School is ending soon and summertime is almost here. You may be planning family vacations or scheduling summer camps to keep your kids busy. Keeping them active and entertained can be challenging when you think of 3 long summer months.

Here are 15 activities to do as a family to make sure the kids are using up their energy and not just sitting around the house watching TV or playing video games.

• Plant an herb garden or work on the garden in the backyard (double-whammy with having the kids help with household chores)
• Go for a hike
• Play kickball in a park
• Play hopscotch or tag outside
• Plan a picnic
• Visit a local farm and pick the produce they have to offer
• Go to your local farmer’s market and have the kids help pick out the food (this is great for running your errands while spending time with your kids)
• Be a tourist in your home town and go on an adventure or see a site you’ve never seen before
• Visit the zoo
• Wash the car (Yes: you can wash the car and the kids can help and play with the water. This is a great for those super hot days)
• Have a water balloon fight
• Paint with chalk on the sidewalk
• Go for a bike ride or a scooter ride
• Go on a treasure hunt outside collecting different flowers, leaves, or bugs. Make a book with all the items you collected and find out what they are called
• Go Swimming! One of my favorite past times! If you live by an ocean, you are lucky. If not, find a local pool or water park and have some fun!

What activities do you have planned? We’re going to the Farmer’s Market this weekend for sure.

By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN