Summer is definitely here and we need to find ways to cope with the double challenges of children home from school and temperatures in the triple digits. Swimming, water parks, and even running through sprinklers and fountains take your family only so far, and you may find yourself experiencing more than a bit of cabin fever when inside activities seem the only option. Here are a few suggestions for making it through summer’s heat without feeling trapped.

Set up some long-term activities. Board and card games can keep children interacting and entertained as long as you add some elements to liven things up. Think about setting up a series of tournaments with simple prizes for the winners. Or have everyone tackle a more challenging type of game such as backgammon, bridge or chess. If you have an expert in the family recruit them to teach the others. If not, get a few books on strategy from the library or look for expert instruction on the Internet. Make this a weekly event – often enough to keep interest high but not so often that everyone gets bored.

Tackle some redecorating or rearranging projects. You could give each child a budget to spend on paint, inexpensive furniture or anything to make their bedrooms special. You could have a door-decorating contest or encourage them to make one wall in their rooms tell the story of their lives so far. A digital camera and some inexpensive enlargements through your local warehouse store can help each child personalize his or her space.

Create learning opportunities. Take trips to the zoo or local museums. Encourage every family member to look into areas that interest them and report back to everyone else about what they’ve learned. Use the summer months to support reading for fun with regular visits to the library, taking advantage of the activities they offer such as summer reading programs.

And for more ideas on getting through the summer, take a look at our Pinterest Board: Summer Fun, at https://www.pinterest.com/fultonhomes/summer-fun/.