School’s out, and the summer season is finally here– and there’s no doubt in our minds that the kids will be suffering from some serious cabin fever from spending months at home. And if you add the possibility of no summer camp twice in a row? Yep, cue in even more tears– from both kids AND parents!
While it’s true that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is well underway, and many areas have started to ease up on restrictions, it always pays to be extra careful, especially if it’s about our kids’ health and safety. So, instead of watching them sulk for weeks from missing out on that classic camp experience yet again, ease the potential pain by rounding up some tried-and-true camp activities and tweak them so they can work at home all summer long!
Here are nine cool kiddie camp activities you can try with the kids at home:
Try a nature scavenger hunt
Summer is truly the perfect season to explore nature with the kiddos, whether it’s at a local park or even just outside your backyard! Go on a nature scavenger hunt with the kids– bring a jar with holes poked in the lid and watch them collect bugs and other bits of nature. Just be sure to watch out for ticks! If you’re not too keen on insects, then go bird watching or do the basic nature walk instead.
Tie-dye some shirts
If you’re a true blue summer camper, you’ll know that every camp kid looks forward to tie-dyed T-shirt day! Tie-dye is a great activity to help kids express their innate creativity and is one of the well-loved classic camp to-do’s! Don’t forget to do this project outside with rubber gloves and aprons!
Host a water olympics
It’s summer, ladies, and gents, so cool off with some water games! Water games are always part of any summer camp, and as a bonus, they help kids feel refreshed during the dog days of summer! Plan a fun afternoon of water Olympics with backyard water games like water limbo, water spray freeze tag, or any exciting game you can think of that involves water! You can also create an outdoor obstacle course using things like water balloons, buckets of ice water, your sprinkler, and anything else that can get kids good and soggy!
Pile up on classic summertime reads
Rainy days may be the perfect time to hit the bunk with a good read, but no one ever said you can’t do it during summertime, too! Encourage your child to fill up his summer reading chart with a stockpile of classic summertime reads, and let him look for new genres that pique his interest!
Plan a fun ice cream social
Do you remember your first day of camp? While you may not recall all the fun things you talked about with your fellow campers, we’re pretty sure you remember the delicious ice cream you had! And since the traditional summer camp experience almost always starts with an ice cream social to help the kids make new friends, plan one of your own at home! Make homemade ice cream with your kids– or buy ice cream and delicious toppings– and invite the neighborhood kids to play and mingle! You can also serve a lighter summery snack with some homemade popsicles or watermelon!
Share stories via walkie-talkie
Do you want your kids to have the ultimate camp experience– pandemic edition? Buy pairs of walkie-talkies with a decent range, and have your kids and their neighborhood friends pair up and share ghost stories over bedtime! These scary stories will introduce them to a time-honored summer camp tradition without the liability of having to drive to pick up a creeped-out camper at 3 a.m.
Throw a living room campout
Having a shared space is a sure-fire way to bond, and if you’re planning on bunk-living in spirit, then consider piling the family into the living room for a campout! Put out the sleeping bags for the night, watch your favorite movies, and stuff yourselves with snacks– it’s going to be an unforgettable experience for the whole fam, for sure!
Encourage them to try journaling or scrapbooking
Every camper keeps a journal or writes to their parents to record their latest summer camp adventures. So, even if your kids aren’t going to camp this year, encourage them to sketch and write about their summer days. How was the weather? What did they do? Did they see any cool animals or clouds? Did they miss school or friends who are away for the summer? You can take it a step further and encourage them to create a summer scrapbook!
Build small teams for Field Day
Get those potato sacks and the tug-of-war rope out and see which side is stronger– Mom’s or Dad’s! Camp is always about friendly competition, so build small teams within the family and set them up for some good old field games. We may be used to playing them on wide-open fields, but many are easily translated to small scale for your backyard. Some classic favorites are pool noodle baseball—done with a pool noodle and beach ball—horseshoes, and relay races, like Balloon Pop Relay and Car Wash Relay!
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School’s out🏫, and the summer season🌞 is finally here– and if you’re thinking of letting your kids🙇♀️🙇 miss summer camp this year, then check out these fun kiddie camp activities😍 you can do at home!🏠
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Virtual Assistants at VACS International 
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