By Natalie Williams, Director, West Lakes Early Learning Center
Summer is coming! At West Lakes Early Learning Center we know keeping your children engaged can be an exhausting and sometimes expensive challenge. But don’t lose hope! We’ve got some ideas. Here are some free and affordable ideas for having a great time with your kids:
Open Up a Book
Libraries are full of adventures bound in between covers and they are indoors! Even if your kids aren’t into books, there are other fun and free activities at the library. The Orlando Public Library offers free arts & crafts and reading events for children nearly every day of the week.
Beat the Heat
The biggest challenge of summer in Florida is the heat. Find the balance of play time indoors and play time outdoors. Both are very important to exploration, social interactions and physical development. You can engage your children outdoors by simply taking them to a community pool or hooking up an inexpensive sprinkler to your garden hose. Even a small bucket with some plastic cups or bath toys can lead to some cool fun!
Sensory Play
Sensory play includes Slime, Goop, Play-Dough, and any textured items that drive your child’s imagination. This is a perfect activity when you need to work around the house. You can find online recipes for all of the above for endless hours of fun!
Imagination Station
Summer time is the best time to allow your child to fall in love with the Arts. You can accomplish this at home by encouraging them to explore through their imagination. Allowing children to explore through their imagination in the comfort of their own home is part of what they have limited access to during the school year. So encourage and support their desire to build a rocket ship to Mars with a cardboard box, paint with leaves or under the stars, drum on pots, build towers and robots with recycled items, write stories, and mix colors. Even our youngest learners require these experiences so strap them into their high chair for safe monitoring and have your infant explore ice! Allow their imagination to run and soar in discovery of the Arts and whatever their hearts desire.
Have fun with your kids this summer without breaking the bank. We look forward to opening our doors to West Lakes this coming Fall! In the meantime, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out via email at WestlakesELC@adventhealth.com or by phone at (407) 609-3960. We now have an office at Lift Orlando offices at 2043 Jacobs Place, so feel free to stop by and say hello anytime! Don’t forget your children! I am excited to meet them too!