Summertime provides a great opportunity for families to get together and enjoy outdoor fun. Your family can create fun activities and games that they can play together. Turn your backyard into a water park, a football field, or soccer stadium, all while using things that you have lying around the home. The following are a few fun activities to get your family excited about summer.
Soda Bottle Bowling
Don’t want to spend money taking your children to the bowling alley? Get a few empty soda bottles, line them up in your backyard in the shape of a triangle, and make your own outdoor bowling alley. You can make the project even more fun by painting the outside of the bottles and putting numbers on them. Or you can take photographs of your family and stick them inside the soda bottles. Do you want to enjoy a summer night with your family? Throw glow sticks inside the soda bottles and have the time of your life.
Go for a Hike
Unless you are visiting a national park, you can enjoy the beauty of nature for free. Most communities have hiking trails that are well groomed and monitored for safety. A quick search online will point out some of them. Many hiking trails are rated for difficulty. While you are on the trail, take the time to enjoy the beauty of the nature around you. Many families find that nature hikes are a great time to talk about their concerns, worries, and build a strong family bond.
Listen to Music Outdoors
One of the great things about summer is that it allows creative individuals to turn large open spaces into comfortable locations for people to gather. Most cities have free outdoor events, such as concerts or movie screenings. Make a night out of it by preparing a picnic meal as a family. Pack up delicious snacks, cold beverages, chairs, and blankets and enjoy each other’s company while listening to fun music or watching something entertaining.
Go to the Beach
Going to the beach is another awesome way for families to enjoy each other’s company and to enjoy nature without paying a dime. If you live by the ocean, walking on the beach will allow you and your family to enjoy wildlife, relax in the warm sand, and splash around in the rolling waves. If there is no ocean nearby, a lake or a pond offers a great way to enjoy the tranquility of gently rolling water, the greenery that usually surrounds the lake, and a variety of wildlife.
Gaze at the Stars
Although the stars are out all year round, in most places, cold winter weather means that you can only look at them through a glass window. During summer months, you and your family can lay in the backyard or breakout the telescope and gaze at the stars. Buy a star chart, or download a free or inexpensive app to make identifying the stars easier. You will be amazed at the way the sky changes throughout the night as the stars roll by. Getting a little fresh air before going to bed is a great precursor to a good night’s sleep.
Go Horseback Riding
Adults and kids love horseback riding. Horseback riding allows you to explore the terrain from a perspective that most people do not usually have. Many horse parks embrace years of equestrian history and equestrian traditions. Horseback riding takes a little patience and commitment. However, as parents and children alike gain confidence on the horse, their joy increases. Even a short horseback ride can lead to a child building a bond with the horse that will last a long time.
It seems like just as fast the summer comes, it disappears. Families should take advantage of the summer by spending as much quality time together as possible. Whether it’s riding a horse, enjoying an ice cream cone on the beach, seeing an outdoor concert, or just stargazing, make this summer one that the whole family will never forget.