Summer is in full swing, and with it comes an abundance of opportunities to make memories that your family will cherish for a lifetime. However, many families are hesitant—and rightfully so—to visit the typical summer destinations like theme parks, beaches, and cruises. As more families minimize their social circle and practice physical distancing, it might seem like there aren’t as many options for family fun as there used to be.
But you don’t need all of these things to make memories! We’ve put together a list of creative ways to make the most of your summer with minimal traveling and maximum fun, to help you give your family a summer they’ll never forget.
Skip the Beach
While many families might head to the beach to soak up the sun and splash in the water, consider staying home and enjoying your own backyard swimming pool. Relaxing by the pool or throwing a small pool party with a few close friends is a great way to enjoy the company of people you care about from the comfort of your own backyard.
If you don’t have a pool, consider adding a custom pool to your home’s exterior. A swimming pool significantly raises your home’s value, while giving your family a way to enjoy the warmer months—making it a sound investment that homeowners love, and future buyers will too! Companies like Olympus Pools pool construction Lakeland FL offer high-quality pool design at reasonable costs, as well as other services like water features (like fountains and waterfalls), pool enclosures, and spa and hot tub service.
Hiring a pool company takes the hard work out of designing and building your dream pool, leaving you to enjoy the benefits once the project is complete.
Virtual VBS
Churches are slowly returning to business as usual, but many church members and Sunday school teachers are still hesitant to return for their weekly service and have opted for reading the scriptures from home in small groups or in a virtual setting. This means that many churches have also opted to host virtual vacation bible school (VBS) this summer.
If you’d like a more faith-centered fun activity for your family this summer, consider hosting your own VBS! Children from preschool to youth group ages can enjoy engaging activities like crafts, dramatic play, and sports while learning God’s word and enjoying the company of like-minded peers. While VBS is typically best enjoyed in person, there are many resources that allow Sunday school teachers and youth leaders to host their own sessions right from home.
You can find many different VBS curriculum sets online, as well as Sunday school curriculum and faith-based fiction if you decide to turn your small group worship into a more frequent gathering.
Stage Your Own Olympics
The 2020 Olympic Games may have been postponed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the Olympic spirit! Invite some close family friends over for your own backyard Olympics, complete with an Opening Ceremony and medals. Compete to see who can swim the length of your backyard pool the fastest; create fun gymnastics routines, complete with tumbles and cartwheels; play badminton, or use a frisbee as a discus and see who can throw the farthest!
Bake Olympic-themed treats, create flags, and teach your kids about the history of the Olympic games. Break the teams up either by family or by age groups, and make sure you have enough prizes to go around—because, in the backyard Olympics, everyone is a winner!
Start a Backyard Garden
Although many of your typical home-garden fruits, veggies, and herbs are typically planted in the spring, it’s not too late to start a backyard garden! Beans, carrots, and many varieties of greens can be planted well into July and still provide a tasty harvest before the first frost. And gardening is an activity that can be enjoyed as a family, regardless of age—from weeding and watering to planting and harvesting, there is something that each member of your family can do. Having a garden to tend to regularly will give them something to be responsible for, and it will give you an opportunity to teach life cycles through the various life stages of plants. At the end of the summer, your children will be able to enjoy have the memories of making the garden and the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor.
Summers are a great opportunity to reconnect with your family after a busy and hectic school year, but they’re also a way to make lifelong memories with your children. Even if you don’t visit every theme park in your state or hit the beach on the weekends, your children will cherish the memories you make with them in your own way.