On April 30, our Professional Development Program Manager Coco McAtee appeared on Fox 4's morning news show to discuss what results of a recent study on child care might mean for your child's development. Click here to visit Fox 4 News.

Are you ready for the summer? How do plan to break the monotony of having kids home all day, every day? Kansas City has lots of activities to offer families and we'll give you tips for at home activities too.

Why offer your child structured activities?

• Make your summer enjoyable with your kids
• Expose your kids to new experiences
• Help transition from school structure
• Break up the monotony for your child

Tips to keep in mind

• Keep kids interested, but not overwhelmed
• Give a light structure to day
• Consider a camp experience for your child
• Search "School's Out" guide in libraries or online

Summer Boredom Busters
In addition to growing taller over the summer, find fun ways to help your child grow his or her brainpower, confidence, creativity and coordination. Hopefully, the following activities will give you ideas to stimulate your child's thinking in fun ways to avoid the summer boredom blues.

Infants

• Music helps connect synapses in the brain, making your babies brain smarter," said Heather Waterfield, Infant/Toddler Specialist at The Family Conservancy. Sing to you baby, make up rhymes or sing along with the radio to help stimulate your baby's brain
• Babies learn by doing, and sensory play is a great way to stimulate different areas of the brain, and help children with new experiences. Try offering your baby a variety of materials:
  • Smells: summer herbs and flowers, like lavender, rosemary, basil
  • Tastes: new summer fruits and vegetables (WARNING: offer only one new food per week to check on allergic reactions and stay away from citrus the first year)
  • Sounds: listen to the sounds of summer - children playing, dogs barking, water splashing - comment on the sounds that you are hearing
  • Sights: talk to your baby about the colors of summer ... pretty flowers, the blue sky, the yellow sun or green grass
  • Touch: water play is very stimulating ... let it run through your baby's hands, or splash in a baby pool. Use items like cups, funnels and spoons with the water (WARNING: Never leave a child unattended near water as a child can drown in as little as one inch of water)

Toddlers

• "Toddlers like to practice new skills by doing them over and over. Repetition promotes brain development," said Suzanne Grace, a Licensed Master Social Worker at The Family Conservancy. Play games that allow kids to repeat actions, such as "Ring Around the Rosey," "Duck Duck Goose" or dancing the "Hokey Pokey."
• Find a form of exercise that both you and your child can enjoy, such as taking walks or even dancing around the house. Exercise increases oxygen to the brain, improving short-term memory and stimulating creativity.
• Blowing bubbles promotes all kinds of development: popping them with your fingers promotes dexterity; stomping on them promotes physical coordination; blowing one bubble at a time promotes deep breathing, which helps children relax and control their emotions; and blowing bubbles and not popping them allows for a child to learn self control.
• Sing with your child. People generally have a positive emotional reaction to songs; and positive emotions are important in helping a child's brain develop appropriately.

Preschool children

• Drawing with sidewalk chalk helps children identify colors, while promoting hand/eye coordination and creativity. Put on a swim suit, go outside and get creative with sidewalk chalk.
• Cleaning out the garage together helps children learn to be organized, and pushing a broom helps a child develop physical coordination.
• Your local library provides many summer activities for young children - including reading groups, activities, story telling, crafts and field trips.
• Make a match game with art/craft supplies that can be used by younger kids to learn shapes, colors and letters.
• Plant and maintain a garden or flowers with your child, promoting family togetherness. Through this project children develop dexterity by digging and dropping in the seeds, learn about the needs of living things by watering the seeds and watching them sprout into plants.
• Visit the recycled materials center in the Children's Museum. Make a wonderful three dimensional creation using the materials you find ... encouraging your child's creative ideas.