Hot sunny days are back again! Do you remember your childhood, when summer meant going out to the garden and plucking mangoes, or enjoying cool pieces of watermelon and ice-cream, or even the fun reunions and vacation trips with cousins and family members?
While our childhood had such wonderful memories, kids these days show no signs of going out and enjoying their holidays – they are only glued to their phones or video games. After a busy year at school, all that they want to do is sleep, watch TV and play games on their gadgets.
But here’s how you can make it fun and productive for them – choose from any of these 5 interesting activities below and make this summer a healthy and memorable one for both you and your family!
1. Masterchef at home!
The hot sunny weather often makes us feel dehydrated and low on energy. It is important to ensure that everyone at home is healthy and hydrated. An average adult should drink at least a minimum of 2 -3 litres of water per day, while ensuring the kids have a minimum of 1 – 2 litre water intake.
Get your children to help you while you prepare juices at home. Transform a simple lemonade or mango juice into a funky smoothie recipe!
Try this out: Mango Pineapple Smoothie
- Chop the mango and pineapple into fine cubes.
- Add the chopped fruit cubes into a blender. Top it up with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Add sugar if required and blend well.
- Garnish with mint leaves and serve it in a long glass with ice cubes
Add a summer twist:
You can also add a small piece of ginger or a splash of vanilla essence to make the drink more exotic!
While you are at it, do not forget to keep the animals in the vicinity also well hydrated.
Leave a bowl of water outside your house, and ensure your kid is responsible for refilling the bowl. It will make them feel good about themselves while also helping the animals and birds around.
2. Exercise, not extra fries!
Summer is the time to avoid eating oily, greasy and unhealthy food that will leave you feeling sick. So, switch to having vegetables and fruits that will leave you fresh and hydrated. As for keeping yourself light on your feet and ensuring your mind and body is fresh, don’t forget to exercise.
If a workout session in the gym is leaving you sweaty and exhausted, why don’t try some fun exercises with your children? Join a swimming class, take Aqua Zumba classes, or even better – teach your child how to swim yourself! One hour of swimming easily burns up to 500 calories while strengthening and toning your body.
Or want to stay indoors? Then try out simple yoga asanas with your children. Not only will it improve their flexibility, it will also make them calm, and develop their confidence and concentration.
If yoga is too boring, then bust out a few dance numbers and get grooving with your kids! Make it more fun by getting the entire family to participate and choreograph a few dance steps together – film it, send it across to your relatives and show them your cool moves!
3. Head out for a vacation
If you don’t want to spend the summer coped up at home, this is the time to go exploring! Apart from just a regular tour, why don’t you make it something special for the children?
If they have never visited their ancestral home and village, now is the right time to take them! Let them see life apart from the city – an experience they will cherish forever! Get them to join you on the farms, and help you in picking fresh fruits right from the trees. Let their hands get dirty and involve them in gathering and harvesting the produce.
The colors, the culture and fresh food, straight from the farm will be something new for them, while it will bring back lot of your childhood memories.
If you have been regularly taking them to your ancestral village, this time instead choose a trekking or camping expedition along a riverside. Go river rafting, climb up rocks, learn how to cook food on campfires, how to set up a tent – this endless list of activities will cover your daily quota of exercise and will also help you refresh your mind and soul as most of these trips restrict access to mobile phones. So unwind and enjoy!
Ensure you start planning for these trips well ahead to cut down on last minute cost hikes. With Equitas Visa Debit Cards enjoy a host of exclusive offers on your travel, and get free domestic lounge access.
4. Learn a new skill
A healthy mind and healthy body leads to a happier and peaceful life. While most of us focus on improving out physical health, we often forget about improving our intellectual abilities, and the best way to do that is by learning new things.
Summer is often reminiscent of board games that helped us concentrate and think strategically. These games ensured we acquired logical reasoning skills, and helped boost our critical thinking.
Most kids these days however don’t know how to play games like Chess, Snake and Ladders, Carrom, or even Ludo, so why not get them started this summer?
If you want to do something different, then try learning a new language along with your children. Not only does it improve their knowledge, it also opens up the platform to explore a new culture.
Several places offer exclusive classes during summer for durations lasting 2-4 weeks – pick from your choice of language, be it an Indian regional language or even foreign languages like French or German. Knowledge of another language along with boosting up your confidence, will also prove helpful at work for you, so why wait?
5. Rejuvenate your skin
After the harsh summer, your skin is bound to feel dull and tired. Instead of spending time at the parlor to rejuvenate your skin, why not try some Do It Yourself (DIY) skin care therapy along with your family? You don’t even have to step out and buy anything exclusive or expensive!
Get your children involved in making these skincare packs with simple ingredients available right at home, and try it along with all your family members to make your skin glow:
Mint and Cucumber Face Pack
- Slice a cucumber into small pieces.
- Add fresh mint leaves to the cucumber pieces, and put them in a blender.
- Now add in some honey, and blend it until it combines into a smooth paste.
- Apply it to on your face and neck, and leave it on for 15 minutes.
- Wash it off with cold water and then pat your skin dry.
Make these moments more memorable by clicking photos together with the entire family. Along with this, also make small changes to your skincare routine to help your skin stay smooth and healthy.
It is also important to maintain a diet rich in anti-oxidants so ensure you have Oranges, Lemons, Tomatoes, Carrots, Pomegranate, and Spinach to keep your skin smooth and glowing. And most importantly, drink lots and lots of water.
Travel Together. Dine Together. Shop Together. Bank Together
While it is important to get your children started on their journey towards health and happiness, it is equally necessary that they start saving early. Get them their first bank account with their favorite choice of numbers at Equitas Bank.
Group their accounts to your account with Family Banking, and enjoy freedom from maintaining balances in multiple accounts, so they can get started on saving without any worries.
With exclusive offers on travel, dining, and shopping, take your banking experience to the next level with Equitas Small Finance Bank. To know more, visit www.equitasbank.com
Make the best out of this summer by spending time together with your family. Happy Holidays!GIF Courtesy: Tenor
