As I walk pass my daughters’ rooms carrying a laundry basket, I hear our younger one (7) telling the teenager (15): “Only boring people are bored!” She runs quickly back to her room knowing that her older sister won’t like her for repeating my favorite motto. Though I truly believe that statement, I must admit that it can be hard sometimes to keep the youngest residents of the household entertained and busy. Especially during the summer months I feel like there should be adventures of all kinds happening on almost daily basis, but it is hard to provide while having a full time job and many other responsibilities.
I grew up playing spooky scavenger hunts in the mountain forest, having a contests with my cousins in wild mushroom and berry picking or playing the Clue board game on a stormy night! It is hard to compete with my parents, I must say!
A great way to entertain your youngsters is to simply invite more children to your home. Kids love kids and having guests can make your job actually easier! What you do need to do is feed them the right kind of ideas or to steer their own activities the right direction. Try to visit the dollar section of Target or Wal-Mart or visit your nearest Dollar Tree store. You can buy cheap décor to dress up a patio for an afternoon tea party! Or surprise them by putting up little lanterns or extra lighting to make the room (or patio) more festive. Reading a spooky book makes for a great alternative to the traditional movie night. 
You can also look through your closet for old pillow cases. Have the children use permanent non-toxic markers or crayons to make personalized pillows!
Even if our hot Texas weather may not allow for many outdoors activities, you can bring some of them inside of the house! Create the illusion of camping by allowing the children to sleep on the floor in their sleeping bags. If you have enough space, you can set up a tent and let them use flashlights instead of the regular house lights. 
For older children who still want engage in games, you can organize a “talking circle”. Obtain as many envelopes as there are persons in the room and write a name on each envelope. Hand out little pieces of paper and pens. Have each child write something positive about all the other children in the room and put each message in the respective envelope. At the end each child gets an envelope with their name and reads their messages.
photo credit / Duke Morse Photography
What to do the next morning when everybody wakes up? You can prepare a fun breakfast! Almost every child likes pancakes and if you have guests with food allergies, you can make them with coconut flour (gluten free) or they can be also prepared without eggs and milk. Children (and adults) love bite-size treats and they may be easier to handle by little ones who may not know how to cut their food yet. Dress the mini pancakes up by various seasonal fruit or use colorful toothpicks to hold them together.
Have fun and enjoy your next summer adventure! Remember, “Only boring people are bored!
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