Ten summery ideas for families
5 minute read1. Up high or down low
Tired of the summer heat? Then a family trip to a cave could be just the thing. While outside the temperatures rise, caves offer a natural and refreshing cool-down. The temperatures in most caves are between 8 and 15 degrees. From stalactites and stalagmites to underground rivers and fascinating rock formations, the natural wonders of a cave are impressive.
Instead of going deep below the ground’s surface, you could also go way up high. A family excursion to the mountains is a beautiful experience in nature and a welcome way to cool off outside: In dry air, it gets almost 1 degree cooler per 100 meters of altitude. Educate yourself in advance about where you’re going and search specifically for child-friendly hikes. If you leave early, you can look forward to fresh mountain air and deserted paths. Make sure to pack sun protection and enough water and off you go!
2. Write a postcard
Think that postcards are just something you can send from abroad? Think again!
Children can also send greetings to their loved ones from home. With their own drawing on the front, the postcard becomes a lovely, one-of-a-kind piece that any loved one would be thrilled to receive as a surprise.
2. Short games for long journeys
Summer time is holiday time. Whether by train, car or plane: The longer you travel, the more urgent (and nerve-wracking) the question becomes: Will we be there soon? “
Long trips with children can be a real challenge. When the audiobook is already finished, the snacks are gone and the coloring book is full, small search and guessing games can provide some variety.
For example, a simple guessing game for the ‘limbo time’ is “Guess the animal.” The rules are simple: a person chooses an animal. The others try to guess the animal by asking closed questions, which can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. If you guessed the animal, you can be the next to choose one.
Our two hidden object books are also great companions for long journeys. In the World and European Search-and-Find Books, a child gets to know the diversity of cultures, cities and natural beauties. On each page you have to find yourself, a certain number of typical objects and a secret message. With so much searching fun, time flies.
4. Planting cress
Without much preparation and material, planting cress offers an exciting opportunity for a small garden experiment – even without a garden!
The cress seeds can be bought for little money and thrive wonderfully on moist cotton wool or soil on a flat vessel. Within a few days, a child can observe the development and harvest the herb. Cress, for example, makes a wonderfully spicy sandwich filler when mixed with boiled eggs and a little mayonnaise.
5. Fresh snacks for hot summer days
When temperatures soar, vitamins and liquid intake become an even higher priority than normal. For a fun way to forage for these gems, why not plan a family trip to a farm with a pick your own field to find some of these wonders yourselves? At home, your harvest can be transformed into small works of art with a little skill and creativity. How about delicious strawberry mice, for example?
6. Immerse yourself in the world of picture books
Bette A Stevens once said, “‘Books are like magic carpets, taking us to places real and imaginary that we never thought possible.'”.
In the comfort of your home, with the windows open and a cool breeze flowing through the house, equipped with some favorite stories, the heat can take a backseat for a while.
Our World Search-and-Find book takes a child to beautiful places. In our popular forest fairy tale “The Tree, The Key & Me” a child goes on an exciting adventure in the forest. And with “My 100 words“, our bilingual picture dictionary, they can even start to learn the language of their next holiday destination in a fun, enjoyable way.
7. Cool down with a hand crafted penguin
Our homemade penguin exudes a coolness that can take on even the hottest heat of the day! Grab paper, toilet paper roll, glue stick, scissors and pens and nothing else can stand in the way of creative crafting fun!
8. Go on a forest adventure
The possibilities of having fun whilst playing in a forest are virtually limitless. Picnics, building huts, riding bikes, building stone-men, making pictures out of leaves and other natural materials, making fairy houses, what’s not to love about all of these?!
Spending quality family time in a shaded forest is a worthwhile summer excursion – not only is it free but you get the added bonus of some natural AC already included!
9. Splish Splash – it’s water fun!
Painting with water is exciting and easy for the little ones at the same time. With or without a brush, the children can paint on the warm floor or the warmed-up garden table top and watch their work disappear as if by magic – fascinating!
Or how about a water obstacle course? A popular game for a summer party! First, a course is set up. With cups and two large buckets, which are set up at either end of the track, this competitive water game is ready to rock’n’roll. Played in two groups, the group that can save most water in the given time by filling the bucket wins.
10. Ice Ice Baby
Summer activities with ice are just as entertaining as water games. With an icy treasure hunt, the children become little polar explorers. On the evening before, freeze a small thing like a plastic animal in a container filled with water (for example, yogurt cups). Later, remove the block of ice from the container and have the children examine it carefully.Is the object recognizable? Then it’s time to recover the treasure from the ice: creativity is required!