Sounds crazy, huh! Agree gadget-free, but organic… collaboration… and in summer, how? What do they have in common? There is a lot kids can do when freed from stringent schedules and grueling academic requirements. Summers are nostalgic for me and most memories close to my heart are from summers. Growing up in the 80s when computers didnt exist, summers were indeed organic.

For parents, summer is by far the most challenging period to engage the busy, mischievous little scamps for 2 lloonngg months, let alone satisfying their insatiable need for snacks, desserts, and bottles and bottles of water… not just for themselves but for their neighborhood chums too.

Pandemic, technology, warmer temperatures, and crowded places have all changed the summer code for children. Working mom or a stay@home mom, engaging children productively 24/7 is a herculean task.

How is collaboration organic?

In the absence of a purpose, resisting gadgets is hard. Long gone are the times when children got roasted playing in the sun or chatting under the trees, collecting sticks, stones for memorabilia, playing ball with self-made rules, running around with friends, and returning home thoroughly soiled. My mother found it hard to wash the sand off my hair every day. Evenings meant board games, my sister and I played on the terrace with neighbors’ kids. On lone days, we created models with paper and scrap. Full moon nights guaranteed a dinner on the moonlit terrace with other families. We dozed off making our beds under the open sky, gazing at the moon and stars, making up our own constellations, or sharing ghost stories. Waking up to the sound of chirping birds and early sunlight, we busybodies got off to an early start for the day.

Back then, parents didn’t have to think out of the box to entertain children. We discovered our games, squabbled over rules, resolved issues, defended, and stuck to each other in harmony during trouble. Collaboration was at the core of every activity. Tech-free made them organic. Now, I find it hard to recreate similar experiences for my children in the absence of a network.

Now, let’s jump right in!

With limited available resources and support systems, planning a valuable summer is indeed challenging for most parents. As a mom of 2, I am constantly looking to make memorable moments with my children growing away fast into teens. As an educator, I am looking for opportunities to enable them to appreciate simple things and learn from them.

Tried and appreciated, here are 10+ gadget-free organic ideas, that teach collaboration and have you sorted for this summer.

1. Raise a garden together

Curious little minds love watching germinating seeds and get messy with mud and water. Nurturing is in our genome, and what better way can there be than entrusting them with the responsibility of tending a garden they raised.

Watering them every day is a chore they would do voluntarily or with a little reminder. It is a moment of pride for them to share their experience with friends. These little people are more likely to grow nature-friendly and environment-conscious in their teen/adult years, a much-needed instinct for the planet.

2. Sharing household chores

“Anyone who eats should learn to cook” is one of my core principles. So, in our home, everyone living under the same roof partakes in its upkeep.

With bite-size chunks of tasks, I engage my children in taking care of household chores. They partake in settling the furniture or placing things where they belonged, folding clothes, or washing their plate or a cup. We started having a neater home for longer periods of time. Above all, this brought a sense of ownership in them, an understanding of the importance, and their responsibility towards keeping our living premises organized.

3. Discover the little chef

The kitchen is the best chemistry lab and there is no safer place for kids to experiment under supervision. With proper step-by-step instructions and uncompromising fixed rules about fire, gas, and knives, I trained my children to function independently in our kitchen to thrive in my absence.

Pandemic did bring an opportunity for many kids to explore cooking and baking. My 9-yr old son has been bringing me tea every evening. On days when my son is bored, a watermelon does the trick. He is proud of being the “best watermelon juice maker” in the world. Watermelon juice vendor in the making! (Clearing the mess, keeping it under the wraps. :D)

All in all, an essential skill to their credentials over a few summers.

4. Explore new skills

Summer is a time to unwind and learn many new things self-paced. Children can hop, skip and jump between new encounters every day. With YouTube, it’s a bounty.

Mastering new skills enable neural pathways in the brain. They learn new perspectives, and bodily adaptations to cope and achieve mastery of the activity. Most non-academic skills have a direct positive influence on academic performance. Exploring new skills via online media sites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc offers self-directed learning free of cost.

Exploring self-paced and pursuing them gives them the pride of being widely skilled, an experience to cherish with friends when they go back to school.

5. Pantry manager

Assigning your little seasonal ‘bottomless pits’ the role of a pantry manager could be the most befitting role during summer.

You will soon notice the paradigm shift from “I want” to “we need” mentality. The idea of family depending on their role as a food manager maintaining the list makes them feel like the most indispensable person in the family. (Make sure they don’t forget to include the items needed for the actual kitchen too. :))

Helping make a grocery list, assisting in picking up the inventory from the market, and organizing the pantry is an experience that the little fidgets would enjoy, leaving the parents amused.

6. Drawing schedule for a family game/activity

Drafting out a timetable for the family’s group games and activities excites children. Adults could use game weekends and group activities with their friends along with children. Chatting, arguing, and laughing over games could offer refreshing evenings for both adults and children.

Facilitating children to come up with insane ideas for the whole summer kicks their creative juices flowing. You will be surprised how creatively they would come up with crazy ideas, to keep themselves busy all through summer.

7. Read a story/book every day

Summer is a time for catching up stress-free on areas that require attention. Reading a book every day encourages children to spend their time effectively, as parents relish some quiet. Reading improves vocabulary, a great advantage as they move up a grade.

Sign-up for an online library or visit a nearby library once a week/fortnight. Choosing their own comics or storybooks and the arrival of new books create excitement for reading.

8. Local outdoor picnics (at least once a week)

Most families, take a long vacation and often get back to the grind thereafter.

We prefer visiting outdoor spots over indoor parties or celebrations.

Weekly outdoor trips to a local beach or park, visit to a museum, library, bank, planetarium, or simply an ice cream trip offer a chance to unwind without the pressure of planning.

9. Playdates

“Babysitting all day makes a mom a dull and tired girl”. Sending kids off to playdates gives moms a break. If you have a network of friends, taking turns to host a play date within the group helps resets a mom each week.

You can initiate them into writing a play and enacting it for the parent audience. I reminisce actively involved in secret theatre – writing plays with my friends, taking roles, practicing, and costume preparation. When ready we performed our act for our parent audience on the terrace.

Evening picnics, pot luck lunches, and open sky dinners with friends add more delight to the party.

10. Write letters to friends

Meeting friends during vacation is a luxury that I didn’t grow up with.

I still carry a fond memory of reading/writing letters from my friends and cousins – a long-lost tradition during holidays. It was an endearing experience as I look back, writing letters after rewriting multiple drafts to derive ‘that’ perfect letter. Creative writing at its best. The excitement that revolves around receiving a letter, responding to it, until it is dropped at the post office is priceless.

The charm of receiving a letter from a dear one is forgotten to gadgets and technology. You can enable this to relive your childhood memories through your children, an experience they will be thankful for.

11. Pick a cause, form a Club

How do we convey to our children the value of caring for the hapless? Participating and working towards a cause has a deeper impact on children than merely preaching about the same values.

As a little girl, a lesson about the importance of trees left me thinking deeply. I swore to protect the earth and did not allow a single piece of paper thrown into the trash. My mother and sister supported my belief. We procured paper of every kind and periodically sent it for repurposing. Although a lame activity, it was the farthest memory of myself primitively working for a cause I made up and putting my energy to action. As an adult, now my lifestyle revolves around eco-friendly habits.

More organic activities and games here.

• Make a tent, pretend forest night
• Theatre plays
• Paper mache
• Play dress-up
• and more

I believe,

Children pick virtues from everything around them and discover their purpose. Some values are best taught by adults setting an example, while leadership and interpersonal skills are developed through interaction, hands-on activities, and collaboration.

“Personality is a reflection of nature and nurture.” Children grow as silent observers watching, imitating, consuming, and soaking their little minds to shape who they might likely want to become someday. Every activity has a teachable value in our daily life. Making the most of it through play-way activities definitely engages them and builds their character.

Believe me, they will love you and respect you for your guidance, patience, and insights. Above all, you are helping them make the best memories!

Poornima Sunkara

Educator/Orator facilitating eclectic, collaborative, interactive learning