10 Ways to Keep Kids Creative this Summer

Last week we kicked off a summer series all about having creative moments with our kids. We are thrilled to be partnering with Seedling today to share even more ideas for the summer. Good news! It doesn’t have to take too much planning, energy or trips to the store to enjoy creative time with your kids. So, we are sharing our top ten fun ideas for entertaining the kids when school is out — kind of like a summer camp at home. And we both are excited to share how the same idea can be done in a mountain town and a big city!

Read more for all the fun ideas…

Seedling is all about growing young imaginations through open-ended play and we are too! First on our list are the all-in-one activity kits from Seedling. Calla had a blast with the fishing pole kit. She concentrated on painting just the right pattern of stripes on her fishing pole and loved covering parts of her fish in glitter glue. But the best part was hiking out to the river, not far from our house, so she could “go fishing!”

Harper created butterfly wings with her Seedling kit. She enjoyed designing her very own pattern with colors and glitter. What I love about the Seedling kits are that they are toys that the kids can make and continue to play with over time. I have a feeling these wings are going to be on every road trip we take this summer!

Keeping kids’ minds growing during the summer is so important. This is a huge part of our summer plans, coming up with ways for our daughters’ minds to be creative. But, what’s also at the top of this list, is having fun with them. Those are the summer moments we’ll want to remember forever.

Here are some of our favorite ways get the kids creating and make summer camp, right at home, your way.

10 easy ways to get creative with your kids and host summer “camp” your way:

1. Outside scavenger hunt: If you live in a rural area, or a place where going for a hike in nature is right out your door, create a scavenger hunt looking for plants, animal tracks and colors represented in nature. If you’re an urban family, scavenger hunts are a great way to incorporate your city’s history. Give clues about landmarks, etc.
2. Activity kits + art projects: What a treat it is for the kids to open their Seedling kits. They got started on them as soon as we received the box! It’s a fun and simple way to carve out time for creative play.
3. Collaborative art: Hang a piece of paper (from a large roll) or even an old white sheet in the backyard or city sidewalk. Let all the kids go wild with washable paint to create a masterpiece together. 
4. Library adventure: Head to the library and choose a new book. Read the book together and have the kids create their own little play from the story.
5. Obstacle course in the yard with everyday household items: Take a walk through the garage, look through the hall closet and rummage through the toy bins for items to create a one-of-a-kind obstacle course in the yard.
6. Baking with the kids: Make dad breakfast in bed. Kids love any reason to be in the kitchen, right? So mix up muffins with fresh berries alongside your kiddos.
7. Giant tic tac toe in the yard: Paint stripes of a tic tac toe board on the yard and cut out giant Xs and Os to use in your outdoor board game. The kids will love painting the Xs and Os. You can set this up at a neighborhood park if you don’t have a backyard!
8. Storytelling night: Get the kids to write a story or stories to present to friends at a summer storytelling night. It’s a great way to practice writing and use creative thinking skills. And it’s a great excuse to get families or neighbors together for a bbq and “campfire” discussion.
9. Make a rock garden: Gather some rocks from the river or rocks from the beach and let the kids paint them at home to create a one of a kind rock garden.
10. Write a book: You can use plain white books and let the kids write their own story and draw the illustrations. This can be an ongoing project throughout the summer days. Seedling also offers a great adventure journal for those who want to start a visual diary.

Build, imagine, play — and enjoy summer “camp” your way! Seedling helps bring kids’ ideas to life with kid-tested, parent-approved activity kits that encourage children to follow their own creative initiative. Enjoy 25% off at seedling.com when you choose your own adventure using the code SEEDLINGSUMMER. (Offer valid one per customer; discount does not apply to past purchases, packaging, applicable taxes, or shipping and handling. Expires June 30, 2015 at 11:59 pm PST.)

Photos by Sara Albers, Melissa Fenlon and Alex Fenlon. All rights reserved. This post is sponsored by Seedling, a brand we love. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Alice & Lois.