educational Archives - Your Friend Lindsey

Summer 2020 Looks Different

Like it or not, summer 2020 looks different from most summers. The global pandemic has certainly affected us all in different ways. And for many of us, we have little kids at home who’s normal summer time fun has been halted.

With summer camps, sleepovers, and travel…. all pretty much non-existent most of us are scratching our heads with how we are going to work and entertain our kiddos all summer long.

It’s so easy to sit them in front of a screen, and believe me – sometimes it’s just needed or unavoidable. But if there are fun toys, activities or crafts that will get them off the screen – I’m ALL for it!

So I’ve rounded up some products that have been a hit at our house in hopes that it can help entertain your kids too. 🙂 We are all in this together, right?!

Here’s a look at some summer activities for kids during covid.

Educational Items

Melissa & Doug Turn and Tell Clock: If you’ve got a child who is always asking you “What time is it?” or “When is Daddy/Mommy going to be home?”, then this is just for them!

It’s actually kind of challenging to teach the concept of telling time to children, at least it is for this mom who is NOT a teacher. 🤪 But this has been such a great resource for practice!

Rhyming Fun-to-know Puzzle: Have a child in Pre-school, Kindergarten or First grade? This is a handy independent activity for them. I love that it is something they can do on their own because it allows me a little time to get some things done while they’re busy play-learning. 🙏🏻

Melissa & Doug Sticker Collection Book: These stickers are awesome! There is a sticker for just about anything which keeps from getting bored. 🙌🏻

Some sticker activities we like to do are:

Practice the alphabet: Have your child place a sticker on lined paper and then write the upper and lowercase letter that the sticker starts with next to each one. Ex. A sticker of a dolphin = Dd. Once they get a hang of that, you can have them go back and write the letter that each sticker ends with.
Practice writing & spelling: Have your child place a sticker on lined paper and write what the word is using invented spelling.
Story telling: Have your child use the stickers to tell a story, placing them on paper. Have them read the “sticker sentence” to you out loud. They get pretty creative and come up with some funny sentences!

Books

Smithsonian Encyclopedias.

Science
Animal
Knowledge
Human Body
Space

If your kid(s) like random facts… these books are awesome! What’s even better… they’re amazing for adults too. We get to learn and expand our knowledge while we read it to them. Win-win!!

Pokemon Super Deluxe Essential Handbook: If you have a boy over 4, chances are you are no stranger to Pokemon. And if your son is anything like mine…. he can’t get enough! 😆

This book has kept my son entertained for hours!! He will sit and look through it, learn their names and “possible moves” and then he’ll want to draw them or play a Pokemon card battle (to be honest, we haven’t learned how to play the real game and just make up our own version as we go. 😂).

Activities/Crafts

Magformers Basic Set: If you don’t have a set of magnetic blocks, you need these now! My son has had a couple sets of these since he was two and they still, to this day, keep him entertained for hours on end.

I love that it allows them to use both sides of their brain. They get to be creative and imaginative, but also get a taste of engineering by figuring out how to put them together in order to create what they envision. 🙌🏻

Glow-in-the-dark Power Balls: Who doesn’t love a good bouncy ball!? How fun is it to make your own, that glow in the dark! I also love this activity because it isn’t just a one use and done product. You can spread out the longevity of the activity by only making 2-4 bouncy balls at a time. Then save the rest for another time!

** They suggest storing them in a plastic baggy once they’re made… I definitely advise you do! We made the mistake of keeping our first batch out and they got very hard pretty quickly.

Glow-in-the-dark Rock Painting Kit: More glow-in-the-dark fun… YES! Have you walked through your neighborhood and seen little painted rocks with either a positive saying or something that makes you smile? I LOVE this idea!

Being home during quarantine, hearing all of the scary and negative news really takes a toll on you. We all know that getting fresh air and exercise is SO important for our bodies and mental health, so what a treat it is to be out on a walk and see a cute painted rock in a tree bed!!

We love bringing smiles to peoples faces so we’ve left a few our very own painted rocks around the neighborhood, hoping to brighten someone’s day. 💕

Jump Rope for Kids: Good old-fashioned jump roping is such a great exercise for kids. And even better, it’s a great way for them to work on hand-eye coordination, timing, jumping and persistence.

I love this jump rope in particular because it is adjustable and can grow with them as they get older!

Games/Toys

Magic Unicorn Ring Toss Game: You guys!!! This game is hilarious. Adults and children will love!! Just go ahead and grab yours… you won’t regret it. But be sure to have your phone near by so you can record some awesome video. 😂😂😂

Light-up Monster Truck Set: This little set is fun entertainment for boys and girls! Who doesn’t like things that light up and move?! And sharing is easy because it comes with two push-and-go monster trucks.

Table Top Air Hockey: Another game that is amazing fun for children AND adults! A little family fun competition never hurt, right?!

** Warning: can get pretty intense when two adults battle it out! 😂

Kids Digital Camera: Let your little one express their creativity with this durable digital camera. It’s so fun to see what they deem worthy of a picture. (A leaf, a corner of the living room rug, or a dog’s wagging tail to name a few… 😉).

Water Melon Ball: This ball is made for the pool and is so much fun to play with! Wether your little one is an experienced swimmer or a total beginner, the water melon ball is a great addition to the pool toys.

You connect it to your hose (with a provided attachment) and it fills up with water. It has the perfect buoyancy to sink for a moment and then rise back up to the surface.