3 Ways to Keep Your Kids from Driving You Crazy this Summer

Summer vacation from school is supposed to be idyllic, but the Norman Rockwell world of lazy days at the swimming hole is long gone.

Now, too many children spend their summers parked in front of a TV, computer, or video-game screen, eating a bad diet and seldom leaving the couch. And if you're "lucky," they'll also complain about being bored!

You can help your kids have a more rewarding summer -- and keep them from driving you crazy -- by helping them set guidelines and goals that will shape their activities while they're out of school.

1. Making Their Own Fun

Kids complain about being bored, but that's often because they're settled into a passive mode, waiting for the world to entertain them. So get them to take action!

• Take a Vacation from Screens - Who says you have to watch TV every day? Summer is a great time for being outdoors and playing hard. Tell the kids you're all going to have much more fun than the TV or the computer can provide -- and then make it happen.
• Write a Family Newspaper - Make the kids responsible for entertaining themselves and the grownups by putting together a "newspaper" of their own stories (fiction or nonfiction) and drawings. Even small children can contribute their crayon masterpieces. You can also try doing this with skits instead.
• Find the Fact of the Day - My family plays a little game every night at the dinner table: the kids try to stump the grownups with facts we don't already know. We have a lot of fun with this, and it guarantees that the children spend time looking through magazines, almanacs, and the like to come up with new ideas.
• Rearrange Their Rooms - When I was growing up, my sister was an ace at this: when she got bored, she would rearrange all the furniture and posters in her room. Helping your kid's do the same is a great way to get them engaged with something that need not cost any money. Bonus: their rooms will be a lot cleaner when you're done!

2. Finding Their New Favorite Books

The greatest antidote to electronic screens is a book you just can't put down. Plus, keeping your kids reading all summer helps them be ready when school resumes in the fall.

• Get Expert Recommendations - There are a lot of great blogs and newsletters devoted to books for children. One great place to start is the "Recommended Books" page from The Horn Book magazine, which is devoted to children's literature.
• Become Library Addicts - A public library is like a hospital for treating children's boredom. Get the kids their own library cards and make a trip once a week. Except for grown-up books that have obviously inappropriate content, don't worry about what the kids choose to read. If the eight-year-old boy wants to read 30 books in a row about venomous snakes, so be it -- at least he's reading.
• Read the Book before You See the Movie - Summertime movies can be a lot of fun, but they're even better if the kids have read the book from which a movie is made. It's particularly fun (and secretly educational!) when the children explain the ways that the movie didn't get the story "right."

3. Earning Their Own Money

There's a lot more to say on the subject of educating children about money, but here are a few places to start:

• Assign Chores - I think we should go back to the Norman Rockwell world on this one. Children should have age-appropriate responsibilities around the house, whether that means taking out the trash, keeping their rooms (moderately) clean, or helping fold the laundry. Establish a system that pays a regular allowance in return for keeping up with chores.
• Set Up Savings Accounts - If you haven't already, open accounts for your kids at the bank, and have the children write down savings goals for the summer. A teenager might make hundreds of dollars cutting grass or babysitting, but even a grammar-schooler could pile up $50 from birthday money or a weekly allowance.
• Donate Matching Funds - As an extra encouragement to save money, reward your kids with a bonus when they reach their savings goals. To the fourth-grader who manages to save $50 over the summer, the extra $25 you put in as a bonus will seem like a real windfall.

If these ideas don't fit with your family's needs, use your imagination to come up with something even better. The point is to give your children some structure to their days, while also allowing them to enjoy the freedom of summer.

What will you do to keep your kids active this summer?

PREVIOUS ARTICLES:

• Educating Your Children about Money, Part Two: Guidelines
• Supersize your Summer
• Lengthen Your Attention Span by Reading Books

Tim Walker

Tim is a writer, marketer, and social media pro living in Austin. He joined CareOne's blogging team as a contributing writer for the Life Balance blog in 2009. As a blogger who has personally overcome debt challenges, he draws from his own experience to provide tips on living a balanced life and keeping fit. You can read more of his thoughts (on fitness and everything else) at his personal blog, What I've Learned So Far. Compensated Blogger for CareOne Debt Relief Services.

Follow Tim on Twitter; @Twalk or follow us by clicking here!

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