debbie phillips

– By Debbie Phillips

It can be quite frustrating when your kids come home from school, or finally get a spring or summer break, and all they want to do is sit in front of a television or computer screen all day. When most adults think back to their childhood, they cannot remember spending a single summer day indoors unless there was practically a hurricane on the horizon. With problems such as childhood obesity and diabetes on the rise, how do we get kids up, moving, and active again?

Fortunately, all hope is not lost. There are a few fun ways that you can motivate your kids to spend their time productively, socialize, play, and stay active during their time at home, and it can all be done easily on a very inexpensive budget as well. The key is to introduce new hobbies and ideas for the children, and encourage them to try new experiences at least one time. They might be surprised at how much fun there is to be had away from video games and the Internet.

Here are some fun activities to try with your kids:

Start a Family Garden

Starting a garden with your kids takes can bring so many wonderful benefits to your family. It not only gets the kids out of the house and enjoying nature, but it also teaches them about biology and nutrition. Planting a garden can also help get your children eating healthier. You are certainly not alone if you have kids that do not want to eat or try new fruits or vegetables. However, when kids grow their own vegetables, they are more likely to be willing to try the foods and enjoy them. Growing your own vegetables is a very inexpensive way to entertain the family, and bring some great tasting fresh and nutritious produce to your meal times.

Start a Book Club

Most children have summer reading lists to get through over the summer. Is your child one that waits until the last week of summer vacation to finish the required reading? Even if your kids do not have to read specific books over the summer, a book club is a great way for them to keep their minds active, and socialize with other kids while away from school. If you ask around, there are probably plenty of other mothers that would love to start this club with you. The kids can get together, talk about what they’ve read, if they are very young, you can read to them, and then follow the meeting with play time including a game or sport of some kind.

Organize a Field Day

Who says you need to wait on a school or church to organize a field day? There are plenty of other mothers in your area looking for ways to keep their kids active. If you are willing to host a day of games, competitions, races, and other fun activities, you will find that other families are also willing and eager to help support your idea. You can turn the event into a major block party and have each mother bring a few supplies or snacks.

Encourage Your Kids To Keep Learning

School isn’t the only place where your kids can learn valuable lessons. During their time at home, encourage your kids to try to learn a new skill in which they are interested. This can be learning a new craft, playing an instrument, learning a language, or learning to cook. Find something that the child is genuinely interested in so that the process is not only educational, but also fun and entertaining. It can be a great bonding experience if you find a skill that you both would like to learn together.

Debbie Phillips enjoys writing about ideas to help stay at home moms from saving money to keeping the kids busy at FreeStuffandSamples.com.