Joining your kids in activities during the summer or anytime school is out is a great way for you to develop healthier, happier relationships with them and create lasting memories for them.

The following are some ideas of great things you can do with your kids when they're out of school to keep the boredom at bay.

Crafts
Kids love to make crafts and create things, so it's not a bad idea to keep some craft items around the house to pull out when the kids can't play outside or want something fun and creative to do. Inexpensive acrylic paints, cardstock, craft eyes, and scraps of fabric, flowers, glitter, and other items are great for doing crafts. Check out a few crafting for kids books from the library for ideas of projects.

Indoor "camping"
Let the kids have a campout indoors! Set up a small tent, if you have one (make sure it is clean and there are no bugs), then give them flashlights and have a "picnic" in the tent with hot dogs and S'mores cooked on the stove. You can even teach them campfire songs.

Trip to the park
Let the kids work off their energy by taking them to a local park or playground. If there is water or a pond nearby, bring some bread and let them feed the ducks. You can also bring a picnic to the park and eat on blankets.

Backyard games
The backyard is a great place to fight boredom. The following are some ideas of things you can do with the kids (weather permitting):

• Tag. There are all sorts of variations of the classic game tag-regular tag, freeze tag, and others. All are great exercise for you and the kids and will help to expend energy.


• Sidewalk chalk. It rinses off easily and is fun for kids to write and draw on the sidewalk or concrete with. You can even show them how to play hopscotch or other games.


• Sprinklers. If the weather is warm, simply hook up a sprinkler to your hose and let the kids run wild. It will keep them entertained for hours.


• Gardening. Get some seeds and let your kids plant flowers or herbs in pots or in a small portion of the yard. Kids will have fun watering them, caring for them, and watching them grow.

Cooking
Kids will enjoy making and eating their own creations in the kitchen as they help you make easy things, like cookies or sandwiches. It's a great time to teach about measurements and math as well. Check your library or the internet for some kid-friendly recipes.

Play groups
Talk with other parents in your neighborhood or from you kids' school classes and try to organize play groups once a week or so. Have a different parent host it each week. Kids will love going to different places to play each week, and parents will get a break as well.

Keeping your kids entertained when they're home all day from school doesn't have to be hard. These are just a few things you can do with your kids to keep boredom at bay when school is out.