School’s out recently. And just like that, summer is here.
For a lot of families, that means schedules loosen up, the kids are home more, and there’s actually a window of time that doesn’t come around all year… unstructured, unhurried time with your kids.
The question is, what are you going to do with it?
A number of years back, the Lord blessed our family with a home on 2.5 acres out in the country. And some of my favorite parenting moments have happened right there in that backyard. Football games. Basketball in the driveway. A zip line the boys still talk about. Forts. Burn piles. All of it.
Back then, my kids were young and loud and always underfoot, begging me to play or build something or get the burn pile going. And honestly? There were plenty of nights I was tired. Plenty of evenings I had a long list of things I needed to get done. Plenty of moments I almost said “not tonight.”
But I’m glad I didn’t. Most of those times, anyway.
Some of my kids are grown now, married, with kids of their own. And when they come home to visit, they walk through that backyard and the stories start flowing. They remember exactly where things happened. The memories live in the ground out there. And those moments cost me nothing but time… time, I almost gave to something else.
I think about my own grandparents’ house the same way, playing catch with Grandpa in the driveway, Yahtzee with Grandma at the kitchen table, powdered donuts and a tall glass of milk with every visit. I can still see exactly where all of it happened. Those memories live in that house.
I want that for all of my kids. And I’m guessing you do too.
So this summer, before the busyness creeps back in and the calendar fills up again, intentionally get outside with your kids. Do the extra things. Put your phone down. Say yes when they ask you to play. Let the list wait.
You don’t need a 2.5 acre spread or a special plan to do it. You just need to show up while they still want you to.
How could you fill your backyard with memories this summer? I think that one day you’ll learn, like I have, that your future adult kids will thank you for it.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” -Dr. Seuss
If you need some creative inspiration, here are some fun ideas…
Summer Home Activities with Kids
Basic Outdoor Fun
- Water balloon fights or water gun battles
- Sprinkler jumping and splash pad play
- Sidewalk chalk art
- Backyard picnic or campfire s’mores
- Bike riding or scooter races
- Bubble blowing contests
- Jump rope or hopscotch
Creative & Unique
- Create an outdoor movie night (projector on a sheet)
- DIY obstacle course with items around the house
- Make a nature scavenger hunt list
- Create a sidewalk lemonade stand
- Make homemade ice cream or popsicles
- Set up a backyard treasure hunt with a map
- Paint rocks and hide them around the yard or neighborhood
- Chalk paint a mural on a fence or old wood
- Set up an outdoor “camping” night with a blanket fort or tent in the backyard
- Create a nature collage with leaves, twigs, flowers
