5 Different Ways to Spend A Day with The Kids This Summer
Tampa area parents know a thing or two about spending a sunny summer day outdoors with the kids. Many families choose to head to the beach or spend the day poolside in our area. However, there are so many more activities that you can be doing this summer! Mix up the monotony of summer days by adding in other fun ways to enjoy the outdoors. Check out these 5 different ways to spend a day with the kids this summer:
Sleep Under the Stars
Summer is prime time for camping. While planning a family camping trip can be quite overwhelming, you can easily move the campout to the backyard and have just as much fun. Surprise the kids by telling them about the campout in the morning and watch as they work all day to create the perfect backyard campsite. Give them access to sleeping bags, tents, and outdoor food items that they can cook over a fire pit. If you don’t have a tent, try sleeping on a trampoline or a hammock instead. We do recommend camping out on a night when you don’t have to be at work the next morning, though, as you may not get as much restful sleep as you hoped for.
Take A Family Bike Ride
There are many different bike trails that canvas all over the Tampa area. From paved trails through the city or dirt trails through nature, there is a bike trail for everyone. You can bike in your own neighborhood or load up the bikes to take to a favorite spot like the Riverwalk or the Upper Tampa Bay Trail. If you don’t have a bike for everyone in the family, try asking a neighbor or friend to borrow a bike. Little ones can ride in baby seats or pulled in a trailer. Make sure that everyone has helmets and water bottles to keep the family safe and hydrated. Taking a family bike ride is not only a great way to spend quality time together, but it also gets the entire family moving and active as well.
Make Your Own Earth Day
The actual Earth Day may be in April, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t help out the planet the rest of the year. Consider helping your local neighborhood and environment by taking the kids out to pick up trash for a fun outing. Grab some gloves, trash bags, sunglasses, and bright clothing and head out in your area to pick up as much trash as you can. Talk with your kids beforehand about why picking up trash is important and how many years it would take things to break down if left alone. Make it extra fun by breaking up the family into groups for a friendly competition on who can fill their bag the quickest. Keep road safety in mind with this activity and consider starting in places like the edges of parking lots, parks, or areas with sidewalk access.
Try A New Day Camp
Summers tend to fill up fast with all kinds of camps for your child. While we all know about the sports or academic camps that are popular, consider signing up your child for a new kind of day camp. There are plenty of options in the Tampa area including writing camps, bowling camps, and even musical theater camps. Most camps focus on teaching a skill or new idea to kids and can be a great way for those non-athletic kids to find something they love. Encourage your child to try something new this summer to learn a new skill, have fun with friends, and stay engaged.
Random Acts of Kindness Day
One of the new trends for families to do together is to create a Random Acts of Kindness Day. There are plenty of ideas online about different things to do to help spread kindness through your community. Do some research with the kids and pick out different activities that interest them. Some ways to show a random act of kindness to a stranger is to drop off cupcakes to the local fire station, tape a dollar to a vending machine, or put away carts at the grocery store. Random Acts of Kindness doesn’t have to cost a lot of money and can be an excellent way to encourage your kids to look for ways to show kindness to others.
There are all sorts of ways to spend a summer day in the Tampa area. Think outside the box and try doing a Random Acts of Kindness or Make Your Own Earth Day. Enjoy the outdoors by sleeping out under the stars in a backyard campout or taking a family bike ride together. Discover new kinds of day camps, like the bowling camp at Pin Chasers, for a new twist on day camp fun in the area. Discover something new with these 5 different ways to spend a day with the kids this summer.