Between summer starting late around here (we were still using our heater a couple weeks ago!) and our home remodel, I hadn’t thought much about what we were going to do for summer this year. . . However, now that summer has finally arrived my children are begging to be able to start earning tickets once again.
Although The Ticket to Summer has worked well for us in the past, there were a couple things that I didn’t love. . . For some reason my children always seemed to choose the same activities (usually the quickest and easiest ones) to do over and over to earn their tickets. I ended up changing the rules so that they could only do each activity a limited number of times this week (for tickets)… That worked okay, but I still thought it would be fun to change things up this summer. So, inspired once again by my cousin who found the idea here, this year we will be playing SUMMER BINGO!!!
I adapted the template provided and filled it in with our own “tasks.” (If you’d like, you can download our template here, though you may have to modify the margins on your computer since it is a word document. Here is also a blank template pdf in case you would like to just write in the activities.)
I’m sure we will be adding more ideas throughout the summer, but here is the list of “tasks” we’ve come up with to get us started:
Indoor Games:
Build something with Legos
Play Battleship
Play Memory
Play Mancala
Play any board game with a sibling
Play on the GeoSafari Laptop
Put together a GeoPuzzle
Build something with blocks
Play Wii Active Outdoor Challenge
Play Wii Fit
Outside Fun:
Make up some kind of water game
Make up a scavenger hunt
Make an obstacle course in the yard and have a race
Play outside for one hour
Lay outside on a blanket and play “I Spy”
Play card games outside on a blanket
Draw with Sidewalk Chalk
Jump Rope
Make lunch and take it outside to eat
Play Soccer or Catch
Take photos of nature
Get a blanket and watch the clouds
Correspondence and Writing:
Call and say hello to Grandpa & Grandma
Write a thank you note or letter and mail it
Copy a poem and mail it to someone
Write in your journal about something you did recently
Add an entry to your Timeline Book
Write a short report (or narration) on a book you read
Complete a State-by-State Notebook Page
“Extra” Chores:
Clean out your sink
Clean out the beackseat of the car
Mop the hall floor
Vacuum the Bedrooms
Sweep the Deck
Check for Mail
Straighten the shoes by the front door
Straighten your dresser drawers
Reading, Math & Art:
Read for 30 minutes to a younger sibling or parent
Read for 1 hour on the couch on the deck
Read for 30 minutes outside on a blanket
Read for 30 minutes in a blanket fort
Listen to an audio book
Complete one lesson of Spelling (with Mom)
Play Math Shark
Complete one Math Lesson
Play a Math Game
Color or Illustrate a Picture
Make something out of Modeling Wax
Put on a puppet show
Play dress up
Sketch something from outside
Paint outside
to younger siblings I modified the rules and prize options for our family:
*Our boys already have plans to combine their tickets to work towards earning this game
I ended up just making the Bingo Cards (printing them on yellow card stock for stability) and not making the cute little booklets that my cousin made for her children last year. Simple is about all I can pull off this summer! My children don’t mind. In fact, they are very excited about the plan for this summer and I am excited that and they have to do a number of *different* activities in order to earn a ticket! So far it is going great and I just love that I am no longer hearing “I’m bored.” (I’m starting to wonder if I spoiled my children with the fun Alphabet Path activities this past year!! lol!)
I love this idea, and will be using it!
Well, my 2 boys get back from boy scout camp on Saturday and it will be the first time we've all been home since swim team ended. So, I think we'll be printing this out and playing bingo!
I'm doing this, too! Found at the same source. We've had a few weeks where it hasn't worked (i.e., VBS, etc.), but next week, after the 4th, I hope to get back into it … I may have to modify my 4-year-old's card, though. I can see she needs a few simpler ideas from those of my older girls …
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LOVE IT!
Sorry, last comment was me, should have made sure I was logged in and not someone else! lol
Our summer bucket list:
Believe it or not, our summer is more than half over. We homeschool year round …start in July…end early May. Since we live in TX, the pools open early, which is a blessing.
We took the first couple of weeks to completely unwind and do nothing. Boy! That felt great.
Along came tennis lessons, swimming lessons, library summer reading program, and now we are getting ready to head "back home" for a great family visit.
Once our vacation is over, I think I have only two weeks till school starts!
We do have open-ended tickets to NASA in Houston and I really wanted to take the kids to the ocean (Galveston). We will need to see how the oil spill is affecting that area once Hurricane Alex is complete.
Is it just me or is time just flying by quicker than one can blink an eye?
This is such a great idea!!!
I love your idea, and will using it from my two kids!!!
This would be a french version.
Thanks for the tip
Kisses from France
What a great idea! I have lots of "activities" for the kids, but just on a list. Summer Bingo may be just the inspiration needed to get it done!
I love this idea and am going to finally hook up my printer (after a move) so we can utilize this!
Love this…gives me some ideas to use for the kids while I redo their bedroom and school room.
Thanks Jessica!
Super idea! I linked on my weekly roundup – thanks for sharing!