If you’ve ever lived in Florida, you know that summers here can make outdoor play with your children almost unbearable.  Just step foot out of your door and you’re met with either a sweltering wave of heat and humidity, or a downpour! Taking the kids outside to play often becomes a dreaded part of your day and, at times, can be unsafe. Sun damage, thunderstorms, and bug bites are all dangers that come with the territory.

So how can you keep your cool when stuck indoors with kids who are out of school for the summer? We searched the web for some fun indoor activities to keep preschool through elementary school age children busy, plus help boost brain power over the summer.

Here are seven ways to have some cool fun out of the sun:

1. Math Fact Islands is a great DIY game for keeping your child’s computation skills sharp this summer. Check out this link for more details –> 
2. Marshmallow Popper Math is a favorite among kids because who doesn’t love shooting marshmallows around? With this version, however, kids will gain math skills when you have them measuring the distance of their shots, comparing their shots to others, and totaling them up in the end. Follow the link for further instructions –> http://to.pbs.org/U9DSUy
3. Building a Rocket Ship is the one activity that your child will remember for years. It’s a great way to tap into your child’s imagination as they dream about all of the cool places that their rocket will take them! They’ll love you for this one and you’ll love that they’re learning about measurements and construction. –> 
4. Making a Rainbow-Colored Water Xylophone is a quick and easy way to nurture your child’s love of music and to teach them about sound.                                                                                                 Click here to see how it’s made  –> http://to.pbs.org/1b0JpTc
5. Cooking and Baking are both great indoor activities that you can do with your children. Through cooking and baking, you can teach your children how to follow a recipe, how to measure ingredients, and you can familiarize them with fractions. Here are some delicious recipes to try with your kids –> http://bzfd.it/1UdqwVB
6. Reading aloud is the tried and true way to keep your child’s mind active when they’re stuck inside. You should let them choose books that they are interested in and make sure that they are at their reading level. Pay attention to what they read and ask them questions about it afterwards to get them to think critically.
7. Card Games and Board Games are both fun activities that you can get the whole family involved in. Card games and board games are a great way to challenge your children mentally and teach them how to win with humility and lose with dignity. It’s important to remember not to let your child win every game. When your child loses a game, it provides you with the perfect opportunity to teach them how to handle a loss and not winning every game will make them appreciate it more when they do win.

At Cranium, we believe in striking a balance between work and play. We believe that when summer rolls around, this balance should be kept in mind because exploration and discovery do not stop when the rain starts or when it gets too hot outside. The indoor activities listed above should help keep your children entertained and educated during the summer months when inclement weather has them stuck inside. Keep boredom at bay the Cranium way!