These Quiet Time Summer Fun activities are always a great way to add some creativity into your summer routine, while getting to enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet in the house for yourself, if only for an hour!
I know it may seem crazy, but summer is right around the corner! I know… how can this be possible? Summer is such a fun and carefree time for the kids. There is no school, they get to play in different summer activities that you may sign them up for, someone is always ready to splash in the local pool, and daylight never seems to end. Ahhhh… to be a kid again!
There are times, though, when it’s just time for the kids to settle down a bit and relax from the hectic pace summer can bring. These Quiet Time Summer Fun activities are always a great way to add some creativity into your summer routine, while getting to enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet in the house for yourself, if only for an hour!
Quiet Boxes
Depending on the ages of your kids, quiet boxes have always been a big hit in our house. We actually just took a few of our quiet boxes with us on vacation and they worked out PERFECTLY for the car rides, along with getting in some quiet time before bed.
Quiet boxes can range from coloring items to books and BabesAndKidsReview.com totally nails it with daily boxes assigned with specific quiet activities for the days of the week. I love the idea of filling each box with different quiet time activities like puzzles, crafts, games, and toys. We do a bit of a hodgepodge in our quiet boxes that will satisfy both of our kids, but this Mom has boxes for each day, for each child! LOVE!
If you have smaller children or toddlers, think about filling your quiet boxes with different board books, small plush animals, or a toy that promotes fine motor skills. Here are a few other ideas for items you can add into your quiet boxes:
- Lincoln Logs
- Magnetic Dolls or Shape Activities
- Matchbox cars
- Play Doh
- Clothespins
- Mini Etch A Sketch
Even if you don’t label out specific boxes for the kids by each day of the week, it’s a great idea to have all of these quiet time activities located in one bin that will be your “base camp” for quiet time. Who wants to be running around the house looking for the things that you know you have instead of just opening a tub that will have all of your quiet time activities at your fingertips?!
Another idea is to separate out the quiet time activities into different bins for age groups. This will make things so much easier when you’re trying to alleviate the kids from fighting over each others’ items and will help you keep the small children’s quiet time fun out of the way of your bigger kids.
Seek and Finds
My soon-to-be PreSchooler LOVES printing out the new Seek and Find each week over at LittleBunnySeries.com. She is totally into coloring books right now and besides coloring the pages, she loves looking for the hidden items that are listed. It’s always a fun thing that she is able to do on her own while her big brother is working on his reading, and I love how proud she is of herself when she has completed another page! It’s a great weekly tradition we started and you can always print out as many as you want!
Games
Say what? Doesn’t doing games defeat the purpose of quiet time? Well…it depends on what types of games you do!
PintSizedTreasures.com has some great ideas for games that can be played during quiet time and you don’t even have to find a bunch of supplies in order to play them. Even better! Think Rock, Paper, Scissors or Thumb Wrestling. Oldies but goodies and the kids will get a kick out games they can play easily with Mom and Dad, too!
Bring out a pad of paper and a pencil and start up some tic-tac-toe games for the kids, as well. That was always a favorite of mine as a kid. Another game that is a great way to get those math skills working over the summer is Yahtzee! Just give the kids some pointers on how to best tip their cups full of dice and watch them start counting up the totals they are getting in no time.
There are also tons of wonderful educational apps that the kids love on our iPad, LeapFrog, and Kindle Fire. A couple times a week the kids get about 30-60 minutes to play different approved games that I know are on there, ranging from letter and number recognition to writing tools to help my son better form his letters and read. While these are more of a special treat, they are a great way to promote some quiet time, while also fueling their educational needs! I also love to sit with them while they are working on these apps to make sure they are getting the best understanding of what is being asked of them. I don’t want all of that knowledge my son just gained in kindergarten to go down the tubes over summer vacation! We like to keep his skills sharp!
Lord knows we all need a bit of a break from all of the fun and running around that summer brings. It can wear out kids and adults, alike! I love that the kids still get to be creative and make some DIY projects, or keep up with their learning, while keeping the volume on low for awhile. It’s a win-win for kids and adults and before long, you’ll be back to that busy summer pace that is inevitable. So enjoy the quiet time while it lasts!
What are your go-to summer time activities with the kids that promote some quiet time around the house? Comment below and let us in on your secrets to calming down the household in the summer! 🙂
Leave a Reply