Three Summer Projects for Kids

Activities for Children During Summer Break

May 20, 2009

Once school is out, homes are transformed into a beehive of activity. Having projects for the kids during the summer will make things more enjoyable for the whole family.

During the summer school break, a home becomes more than a home. It serves as a learning site, play area, a resort for friends, a late night movie theatre and a three meal diner. Keeping kids busy, having fun and out of trouble becomes a full time job. Here are three summer project ideas that might help keep the family ship afloat this summer.

Summer Project That Will Make Kids Money: Look for a Job

Summer is a good time for the kids to “look for a job”, the age of the child determining the type of job they search for. Parents can help them write a “resume” outlining their education, prior “jobs”, and skills. Then each child lists jobs they think they are qualified for, based on their knowledge and skill set.

Of course, parents don’t really expect that their children find a job, but that each child learn how to assess their skills and translate that into a job. A teenager might really want to work, and get a job bagging groceries. A seven year old might determine he can bathe and brush the family dog and possibly groom pets of family members or neighbors. A twelve year old with experience in babysitting a younger sibling, may offer child care services to family and friends.

By helping children recognize their worth and what they can contribute, they will feel good about themselves. If they do “find a job” and earn money, they will learn about responsibility and its rewards. If they discover that they don’t have a skill they need for a specific job, they can set a goal to obtain it for the next summer.

An annual “look for a job” project for kids will discourage laziness, and teach them to plan, become prepared, research their options, and execute their dreams. It just might put some coin in their piggy banks too!

A Project Kids Will Keep Forever: Scrapbook Their School Year

Every child has stacks of drawings, progress reports, school projects, valentines, birthday cards and pictures of friends. A summer project that organizes all those treasures into a scrapbook is a fun activity that will commemorate their past year.

They can create the scrapbook from an old binder, or create a custom scrapbook out of cardboard wrapped in fabric, held together by grommets and shoestrings or yarn. Each scrap book page can be designed from computer paper, construction paper, wrapping paper, birthday cards, etc. Packages of gold stars, hearts or other inexpensive craft items can supplement their creativity. Their friends can help!

At the end of the summer, they will have a scrapbook of memories, rather than a bunch of crumpled paper in the corner of their closet.

A Tasty Kid's Project: Create a Kid's Cookbook

Kids should learn at an early age how to prepare meals for themselves, starting simple, and adding complexity each year.

A cookbook can be fancy and creative, or a simple design of recipes slipped into clear plastic sleeves in a binder. The complexity of each recipe needs to make sense for the age of the child, because this project should include the child preparing their recipe for the whole family. Recipes can be as simple as mixing tuna for sandwiches for a young child, to hamburger stroganoff for a teenager.

There are many cookbooks and recipe websites designed for kids. The Cooking with Kids website provides kids recipes, as well as the opportunity for children to contribute their own recipes. Another site is Easy Kids Recipes, where they can sign up to receive an e-newsletter with recipes, cooking tips and kitchen safety.

All summer, kids can search for recipes they are interested in preparing, and notify their parents of the ingredients they will need. During preparation, they will learn about food measurements, ingredients and how to follow recipe instructions. If the recipe is a hit, they can add it to their cookbook.

By working on this project all summer, a child will learn how to plan a menu, and think outside themselves for recipes everyone in the family might enjoy. They’ll feel pride in their work and enjoy receiving complements.

Summertime should be a break from school, but it shouldn’t become a three-month video "gamefest" either. These summer project ideas are fun activities that will keep their minds active. By learning the three "R's" during the school year, and learning from their parents during the summer, kids will graduate into the real world with the skills they’ll need to succeed!

The copyright of the article Three Summer Projects for Kids in Kids Activities is owned by Jan Peterson. Permission to republish Three Summer Projects for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.