There’s something about the summer that brings out the fun in kids. Long summer days without any thought of school foster the type of carefree living children relish every year. The only bad thing about the summer is it can go by really fast. As parents, it is important to relish as much of the summer months as possible with your children from the first lesson of swimming to spending summer nights looking at the stars. 

Here are three activities that can help your children love summer even more than they already do.

Start a Garden

No matter what you want to grow, allowing your children to see the thrill of planting flowers, herbs, and vegetables and watching them thrive in the summer weather can be a boon to any summer. We recommend that you start early in the summer, perhaps even at the end of spring creating your backyard plot and preparing it for summer planting.

Take your children to your local hardware store and allow them to choose the flowers, vegetables, and herbs that they are drawn to. What’s also fun is buying them a children’s gardening book that will help them learn all about nourishing, watering, fertilizing, and clipping flowers. When kids can grow and tend to their own garden they learn responsibility because if they do not take care of it will surely die. A small garden plot can be their own summer project and can be fun for the entire family.

Finding Trails

Depending upon where you live you may be a whole host of interconnected trails that you and your family can enjoy all summer long. Go for a walk early in the morning before the summer sun rises and the heat and humidity are at their highest. Also, make sure to check the weather report in the morning or put weather alerts on your phone so you know when it can become too hot to go for a walk even in the early morning hours.

One of the things we've really learned is everyone in the family needs to have great walking shoes. Waking up with blisters is no fun! Some shoes really do not give you the support you need for walking. If you get blisters on the bottom of your feet or even on your heels please take your walking shoes into consideration. Even some of the best-known name brand shoes do not provide the walking support you need. Some walking shoes are clunky and big and may not be your favorite "look", but they will provide the support you'll need for long walks. Here's a fun fact: your children might even beg you for kids light up shoes for walks on trails, but always keep in mind comfort, aesthetics, and the fun factor. The fun factor is already there for kids' shoes, but always make sure that they feel great on their feet as well.

Walking on trails is a fun summer experience for kids and dogs alike. If you take your dog with you on your walk be sure to have water for them as well as enough water for you and your children. Staying hydrated during a summer months is of the utmost importance.

Insect Discovery

This activity goes hand-in-hand with a garden because many insects like bees and butterflies are attracted to summer flowers. But encouraging your children to get low to the ground to see what creepy crawlies abound. They will see caterpillars and millipedes. They will certainly find ant hills that they can observe for hours on end because they are so fascinating. And at night, be sure to take your children outside to see the fireflies or lightning bugs as we used to call them. During the summer, make sure to put enough mosquito repellent on your children because the summer afternoons and evenings are when they love to bite the most.

As parents, it is important to make as many summer memories as possible and being out in nature before the cooler weather sets in is a great way to start. Don’t forget you can also partake in regional-based travel that brings in the natural elements as well such as going to the mountains, state parks, or to the beach. The main thing is to just get out and have fun!