Safe Adventures For You and Your Kiddos This Summer

You’ve heard the saying, “Safer at home,” but it’s summertime now and we’ve been cooped up for far too long! The kids are bouncing off the walls, ready for fun, and so are we! That’s why I’ve compiled a shortlist of things to do and places to go with your children during these sunshiney days. 

With camps canceled, vacations put on hold, and COVID-related deaths still on the rise, we’re all wanting to be smart. Chuck E. Cheese’s and the indoor play structure at Chick-Fil-et won’t be our go-to destinations this summer, but that doesn’t mean we have to be stuck at home. 

If you want to be wise but you also want to get out… here are a few suggestions:

1) Bike rides and picnics. Some of my clearest summer memories from my own childhood included biking with dad and roller-skating with mom. Homemade pompoms tied to the front of my skates. If you don’t live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and city parks, then drive to a place where you can scooter, skate, or skip as a family. You don’t need a fancy picnic basket either. Just use your kiddos’ lunchboxes!

2) Car rides and drive-throughs. At the end of May, our local beaches began opening up again here in Southern California. While we still aren’t allowed to sit down on beach towels or folding chairs, we can splash and play and go for walks as a family. The new requirements keep us from staying too long, but it’s enough to get us outdoors and give us a sandy little adventure.

3) Sprinkler fun in the front yard. If you have a couple of close family friends that you are starting to socialize with, this is a fun way to play together in a semi-controlled environment. Turn on the sprinklers, order a $12 slip-n-slide, and set up some chairs for the moms on the drive-way. Everyone can bring their own lunches, as to minimize the spread of germs — or end the party at 11:30 and feed the kids in the car on the way home. 

When my three boys were still young, I timed our bike rides, park-dates, beach trips, and play-dates between breakfast-time and nap-time. The kids always came home exhausted, sun-kissed, and ready for a nap. After their rest, we’d stay home and enjoy other, quieter adventures. Painting and puzzles and backyard popsicles. At-home fun is often more fun if you can get out of the house just a little bit each day. 

4) Books, books, books — and book parties too! If you haven’t read books aloud to your kids since The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar, now is a great time to start it up again. Charlotte’s Web and The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White were two of our first favorites. The boys loved all of James Harriot’s farm animal stories. Little House on The Prairie was another hit. And The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis were great for the whole family once the youngest turned 7. At the end of every book, we planned a family dinner-party with book-inspired dishes like a bowl of noodles for Charlotte’s Web. After dinner, we’d pile on the couch together and watched a film adaptation of the story.

Teach your kids that crazy-awesome adventures can be found in the pages of a good book. They are always germ-free! No need for a mask. No need to stand six-feet apart from any of the characters they encounter! During this season still confined to home to some degree, we can still travel all over the world and throughout history through the pages of good books.

Can you imagine if one day your kiddos look back and say, “That Summer when we biked around the neighborhood, ate popsicles in the backyard, and read all those books together… that was one of my favorite times as a family!”

During “normal” years, our summers are filled with various camps and activities. While it’s all wonderful and we’re going to miss some of that this summer, it’s also a relief. Sometimes we’re all too busy to indulge in the simple pleasures of family life. A late breakfast and a chapter from the Bible together. A local hike and a picnic lunch. A good book and some backyard sunshine.

It’s possible that this “safer at home” season may have longer more lasting benefits than simply our physical safety. What if the memories we’re making now, the conversations we’re having, and the connections we’re building with our loved ones all work to actually keep our family unit just a bit safer over the years to come? We’re pouring into our relationships with one another, investing more time and attention into our people at home, enjoying simple adventures rather than hustling off to another activity.

For those of you who are struggling these days: I know that some of you reading this don’t feel that you and your kids are “safer at home” right now. With tempers flaring and the stress building, many families could use a week of sending kids to camp right about now. But that’s not an option for many of us. Let me encourage you to not give up. Make some simple plans to get out of the house for a bit each day. Neighborhood walks, family drives, front yard picnics, backyard bbq’s, and bedtime books can give shape and add fun to long days at home. Let’s persevere with love and creativity during these difficult days!

Love,

Wendy

Wendy Speake and Amber Lia are the co-authors of Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses. If you’re struggling at home with all your dear little people, yelling and crying and ready to throw in the towel, grab a copy of Triggers this summer.

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