With summer upon us, parents are looking for ways to keep kids active and engaged, both physically and mentally. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, the area’s leading youth development organization, offers practical tips for parents during the summer months, when the heat often keeps people indoors.
To achieve good health and fitness, kids should eat nutritious foods and stay active. Movement is key. To keep the body fit:
- Walk or ride a bicycle or scooter on your street, around your neighborhood or at a park. Go outside before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when the sun is not at peak.
- Swim and play water games at a neighborhood pool.
- Go to a local recreation center, or your neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, where kids can play basketball or other games with movement.
- Check out your neighborhood park or bayou for nature exploration.
- Hold a dance-a-thon at home with friends, moving to the beat of your favorite music. Record the dancing so that parents and grandparents can watch.
- Children and teens should drink lots of water, eat fruits and vegetables and get enough protein for their growing bodies.
To keep the mind active and to help mitigate summer learning loss, find fun, indoor activities to keep them occupied.
- Number 1 on the list is read! Stock up on age-appropriate books for the summer. Visit the nearest public library, which often has reading-related activities. Start a book club and see how many books can be read over the summer. Read with you kids at night.
- Work on puzzles and play games. Get a group jigsaw puzzle going. Find booklets with word and math puzzles for kids to complete. Check out games that challenge the mind or teach skills, such as Monopoly, Clue, Life, Candy Land, Guess Who, Jenga and Apples to Apples Junior.
- Practice language and math skills with flash cards.
- Allow some screen time to do research or watch educational videos. Make sure parental controls are in place.
- Visit museums or the Houston Zoo. Many museums have free admission at certain times on Thursdays. The Houston Zoo is free all day on the first Tuesday of every month. https://houmuse.org/free-admission-times/.
“In the summer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston provides a host of activities at our Clubs that stress physical and mental activity and focus on our core pillars: Academic Success, Health Lifestyles, Good Citizenship and Workforce Readiness,” says Kevin Hattery, BGCGH President & CEO. “One goal is to mitigate ‘summer slide,” by keeping keeps reading, writing and playing math and science games. We offer a safe environment with trained youth development leaders helping members learn and grow.”
Registration is now open for summer programming, called “Space City Summer,” at numerous Clubs in a five-county area . BGCGH is also still taking applications for summer youth development personnel. Check our website bgcgh.org for more information.
Photo credit: Courtesy, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston