by Lilly Krishmen

Created on: June 21, 2008

It's summer and your youngster wants to have a few friends over to your house to play. Keeping young ones occupied can be difficult. Here is a fun outside activity you can do with them. First make sure all the kids are in play cloth's and/or old swimming gear.
What you need to do this activity: One of those child swimming pools. Bubble bath, child friendly paint, brushes, and poster board. Also if kids are outside make sure to provide plenty of hydrating fluids.

Before you have kids swarming everywhre set up the kiddie pool and fill it with water. Try to do this a day or two before hand so the water isn't too cold for them. When it's time to get started put bubbles in the swimming pool, this will serve in a fun dunk to cool off and clean the paint off of them. Next place the poster board in your yard, scatter them around along with the paints nad brushes. Now let the kids get creative, sit back and watch them paint. Be sure to station yourself by the kiddie pool and in full veiw of all of the children painting.

When they are done painting let them splash around in the pool of bubbles, this will cool them off and clean most of the paint off of them.

Clean up with this activity is simple, let the poster boards dry and then give them to the kids to take home to show their parents. Pick up the brushes and after the kids leave drain the pool.

Another great group activity for kids is making jewelry. This can be a great inside winter activity for young ones. Go to you local craft store and get big colorful beads and elastic string. Set up trays of beads on your table next cut length's of elastic and knot one end so the beads don't fall off. Now have them sit around the table and string the beads onto the elastic. When they are done, tie the ends together to create an original necklace or bracelet. This activity can help young ones with fine motor skills. While they are beading you can also play some child friendly music, there are loads of childrens song's out there. This will add some excitment to this activity.

When doing activities with kids the most important thing is having fun. If the kids are having fun and getting along then you have achieved your goal. Making the craft/activity educational is also important. Remember if you are trying to teach them something to make it fun. If you get boring the kids will not listen. When planning activities make sure to let the parents know what you are doing that way the parents of the kids can make sure the kids have the appropriate cloths on. You don't want to have the kid's come in designer jeans and shirt's only to have paint splattered on them, that tends to make for unhappy parents.

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