We are in the home stretch of this school year, and if you’re anything like me, you might be mildly panicking at the thought of keeping your kids from whining “I’m bored” every two minutes for the next three months. To preserve my sanity, a friend and I decided on themes for each weekday to occupy our kids and have some ideas in advance when the panic of an unplanned day sets in.
Move-It Mondays
After a low-key weekend, the kids usually have energy to burn. Mondays are going to be all about getting the wiggles out and maybe even tiring them out enough for an afternoon nap.
Metro Gymnastics Camp – Kids four and up can spend the morning tumbling and flipping at Metro Gymnastics.
Jump!Zone – If you have a Venture Pass, you can get in for free. If not, it’s a relatively inexpensive place for the kids to jump their crazies out.
Elevation Trampoline Park – Another freebie if you have a Venture Pass. This is a great way for kids over two to master that front flip into a foam pit.
Martin Nature Park – A fun place to see some wildlife without going to the zoo. The new and improved visitor center should open soon and the playground is one of the best around!
Mitch Park and Hafer Park in Edmond and Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City have paved trails for bike rides or just a quick jog chasing your kid.
Travel Tuesdays
This is the perfect day to visit all of the fun places outside of the metro area. We love to pack a lunch so we can spend the whole day playing.
Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum – A real train and an airplane cockpit make this a favorite for my boys.
Leonardo’s Children’s Museum – Bring extra clothes when you visit because there is a water area in the outdoor playground and the kids can’t resist getting soaked.
Oklahoma WONDERtorium – This kid’s museum in Stillwater is better suited for the younger crowd, and as a bonus, you can stop and have lunch at Eskimo Joe’s on your way home!
Sam Noble Museum – Norman is a fun place to visit on its own, but this museum tops it off! My dinosaur-obsessed preschooler is always in awe of the giant dinosaur skeletons.
Oklahoma Aquarium in Tulsa – The otters are the cutest part of the aquarium and if you get done quickly, you can also visit the Tulsa Children’s Museum before heading home.
Pick-your-own farms – My kids loved peach picking at Wind Drift Orchards last year and the bags of juicy peaches were my favorite part of the summer.
Orr Family Farms – We haven’t visited yet, but it is on our list for this summer! I think my sons will spend hours on that giant slide!
Water Wednesdays
We didn’t use our neighborhood pool as much as we should have last summer, so I’m hoping putting it on the weekly lineup will get us there more often. We also want to visit:
Our local splash pad – My sons range from 2 to 7 and all three of them can spend hours at the splash pad.
Andy Alligator’s Water Park – This is another freebie if you have a Venture Pass. Even if you don’t, this is a fun water park for younger kids. It is usually less crowded than White Water and the smaller size makes it more manageable.
White Water Bay – The ultimate Oklahoma water park. This is a great place to spend the entire day!
Pelican Bay – If you don’t have a neighborhood pool or you just get bored of it, Pelican Bay in Edmond is awesome!
The slip and slide and sprinkler-sometimes staying home feels good and turning on the sprinkler or slip and slide keeps you on theme with minimal effort.
Theater Thursdays
Cinemark Tinseltown, AMC Quail Springs, and Harkins Theater downtown all have summer movies showing for around $1 per person. This is a great way to catch up on kid’s films you missed or just relax in a dark air-conditioned room for a few hours.
Fun Fridays
On Fridays, I usually give my kids a chance to plan the activity. We have a jar full of local fun places and they can draw or just decide on their own. Some of our favorites are:
Breakaway Indoor Playground – We usually spend hours here. And we learned the hard way that parents need to wear socks too!
Okie Kids Playground – This one is only for kids under six, but the little ones love it!
Unpluggits Paint & Play – We love the indoor playground for when it is too hot or too rainy to play outside. Kids can also paint ceramics and play with play-doh.
Brickopolis in downtown OKC is our favorite place to putt-putt. There are also arcade games (which my kids love playing without quarters).
Incredible Pizza, Chuck E Cheese and Main Event are all good for occupying kids for a few hours and eating some lunch.
The Playzone at Dynamo Gymnastics – For only $5 per kid, this is one of my favorite places to take the kids. The Playzone is in one confined room so parents can sit and relax, knowing their child cannot escape.
The Oklahoma Railway Museum – This is another place we plan to visit for the first time this summer. We have heard it’s a must-see for little train-lovers.
Edmond Historical Museum – You can’t beat the free admission! This museum features a little old-fashioned town for kids to play in with a store, a bank, a train, and the obvious favorite: the jail!
Summer Nights
Drive-in movies – The Winchester in Oklahoma City and the Beacon in Guthrie are great places to enjoy movies under the stars.
OKC Dodgers games are always a blast. For kids that don’t love sitting still and watching baseball, there are two play areas and a grassy field in the outfield to keep them occupied.
Take an evening cruise on the Bricktown Water Taxi. We love to eat dinner downtown and then take the kids on a “boat adventure”.
And don’t forget to catch a free concert or movie right in your town!
What are your summer boredom busters?
