Summer holidays are here and most kids are let loose. Some of you may pack them off to summer camps or day cares or the grandparents’.  Many working parents are also taking a week or two off to spend time with the kids. Here are some ideas to do stuff together with your children (five years or older):

Start a small garden.

A few pots will do. Let your child get her hands dirty, playing with the mud, mixing compost. Plant sprouted moong dal or mustard or tomato seeds. Children can even help keep it pest-free by spraying ginger-garlic juice. 

Create a treasure hunt for your kid and his friends.

Hide the treasure and plan a route. Create a set of clues/puzzles whose answer will lead them to each step in the route. If you are not confident about creating your own puzzle, use the internet - there are lots of ready-to-use treasure hunts! This works well inside the house or outside in the garden. You can also try scavenger hunts, where the child gathers a number of objects based on the clues.

Pic: Meera K.

Watch TV.

Ban those Chota Bheems and Ben 10s. Try programmes like 'How is it made?' (how everyday items are made) and 'Food Detectives' (Discover Science), where culinary sleuths find the truth about food related beliefs like: Can cola dissolve a coin or even a tooth, Is it true that crunching on carrots can improve your vision? How long it takes the stomach to digest gum? It's made in a cool, fun and informative manner. You’ll both enjoy it.

Start a reading race.

Join a library and have a reading race with your kid. See who finishes the maximum number of books.

Perform a play.

Direct a play starring your kid and his friends. You can get scripts of their favourite cartoon movies like Lion King or Toy Story on the net.

Have a moonlight picnic.

Summer nights on the terrace with ghost stories will give them memories to recount to their children!

Take long walks with your preteen.

This is likely to cause protests. But persuade them by giving them a camera to take pictures and help them create their own blog (under supervision).

Laugh.

Take your rebellious teenager to a laughter club. Really! It's impossible not to laugh together.

What are your suggestions? Tell us what worked for you and your child. ⊕

Meera K is a co-founder at Citizen Matters.

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