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Challenge: Summer Fun

How to Keep up With Your Kids This Summer

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If you thought keeping your kids amused was a 24/7 venture during the first few months of quarantine, get ready for an action-packed summer. Even if your normal June, July, and August activities and vacations have been abbreviated due to social distancing and closed resorts, you and your children can still squeeze every ounce of excitement out of the off-school season. Trouble is, you might worry that you can’t keep up with your kids’ natural penchant for bustling and buzzing.

Here’s the good news: You don’t need to acquire superpowers to keep pace with your youngsters or super-active teens. Just plan your days to maximize your energy stores instead of depleting them. Start by considering the following methods for keeping up—without peacing out.

1. Invest in an Electric Bike

Does the idea of getting on a bicycle make you break out into a cold sweat? Are you convinced that you could never hope to ride alongside your fast-flying kiddos? What you need is a little assistance from an electric bike.

I just got a couple Electric bicycles for my family after I saw a picture of Mark Cuban riding one. My friend is a big fan of Shark Tank so he sent the website that Cuban invested in with a company from the show. If you look at the link you will see it's somewhat of an upgraded version of a bike that has allowed my family to go on longer bike rides.

The electric bike will allow you to decide if you want to pedal hard or kick back. For instance, with an e-bike, you can work your muscles on flat surfaces, and then allow the bike’s mechanisms to guide you up and over tough hills. You’ll still get enough of a workout to beat back the “quarantine 15,” but you won’t wind up totally fatigued.

2. Get a Self-Balancing Skateboard

While you’re in the mindframe of buying athletic equipment that partially does the work for you, think back to your skateboarding days. Riding then was fun. Now, you probably worry about falling and hurting yourself, or at least having an embarrassing moment in front of neighbors. Yet you want to hang with your kids while they test out their boards. What to do?

An easy way to have the best of all worlds is purchasing a self-balancing skateboard. Read reviews, check out prices, and find one that will allow you to get back into boarding safely. As a side note, you’ll get a great core workout.

3. Nourish Your Body—and Theirs

Are you honestly serious about keeping yourself on the go from morning until night this summer? Go straight to your kitchen and give it an overhaul. Eating balanced, nourishing meals will push you through midday lulls. Plus, you’ll feel more refreshed mentally, which is good for your personal and professional life.

Don’t keep the secrets of eating well to yourself, though. Bring your kids (and partner) into the kitchen and teach them the value of everything from mapping out healthy meals to choosing nutrient-packed snacks. You’ll be doing your youngsters a favor that could change their lives. Children who cook gain lifelong advantages like being more adventurous about trying new dishes and feeling confident in kitchen environments. Bonus points if you can get everybody to clean up, too!

4. Build Something Cool as a Family Team

Summertime presents the perfect opportunity to build something, especially if you have a backyard. From gazebos and pavilions to playhouses and fountains, pick a project you’ve wanted to do and enlist your kids to help. However, don’t call it work. And don’t call it landscaping. Just present whatever you’ve planned as something fun to do outside together. Put on music and turn the experience into a party atmosphere.

You might be surprised at how quickly kids will jump in to help stack stones, hammer nails, lay down mulch, dig holes, and paint fences when they’re having a blast. Many youngsters have no idea how rewarding building something visually pleasing can be. For maximum participation, take your brood along to the home improvement store, if possible. Let each child put a special touch on the finished project so every family member can call it theirs.

5. Take Time for Quiet Play

Although you might feel like you have to turn on the enthusiasm from the time you get out of bed until your head hits the pillow, you don’t. You can’t. It’s good for everyone, children included, to add some downtime into their schedules. In fact, downtime can help reduce youngsters’ anxiety, improve their brain power, and keep them from burning out.

To keep from completely hitting the proverbial wall every day, set aside a few hours for quiet play. During those times, kids can read, color, or just chill out. The goal is for everyone in your household to unwind and recharge in anticipation of doing something active a little later. Make sure you include yourself. In the midst of COVID-19, you deserve some peaceful moments, too.

It’s not “mission impossible” to stay one step ahead of your kiddos this summer, even if they’re bundles of seemingly endless energy. Get creative and you’ll quickly discover that you have more get-up-and-go than you realized. As a bonus, your family will have the chance to make happy memories that will last much longer than coronavirus concerns.

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