4 Fun Summer Activities to Keep Your Kids Active and Engaged – The smarT Head Start – smarTrike Blog

4 Fun Summer Activities to Keep Your Kids Active and Engaged

Tatiana Kopyrina - Writer for smarTrike
By Tatiana Kopyrina
Kelly Hendrickse - Editor for smarTrike
Edited by Kelly Hendrickse

Published July 16, 2023.

A father and child enjoying pool time with floating objects.

With summer comes a delightful time for outdoor play and fun. Making a summer bucket list is a great strategy to keep your kids interested and build a sense of anticipation. This can also help your children stay healthy since research shows that British school kids are losing 80% of their fitness due to inactivity during the summer holidays.

A list with various activities will not only curb boredom and offer hours of active entertainment but can also be enjoyed by the entire family. This can maximize physical activity behaviour.

4 Fun Summer Activities for Your Kids

Here are ways to provide your children with amazing experiences that keep them entertained throughout the summer:

  1. Exercise games
  2. Pool activities
  3. Indoor games
  4. Stroller trike rides

1. Exercise Games

The greatest approach to engage in physical activities for kids is through exercise games. Here are some fun ways to stay active:

  • Hopscotch: This classic game is a fun physical activity for elementary students to enjoy that helps develop and test fine motor skills. Hopping to the square with an object, stopping, and bending over requires muscle control and coordination.
  • Scavenger hunt: This is a fun physical activity to do alone or with friends. Hiding objects in your backyard or a park and guiding your kids through it with clues can help improve observational skills and encourage collaboration.
  • Water-gun fight: Beat the heat with this summer exercise idea. It's a pleasant way to cool down while participating in active play. Children can enjoy this playful combat with friends or even parents.
  • Tag: As fun exercise games for kids go, tag is simple. Kids can stay moving, make new friends, and practise following rules.

» Want to know more? Learn how summer adventures boost child development

2. Pool Activities

Swimming on the beach or in a pool is an effective way to stay cool. Plus, kids can use their imagination with pretend play. For example, by using plastic or floating toys—like a bucket or pool ring—in the water without focusing on these objects' direct purposes. It is critical to prioritise safety by regularly observing the kids and taking essential precautions.

Some areas of learning that this helps with are:

  • Water safety through learning to swim
  • Social skills
  • Mathematical concepts, like volume
  • Scientific concepts, like motion

Tip: Using a kiddie pool as an adaptable, easy-to-clean alternative can also function as a sandbox. Be sure to keep the pool in a shaded area to help protect your children from overexposure to the sun.

3. Indoor Games

When the sun is searing and temperatures are climbing on particularly hot summer days, it's advisable to stay inside where it's cool and safe.

Here are some fun indoor activities that can keep kids happy and involved while offering a welcome break from the heat:

  • Painting: This allows children's imaginations to bloom since they can experiment with colours, shapes, and textures.
  • Dance party: Dancing is one of the more energetic active inside games to keep kids busy. It helps improve coordination and rhythm.
  • Plasticine: Using plasticine can encourage children's sculpting abilities and creativity to construct infinite shapes, figures, and objects. This flexible modelling substance promotes fine motor skills development and increases hand and finger strength.
  • Jenga: Players take turns removing blocks from a 54-block tower without collapsing it. This is a physical skill game that helps develop hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking.

4. Stroller Trike Ride

Stroller trike rides provide parents with a handy and safe form of transportation for their kids. And the SmarTrike x Kelly Anna stroller trike is a wonderful option for your child to start a summer adventure and assist with motor skill development.

This stroller trike offers features such as:

  • Parent and child steering mode so your child can take control as they grow
  • Comfy leg rest
  • Shock absorbers
  • Sun canopy
  • Compact and foldable, making it easy to store or travel with

» Check out these outdoor summer activities for toddlers and parents

Make Summer Fun and Engaging

Summer gives your child tons of time to explore new things. To keep your child engaged, ensure there's a variety of games to enjoy. From basking in the sun while doing pool activities to upbeat dance parties in the cool indoors, your child can learn new skills—like coordination and social interactions—and stay active. You can even get involved with them during scavenger hunts or stroller trike rides.

With hours' worth of activities and games to enjoy, you can make this summer one filled with cherished memories and joyful experiences for the whole family.

smarTrike x Kelly Anna STR7 Stroller Trike

4.8/5(101 reviews)