What can you do to please the children during the summer holidays? There are plenty of activities to let your children enjoy the beautiful summer weather. They can also discover new things through outdoor activities. Always try to teach your children new games or hobbies. This way, your child can eventually decide for himself what he likes and what he doesn’t like. There are plenty of fun activities for children in nice and warm summer weather. Playing in your own garden is fun and you don’t have to spend extra money. In addition, you have everything at hand at home to be able to respond to unexpected events. Let your children get plenty of exercise. Active children’s activities are the key to a healthy portion of exercise for your child. Some tips for children between 4 and 9 years old will put you on the right track.Children love being able to play outside. / Source: Sasint, Pixabay

School time is over, the summer holidays are here

The summer holidays are approaching. Many parents hope for good weather during the summer period because good weather conditions offer more opportunities to romp outside. Indoor activities are often limited to some board games, television or a game on the tablet. However, hundreds of activities can be done outside, both educational and exercise. A child is happy if he or she can run outside, jump rope, trampoline or simply complete a course on a bicycle. After all, a child needs something to do to get rid of his daily energy.

A lot of exercise is healthy

Sufficient exercise is perhaps the most frequently heard advice for children and adults. A good dose of exercise keeps the body fit and gives a big energy boost. Children also lead sedentary lives. At school they sit at the desks and in the evening the children watch television in their chairs. By encouraging children to play outside, you as a parent also consciously contribute to a healthy lifestyle that focuses on sufficient exercise.

Summer activities for children between 4 and 9 years old: tips for outside in the garden

Ducklings fishing

A very simple activity is duck fishing. Look for a large play shell or a container in which you can collect water. In stores such as Hema or Action you can buy plastic ducks that can float in the water. You can also purchase a small fishing rod in these stores. To allow your children to fully participate, you can also make a fishing rod yourself. Find a piece of branch in the forest or garden and attach a small hook to it. With your self-made fishing rod you can then catch the ducks in the water. Let young children count the ducks themselves so that they learn to count. Always remember that after fishing they have to put away all the ducks themselves and pour the water out of the shell or container. Cleaning up is part of the educational process.

Create an obstacle course in the garden

There’s nothing more fun than an obstacle course in the garden. Create a course with some cones or posts. The children have to walk from cone to cone and then overcome a few obstacles. Along the way, the children can walk through a sandbox or through a bowl of water. They can also play hopscotch or crawl through a play tunnel. You can also turn it into a competition and measure the time with a stopwatch. The one who has the best time gets a big surprise. The losers have to be satisfied with a slightly smaller surprise.

Your own swimming pool in the garden

A swimming pool provides wonderful cooling in the summer. Most children love a swimming pool. Provide yourself with some attributes in the water. Possible attributes include an inflatable crocodile, a watering can or a boat to play with in the water. Your child can even invite friends to come and play in the pool. Don’t forget to sunscreen the children and make sure you have a parasol for sun protection.You can make drawings on stones outside with sidewalk chalk. / Source: McElspeth, Pixabay

Sidewalk chalk: make beautiful drawings on the stone terrace

Making sidewalk chalk is not that difficult at all. Model plaster, water, watercolor and some shapes allow you to make sidewalk chalk very quickly. For example, you can buy sidewalk chalk in a stunt shop. Let your children make all kinds of drawings on the stones of the terrace. For example, you can ask them to draw a sun, house or car. You can then award points to the most beautiful and best drawing. Make sure you let every child win once. The advantage of sidewalk chalk is that you don’t even have to erase these chalk marks. The rain washes the chalk off the stones, making this activity a bonus for parents.

Fill water balloons and throw the full balloons at each other

Fill some balloons with water and throw them at each other. You can also invite friends from the neighborhood for maximum fun. The last person who can catch a balloon without it bursting wins the game.

Picking flowers in the meadow

Take some silver paper at hand and go out to the flower picking meadow. Let your children pick a very varied bouquet of flowers and wrap them with the stem in the silver paper to take them home. At home you can put the flowers in a beautiful vase.

Watching television in the garden

If you have the necessary television facilities (electricity, cable) in your garden, you can consider watching television outside. Choose some nice movies via Netflix or rent some DVDs. Also invite some playmates and treat everyone to soft drinks and popcorn. Make sure you find a spot in the shade so that everyone can see the screen clearly. After a few hours of healthy exercise, children are also entitled to a sedentary and relaxing activity.

Alternatives on a rainy summer day for indoors and outdoors

You can make popsicles at home on a rainy summer day. / Source: Pixel2013, Pixabay

Make your own popsicles

Letting your children make their own ice creams is a fun activity in the summer. Most children also like a cold ice cream to refresh themselves. Popsicles are very easy to make. Whether you prefer sweet or fruity, there are hundreds of varieties of popsicles. You can fill the popsicle molds with different drinks. For children, they are normally filled with orange juice or grenadine. The children can also help make mommy or daddy’s favorite ice cream. After all, there are also combinations with alcohol, if desired. For example, you can make an ice cream with tequila and lime. An example of a sweet popsicle is a popsicle with blueberry, honey and yoghurt. If you like it a bit more sour, you can opt for lemon ice cream. On a rainy day you can make popsicles at home.

Selling jam from door to door

There is nothing more fun than making your own jam from fresh strawberries, raspberries or other red fruit. You can store the jam in glass jars. The children can then make a drawing on the glass jars. The children can also sell this jam door to door, so they can earn a little pocket money. You can also give them away for free to your neighbors. Go door to door on a drizzly day. On a sunny day, the neighbors are more likely to be away from home. If the children are still too small, you as a parent will of course go along. Also check that the neighbors are open to such initiatives.