Your Summer 2016 Bucket List: 40 Fun Things to Do with Your Child

It’s summer once again, which means the kids will be home everyday (and complaining "I'm bored!") for at least two months. Make the most of this season by filling their days with activities and fun to-dos. Here are a 40 great summer ideas: 

1 Ask them to make a summer journal

Photo from polkadotchair.com

If you’re planning a whole lot of activities for the family this summer, encourage your child to make a journal. Not only will he have a cherished keepsake when summer’s over, it will also help keep up with his writing skills outside of the school year. Here’s how you can make one.   


2 Jump for joy at a trampoline park 



Hopout the door to Jump Yard, the country’s first trampoline park. Jump Yard features a dodgeball court, basketball rings (where slam dunk dreams come true), foam pits for jumping into, a wall climb, balance beams, monkey bars and foam bags. Read more about them here.

Looking for more activities for your very active child? Check out this list.

3 Chill out with sweet ice-cold summer treats

 Photo from yummy.ph

Beat the heat with chilly desserts! Whip up the all-time Pinoy favorite ice candy, some fun and fruity ice pops or the classic ginataang saging at sago. These and three more delicious summer recipes can be found here at Yummy.ph. 


4 Read at a book café 

Photo from spot.ph

Get your kids excited about reading by taking them to a book café. It’s like a library, your kids’ (and yours, too!) favorite bestselling books, sans the academic journals. Find a list of 10 book cafés all around the metro here at Spot.ph. 


5 Enhance your child’s Filipino speaking and writing skills

Photo from The Learning Library/Facebook

Filipino is a rich and beautiful language. Give your child the tools to wield it by enrolling him in the Speak Up Write Now: Filipino workshop conducted by The Learning Library. Check out all their other reading, writing and speaking workshops, too, while you’re at it.  

6 Make easy-peasy crafts

 Photo from lapommeliving.com

On days when you just want to relax and chill, you need a nice quiet crafting session where kids can be occupied for at least two hours and requires very little effort on your part. Here are three recycling crafts where each needs no more than five things to make. 

7. Try archery

 Photo from Archery Academy/Facebook

Let your child try her hand at a new sport! Individual sports like archery can also teach your child a lot about discipline and hard work. The Archery Academy in Makati offers a summer workshop especially for kids (for 9 years old and above only).  


8 Color



In case you haven't heard, coloring's not just for kids anymore. Have a coloring book session with your child: one for her, and an adult version for you. If you don’t own one yet, drop by the nearest bookstore--there's loads to choose from! We particularly like the Hue Can Do It series as the illustrations are quirky enough for kids to love, too. They're available at all major bookstores. 

9 Visit a farm right here in the metro


Introduce your kid to nature this summer! The Jensen Kinder Farm is all about organic farming, and it's well-equipped to make sure your children learn about plants and animals while having fun at the same time. There are plots with growing crops, an array of tools, prepared kid-friendly agriculture lessons, poultry and fish, and soon an aquaponics system. Read more about them here. 


10 Plant succulents

Don’t have room to garden? Grow succulents instead, which are even easy to maintain. Get your own succulents from these four plant shops on Instagram. (Tip: ask SmartyPlantsPH if they have a plant-it-yourself kit on hand).


11 Have a movie/tv show marathon


Screencapped from iflix.com

Lazy summer days are inevitable. Bring out the ice pops, cushions and popcorn, and have yourself a movie or TV show marathon. Check out streaming service iFlix, which boasts of a huge library of kid-safe programs. iFlix offers a 30-day free trial which you can sign up for with just an email address.


12 Cook with the kids



One of the best cooking books aimed at parents and kids published last year was Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!) by Deanna Cook. It was even included in NPR's top children's books of the year. Get it for you and the kids for fun times in the kitchen. 

Find short culinary arts classes your child will enjoy here!


13 Play pretend in Kidzania



Kidzania Manila is the ultimate role-playing mini-metropolis where kids get to be pilots, firemen, doctors and even rockstars for a day. Plus, they’ve recently added a few establishments (Milo Stadium, McDonald's Burger Shop, ABS-CBN TV Studio and the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant)  that your child might want to try.  


14 Go to DiksyonaryoAtbp’s Summer Reading Camp

Spend the whole of Sunday, April 17, surrounded by readers and books at the Summer Reading Camp by DiksyonaryoAtbp. There will be teepees set up and a reading corner, a storytelling corner and an advocacy corner, all to promote a genuine love for Filipino stories and reading to kids. Did we mention it’s free? Read more about it here. 

15 Get a mom-and-me mani-pedi


 

Screencapped from californianailsanddayspa.com

Get pampered and go to a nail spa together. California Nails and Day Spa offer a bunch of services for kids. Your child can choose from a Cupcake Pedicure, a Milky Way Facial or a Diva Massage, among other things. Sounds lovely! 


1 6 Spend an afternoon at a play café



A place for both parent and child, Hello Munchkins is a café with one side set up as a café and the other a play area. You can enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend while your child happily plays with other children just across the room. Read more about it here. If you find a liking for the place, ask about their summer camp schedule and regular weekly activities.  


17 Marvel at hot air balloons

Photo from spot.ph

See towering and colorful hot air balloons in person at the Lubao International Balloon Festival. It's the biggest hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia, and it's happening from April 14 to 17 at the Pradera Verde, Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. Read more about it here. 

 18 Have a Venetian experience without going to Italy

Photo from VenicePiazza/Facebook

Would you believe that we have our very own Grand Canal right in the heart of Metro Manila? Well, something inspired by it, anyway. It’s found at The Piazza at Venice in McKinley Hill and it just recently opened. Anyone up for a gondola ride? 

19 Teach your child a few chores



Screencapped from ChoreMonster/Vimeo

With homework out of the way, summer is a great time for kids to learn a few chores. Chores not only teach kids responsibility, but a sense of mastery, self-reliance and empathy, too. Assign age-appropriate chores to your children and get them to actually do them with the help of these apps.  


20 Teach your child basic money lessons

Photo from cbs.com.ph

It’s never too early to start saving. Start your child’s money lessons this summer by introducing her to money-related topics like saving, spending and costs. This article will help you out. Plus, you can also encourage her to save by opening a bank account that's all hers. The one above, China Bank Savings Easi-Save Kids, only requires an initial balance of P500. 


21 Take (really good) photos

Photo from ayalamuseum.org

Got a child who loves to snap photos on your phone? Let him explore his interest and build his skills by letting him join a photography class at the Ayala Museum. Its Photography for Kids workshop is for children ages 6 to 11. 


22 Try out the giant slide at Slidefest

Slidefest Philippines is back for another summer! The biggest family-friendly giant slip-and-slide event in the country will let you and the whole whole family find out what it’s like to whizz by on a 1,000 feet-long slide. Don't miss it on April 16 to 17 at Filinvest City, Alabang. 


23 Hang out with Po at Dreamplay



The world’s first Dreamworks-inspired, education-based interactive playplace, Dreamplay, has added some new attractions since it first opened in Manila last year. Try the DinoTrux Repair Game, How To Fly Your Dragon and the Vertical Wall of Awesomeness.   


24 Investigate a crime scene

Photo from themindmuseum.org

Got a budding detective? Let your child experience what it's like to solve a crime at The Mind Museum. Its award-winning educational program Crime Scene Investigation 101 challenges the kids to analyze evidence and solve a mystery, just like a real-life detective.  


25 Make and appreciate art and culture

Photo from ayalamuseum.org

Spend some time together making art by enrolling in Ayala Museum's Mommy and Me: Sensory Art Activities for Young Ones. You and your child will create your own higante, decorate a mini hot air balloon, make headdresses and more. First session starts on April 9.   

Cultivate your child's artistic inclinations with these short summer classes!

26 Go horseback riding

 Photo from iamasupermommy.blogspot.com

You don’t have to go all the way to Tagaytay to go horseback riding. Pook Ligaya Riding Stables is located in Isadora Hills, Quezon City. 

27 Customize your own LEGO minifigure

Photo from LEGO Certified Store PH/Facebook

Wouldn’t your child love a LEGO minifigure resembling him? Not only can he build one, he can also customize a keychain, play with LEGOs and take home a few starter sets at the Philippines' one and only LEGO certified store which opened in Taguig just last year. They also have the Monthly Mini Build where kids get to build a small LEGO figure and take it home with them for free. 

 28 Eat at a bento café

 Photo from Oh, Bento/Facebook

Yes, there is a café dedicated to cutely-arranged Japanese food in the metro! It’s called Oh, Bento Café and they have everything from ebi tempura bento to the all-day breakfast tapa bento. Oh, Bento is located at Solenad 3 in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa Laguna.


29 Explore the wonders of the ocean

Learn about the sea and marvel at all the different sea creatures Manila Ocean Park has to offer. They’ve got great summer deals from March 1 to May 31 that you might want to check out. 

30 Get behind a good cause

Spend a day of altruism and teach your child the value of charity by signing up to volunteer for a good cause. Find one what suits you and your child, and what causes you can get behind with iVolunteer Philippines. 

31 Soar on a flying trapeze

 Photo from trapeze.ph

Be daredevils and go on a flying trapeze together! Flying Trapeze Philippines offers the first and only flying trapeze experience in the Philippines. Flying Trapeze Philippines is located at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 


32 Go on a staycation



Vacations don’t have to be expensive. Go on a staycation (a vacation within the metro) and stay at hotels that offer rooms for P3,500 and below. Find a list of them here. All the hotels included have amenities that make sure the kids will have a swell time. 


33 Play board games at a board game café 

Restaurants aren’t usually very fun for kids, but add board games into the equation and your kid might even put down that iPad. There are loads of board game cafés you and the kids can check out. Puzzles: Board Game Lounge is one of our favorites since they have kid-friendly games and comfy beanbag seats. 


34 Visit a factory

Photo from Gardenia Philippines/Facebook

Why do field trips for preschoolers always involve a visit to a factory? Because it’s not just fascinating and fun, it’s educational, too. See how Gardenia manages to bake huge amounts of bread a day by visiting their factory. Hint: it’s all done by machines! 

35 Go outside and get moving

Photo from R.O.X. Philippines/Facebook

Get moving and join R.O.X. Philippine's Outdoor Festival. It's a family-friendly event with loads of workshops, exhibits, competitions, games, shows and activities where everyone gets to enjoy the outdoors. It's happening from April 16 to 17 at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig and registration is free.  


36 Help your child earn his own money

Photo from hillcrestschool.ca

There are lots of productive things your child can do this summer and one of them is, yes, work and earn money. From watering the neighbors' plants to running his own sago't gulaman stand, think of a money-making idea that will suit your child's individual skills and interests. Here's a list of 10 to help you out.  

37 Cool off with ice cream

 Photo from gelatobono.com

Ice cream is arguably the perfect hot-summer-day treat. And with Bono Gelato’s taho-inspired gelato, we’re prepared to dive into a heated debate with anyone who disagrees. Try it out and see what we mean. 


38 Go fried chicken-hopping

Photo from spot.ph

There’s no question about it; kids love fried chicken. But there’s also no doubt in our minds that you’re probably sick and tired of the usual fast food fried chicken. Grant your kid’s request without going for the same-old by checking out this list of top 10 fried chicken places in Manila by Spot.ph.  


39 Play apps

Sure, too much screen time isn't doing kids any good, but it's a different story when it's for family bonding. Make use of technology to bond with the family with game apps like Heads Up, Reverse Charades and Party Doodles. See more of our suggestions here. 


40 Teach your child some skills

Can your child build a kite, whistle, rollerblade or do a cartwheel? Granted these are not absolutely necessary life skills, but they do make childhood summers more memorable and enjoyable.  And that's what summers are for! Check out our list of 9 fun summer skills here.