Spring is in full swing, and Memorial Day is right around the corner. In any other year, many of us would be planning fun summer activities like neighborhood barbecues and vacations. But new safety and financial concerns mean many of us will be staying home this summer.
We want to help you and your family make the most of the months ahead. Check out these low-cost tips to help you make this summer a great one. No travel required.
- Make Learning Fun
Older kids may have summer reading lists or other school-related activities, but younger children will benefit from ongoing education and structure too.
Make a goal of sitting down with your child and learning about one new subject each day. From explaining how fireflies glow to showing how breakfast cereal is made, the internet is full of great resources to help you and your kids explore any area of curiosity.
Be sure to visit your local library – virtually, at least. Many libraries offer access to a wealth of online content like e-books, audio books, and movies. Make a point of reading with your child every day.
- Get Creative in the Kitchen
The kitchen can be a great place to find fun summer activities for kids. Try out some new, kid-friendly recipes you can make together. It's easy to make summertime staples like snow cones, popsicles, or stovetop s’mores.
Instead of spending money on new toys and games, make your own play dough or kinetic sand using everyday ingredients.
- Explore the Great (Local) Outdoors
Right now, staying active and taking time to enjoy nature couldn’t be more important. You don’t have to go far for summer fun.
- Go for a nature walk or hike around the neighborhood.
- Create a backyard scavenger hunt.
- Get creative with sidewalk chalk – it’s one great way that many people have been connecting and sharing some positivity with their neighbors.
- Start a flower or vegetable garden. Younger children will have fun painting rocks and placing them in the garden to make it their own.
- Set up the lawn sprinkler for the kids or organize a water balloon fight.
- Help Out
Have you been meaning to declutter your home? You and your kids can turn organizing and getting rid of clutter into a contest. Everyone will appreciate the extra space to move around.
Also, take time to call or video chat with friends and family, especially those who live alone. Right now, simply reaching out is a great way to help others, and you (and they) will be glad you did.
You can also look into opportunities for "virtual volunteering" on sites like VolunteerMatch to lend your time and skills to a worthy cause.
- Plan Family Time
Make a point of scheduling special “events” for the family to spend time on a shared activity. Learn a new card game, dust off an old board game, work on a jigsaw puzzle, or make some popcorn and have a family movie night.
Got a yard? Got a tent? If you have young kids, take advantage of that classic summer activity: the backyard campout!
- Boost Your Kids' Money Skills
Take this opportunity to plan some financial literacy activities for kids at home. Here are some great money games you can put together with the most basic materials to teach young kids how to identify types of money, count coins, and learn the basics of saving and budgeting.
Has your child been stashing away loose change in a piggy bank? Maybe it’s a good time to help them count it. Seeing how much they’ve earned so far could inspire them to keep saving.
As an alternative to the usual video games, find an online game or app that teaches money and math concepts, such as World of Cents for ages 5 and up. For older kids, there are lots of great board games that put money management skills into practice, like Monopoly, the Game of Life, and Payday.
Supporting Financial Wellness for the Whole Family
Now could be the perfect time to help your child start saving with their very first account. Here at Dover Federal Credit Union, it’s easy to open our Kids Making Cents youth account for children up to 12 or our #MyCash Share Account for teens. You and your child can open an account online right now.
