Now that the kids are home for summer, it's an excellent time to establish new routines and habits. Here are a few ideas to try with your kids that can help you and your family improve air quality, stay healthy, and stay active this summer.
Trash, Recycling and Composting
Your kiddos may already help with trash duty as their household chore. If they've mastered taking out the trash, you can add more responsibility. For example, table scrabs can be collected for composting if you have a garden or plants. You can also have them sort recyclable items such as paper, plastic, cans, etc.
Biking and Walking
Walking or biking in your neighborhood in the evening as a family is a great way to spend time together over the summer. Exercise and fresh air benefit everyone. You can also bring along bags to pick up trash along the way, beautifying your neighborhood while enjoying some fresh air.
Cleaning Responsibilities
Encourage your children to lend help inside and outside of the home. You can have them tidy their rooms and pick up their belongings from shared spaces. If they are older, they can do more extensive jobs like mowing, laundry, and vacuuming.
Screen Time
We know that without supervision, kids tend to overdo screen time on devices such as phones, gaming consoles, and other electronic devices. You can limit the number of hours of screen time per day or designate specific screen times if your kids spend most of their free time in front of a screen.
Sleep
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. It's easy to stay up later in the evenings with more daylight in the summer months, but a scheduled bedtime is best. In this case, it is best not to establish a radically different routine, so that your kids stay well-rested and healthy.
Summer is just a few short months of the year, and it goes by quickly. It's a break from the school year, but try not to let your kids completely abandon their daily schedule. Kids will be making the transition back to school as early as the first half of August.
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