Here’s a good way to keep children entertained throughout the summer. Pick up an index card file box, an accordion file, or even a binder, and make tabs for each day of the month. Fill each day with index cards or pages marked with activities and craft projects to do throughout the day.
Your child can switch projects from one day to another day’s slot, if there doesn’t happen to be enough time that day, or if he or she peeked ahead and found something that sounds more interesting.
You can add all kinds of activities, making several cards or pages for each day or just list one craft. If you choose to add lots of entries, start with something simple, such as coloring, which your child can do on his or her own then work up to a project that the two of you can work on together. Mix it up so that some of your child’s time is spent doing things with you, while other times are spent keeping him or herself busy while you attend to chores or work.
If you use an accordion file or a binder, you can print off all kinds of fun stuff to do from the internet (including stuff posted in this blog… wink, wink). Print off instructions for crafts, games, puzzles, coloring and activity pages, and perhaps some educational pages.
If you have started teaching your child a new skill such as typing or American Sign Language, add a card or page that designates time to practice the new skill a few times each week. You can also sneak in a couple of special notes for your child.
When bored, your child can find something fun to do at his or her fingertips. The first project can be helping your organize the file and then decorating and personalizing the container.