cycle of plants as they watch them grow!
Sandboxes
Not only do sandboxes spark creativity but they can also be developmental power boxes. They help strengthen finger strength and hand muscles, along with improving coordination, which can promote handwriting skills and self-sufficiency skills like buttoning shirts down the road.
Always make sure to dump any water to avoid mosquitos or mold. We also recommend covering sandboxes so animals can’t get in and checking for fire ants or other creepy crawlies before kids get digging. Are creepy crawlies still finding their way in? Add some cinnamon to your sand to repel insects!
Bubbles & Bubble Machines
Bubbles can create so much joy for our little ones. Press the button and the kiddos focus on popping bubbles for ages? Sounds good to us!
Picnic Table
Having a kid sized picnic table can be a great spot for setting up any messy activities or meals. If there's a spill, it’s easily wiped away.
Outside Toys
Having toys designated for outdoor play helps cut down on the amount of dirt getting tracked into the house. Trucks, sand toys, and rocket launchers are all good options, and can be combined with other outdoor activities to extend the fun.
Water Fun!
Water Tables
Similar to sensory tables, water tables are wonderful tools to develop fine motor skills but with an added layer of fun since kids can cool down at the same time. These are great for kids who aren’t fans of pools or splash pads. Water beads and Fish & Go Water toy sets make great additions to your water table.
Splash pad/Sprinklers/Pool/Blow Up Water Slide
These can bring hours of fun and are ideal for the kids with a surplus of energy.
We all know that while water play is so much fun, it can also be dangerous. Make sure to follow all water safety guidelines and keep a close eye on your little ones while they play!
Water Toys
Water balloons and water blasters make great additions to liven up your water play routine.
Indoor Fun!
Art Supplies
Having a variety of craft supplies is ideal for little, creative minds. They can make all sorts of projects which they can use in their independent, imaginative play.
Paint, chalk, slime, glitter, clay or playdough, and jewelry making kits are all great to keep around.
Popsicle Molds
Homemade popsicles offer double the entertainment since kids can enjoy making them and eating them! Fill them with their favorite juice or yogurt and drop in some fresh fruit for a healthy, delicious treat.
Kid Exercise Music/Videos
Search your preferred music streaming services for Children’s Exercise Music. We love to put this playlist on and have our kids circle the living room while listening to the song’s directions. Listening to action songs are great tools to help kids expend energy while they refine their listening skills, improve their balance, bodily control, and their spatial awareness.
Find our favorite Spotify playlist here
Exercise Videos
Youtube has a plethora of kids exercise videos. These are great for getting kids moving when they’re stuck indoors due to summer showers.
We highly recommend:
Miss Linky Videos here
PE Bowman’s Floor is Lava & Dino Dash Videos here
Generation Healthy’s Videos here
But, you can also try searching *insert kids favorite things* Children's Exercise videos to find some videos that will help keep them engaged since they’ll be excited to see their favorite characters on screen.
Parent/Nanny Gear!
We can’t forget y’all. These are some of our favorite items to help you stay cool, hydrated, and organized throughout the summer.
While parks, splash pads, and playdates are great fun, we know it’s not practical to fill up the whole day with activities. With this list, you’ll have a great catalog of things to do throughout your day without piling into a car.
There’s no place like home!
