It’s that time of year again! Summertime—the carefree days of pool splashing, popsicle eating and sleeping in.
At least for the kids.
Not so much for the parents, right?
Usually moms are the ones washing swimming suits, buying popsicles, and constantly wiping up puddles of water and dried grass from the floors. And what about the piles of sidewalk chalk and sandbox toys that have taken the place of backpacks and school books? It’s enough to make even the most patient mom long for that big yellow bus.
Let’s be honest. Getting the kids outside is a good thing, especially if their natural inclination is to sit around playing video games all day while eating junk food. But encouraging outdoor activity is also a lot more work than handing over the game controls.
With a little planning and prep, you can encourage your kids to go outside and create a system that will ultimately save time and energy for mom.
“Mom, I’m Hungry!”
Fueling up those hard-playing days often takes a lot of snacks. To ward off the question, “What can we eat?” you may want to consider labeled snack bins for both the pantry and the refrigerator. That way, mom-approved snacks will be ready for them to grab (and maybe even eat outside) without a lot of hassle.
When unloading groceries from the car, divvy up the snacks into appropriate bins. You may even want to label these according to house rules. (For example, when I was a kid, we were allowed one can of soda per day.) That way, when they’re hungry, they know what they can grab to eat without the same old “I told you — no more potato chips” argument.
Don’t forget to include some healthy treats for the freezer. I love these frozen ice pops, because you can feed an old favorite to your kids without guilt.
“I’m Bored!”
Fun Stations are bins filled with outdoor activities for kids based on their interests. They can easily be stored in the garage or the back patio. Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and other outdoor favorites can get messy and take up the entire house, if we let it. But a big bin you can grab and set outside enables them to choose which outdoor activities to indulge in without a lot of in and out.
Other Fun Stations that you may want to separate into their own bins (to contain water or sand messes):
Water toys
Sand toys
Balls
Sports activities
And the best part? All of that outdoor fun goes back into the bin for the night, ready for another sunshiny day.
Pro parent tip: periodically replace or add fun items to keep kids interested in their Fun Station bins throughout the summer.
“I can’t find my…”
During the summertime, when kids live at the swimming pool (or play nonstop with water toys in their friends’ backyards), moms can save their sanity by keeping a day’s supply of water gear in a dedicated swimming bag. You could include toiletries, a swimming suit, cover up, sunscreen, water bottle, swim passes, sunglasses, sun hat and beach towel.
If you take your kids hiking often, you can save a lot of time by having a hiking backpack ready to go whenever you are. Include a water bottle, small first aid kit, binoculars, compass, bug spray, and sunscreen. You may even want to include a book for identifying plants or birds. Summer is a break from school, but you never stop learning, right?
“I spilled glitter! And other things you never want to hear your kids say.”
Have you banned glitter from your home? Does the thought of cleaning up one more glue mess make your heart palpitate? (I can’t be the only one!)
Summer is a great time for crafts outdoors. Create a bin with all the messy stuff that makes you sprout gray hairs whenever you see it out on your dining table. If you have a craft area designated outside, your kids can glue, glitter and paint to their heart’s content and all you need to do is supply a smock to protect their clothes. Or they can make gorgeous jewelry out of all of those maddeningly tiny beads and you won’t have to vacuum them out of the carpet.
It’s a win-win! Kids get to create staggering works of art in the great outdoors and mom has minimal mess.
Messy Marvin Strikes Again
Most of us have encountered the trail of soggy towels, goggles, and swimsuits through the house after a day at the pool. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent searching for missing items to (hopefully) load into the washing machine before they stunk of mold.
You can prevent the trail of tears (er…soggy swimming attire) by creating a hanging place for wet towels and suits. Whether it’s a bona fide clothes line in your back yard or some hooks near the entryway of your house, your kids will have a place to hang all the wet things, and you’ll save yourself time by not having to search through the house to find them.
A bin by the door for flip flops and other wet, messy shoes can prevent a lot of floor cleaning too. As a bonus, everyone will be able to get into the car at the appointed time without having to search for something to put on their feet.
Nature Calls
Spending time outside improves kids’ health and their imaginations. Summertime is the perfect opportunity for them to explore, dream and try new adventures. It gives them a chance to focus on what they were created for and seek their Creator.
In her new book, This Outside Life: Finding God in the Heart of Nature, Laurie Otsby Kehler encourages us all to seek connections with our Creator and other people. She says, “Why are we so afraid? Why do we settle for reading about, talking about, but not stepping into our own adventures of faith?” Laurie’s new book is perfect for summer reading. And with a little planning and prep for your kids, you’ll have more time to spend turning pages while sitting by the pool. And who knows? You might even have time for a water war or an outdoor finger-painting session with your little adventurers.
Comment below for the opportunity to win! We will be giving away one Grand Prize Package- A copy of This Outside Life, a Sling Backpack, compact binoculars, and a reusable water bottle. Five Runner Ups will win a copy of This Outside Life.
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Hey! Before I went on my walk this morning, I selected this episode from my list of downloaded episodes, not even reading the description—just loved the title idea. Great podcast! Made even better because I was outside walking! The 3 ideas+Kathi’s tips were such a blessing! Thank you, both, for taking tome to do this!
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Love these ideas for summer!! I always feel like I’m the only one who wants to be outside from the very first moment it warms up! I can never figure out why the kids want to be inside (messing up the house)!;)
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I love the challenge of doing something you’re already doing, but outside! Thank you for that doable way to spend more time in nature. Can’t wait to read your book!
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I love these wonderful ideas!! I can tell such a difference in my kids’ attitudes when they have played outside!! And I’m going to make time to make a snack bin…great idea!!!
I love the ideas that you shared! I am going to focus this summer on spending more time outside. I hope to make this a daily habit!
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20 minutes a day – so doable. Thanks for the good word
I love the idea of labeled snacks drawers and a conversation about what is allowed and what is not. I think my oldest with you all day on the couch if I let her.
Great ideas! I like the idea of having a hiking bag already packed and moving the messy crafts outside!
Love the truths in this book and can’t wait to use them with my grandkids. They do not get outside nearly as much as we used to with their parents in their growing up years. Technology is killing a sense of adventure in the next generation.
Thank you for the tips!
I love this! We are trying new things this summer to promote outdoor living for our entire family. Can’t wait to see what is in this book and then share it with my mom squad!
Love the fun stations bins idea!
I love that its is as easy as having a bird feeder! I have potted vegetables this year and am now taking a moment to enjoy watering them.
Thank you for your interview!
Lisa
Love the idea of dedicated bags for swimming, etc. We spent 5 minutes this morning searching for a lost pair of goggles.
I love the bin idea. We live in an apartment so my kids don’t get as much outside time as I’d like. I can see the difference in their behavior when they get outside time.
Thank you so much for this!! I always feel like I could be doing more to be outside since we live right by a lake! But if I sit and think, we really are outside a lot. I started noticing hawks in trees, on light posts and on telephone wires while on road trips and realized that seeing them makes me really happy. Now I have binoculars by my back door and have a nice patio to sit on and watch them as they fly over our yard. I’ve seen a bald eagle, osprey, blue birds, Orioles, scissor tails, pelicans, seagulls, cormorants, and other water fowl blessing us with their presence too. I’ve learned to listen to the blue jays and mockingbirds as they will cause quite a raucous when birds of prey are around. We also have little cottontail rabbits that visit our yard. I have 3 little boys and they love to catch bugs and frogs in the yard too. We have a pool and sometimes find little frogs and pencil snakes caught in the water. The boys and I were watching a pencil snake slurp an earthworm up like spaghetti! Gross but fascinating! We have raspberries, peaches and herbs growing free in our yard and I love that the kids will eat it if they pick it! Once when my middle child had an ulcer we remembered that sorrel is a home remedy. So he picked it right out of the pot and chewed on it! Then we all grabbed a piece to chew. Not too bad!! Anyway, I love nature and I can’t wait to visit Port Aransas next week to go to the beach! We will hunt crabs at night, catch seaweed and shake it out to see what we find hidden inside and watch the birds of course. Have a wonderful day!!
I have been trying hard this year to find a better balance between the indoor chores constantly calling my name and getting outside with my 3 little kids. It has been worth it! I just love hearing my kids shout, “Mom come here! Look!” when they find a grasshopper, frog, or unknown bug in our favorite neighborhood nature spots. The joy of discovering amazing things in God’s creation is so often lost in the cares of life as we grow older — but I’m rediscovering it along with my little ones!
Thank you for the reminder to get outdoors. Dr. said to get out and walk but it’s hard to do. I’ll try to refocus my thought to do this.
Wonderful ideas!
Thank you for the tips! One of the best things about getting the kids outside is that their outside messes seem smaller than their inside ones. That’s easily worth the work of prepping for a day out with them!
Great podcast and great reminders to get outside. Loved when you said if God can make and handle all of nature he can handle my needs too.
Love threes tips for doing what I want to do anyway!
Thank you for the great ideas.
Thank you the great ideas!! ?
Loved this podcast! Great ideas!
Isn’t it true going out in nature connects us with our creator and I love what our senses take in the vastness of His Love and how it can calm our innermost being and reset our mind
My kids are almost all out of the house but so many tips here I wish I had thought of when they were small- so- I’m passing them to all my daughters and daughters in law with toddlers and small children
Thanks
These are som amazing tips. ?
It would be great to win
I love the summer time and outdoor time with my boys. Our covered back deck becomes a natural staging area for activity bins. We added a hammock that they love to read and cuddle on.
I just had baby number 4 after a bit of a stretch between the kids. (We’ve got 13, 11, 9 and now 3months!!) You couldn’t be more on the target, I have one who is always hu gry, the second always bored, and one little angel who sprinkles a storm of glitter in her wake! I will use these tips to help keep everyone safe, active and entertained all summer long, as it’ll take a little juggling. Thanks for the article 🙂
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Thank you for the tips! I’m going to try the tip for snacks.
There are so many amazing ideas here to try! It’s easy here in Texas to stay inside the air conditioning, especially during the hotter months. Mostly its hard to motivate mom (me) into dragging all the stuff outside to occupy a 6 month old and a preschooler. I’m sure with some of these ideas in play, it’ll be impossible to excuse staying inside with the TV. Thank you!
I love living the outside life! It’s been challenging adapting that life to children with little legs who can only hike short distances. But it’s worth finding those shorter hikes to adventure together. Thanks for all the tips!
Great tips! I’d love to win!
Congratulations! You are one of winners! Please check your email for more information. -Kathi Lipp Team
I’m so glad to know I’m not the only mom who gets exhausted by all the extra tasks that summer activities bring. Thanks for slaying the guilt monster and providing some practical advice to make managing those extra jobs easier.
I live the idea of doing things you already do outside instead of inside.
My crafting and devotion times this summer can be taken out to my back patio.
Thanks for these great tips along with the encouragement to let our children be children and to have fun with them. This book sounds like a good read.