Summer Activities for Kids in Lincoln
Now that spring break has passed, the next major hiatus from the classroom is summer break and as all of the parents out there are well aware, it will be here before we know it. Right about now many summer activities for kids are being announced and registration deadlines are coming up, so if you’re trying to come up with great ideas or seeking a little bit of guidance, look no further!
The most important benefit of summer activities is that they keep kids active, engaged, and learning while having tons of fun at the same time. With a wide variety of choices, finding the right fight largely depends on the interests of the child, but it’s always great to try something new too.
Sarah Brown – Lincoln DanceCentre
“Take this summer to encourage your child to try something new—especially a creative activity that challenges them,” recommends Sarah Brown of Lincoln DanceCentre (www.lincolndancecentre.com) . “New activities encourage brain development and build your child’s focus, frustration management and impulse control. I also know a lot of parents who are looking for activities that get their kids away from trying to cure boredom by spending time on technological gadgets. Dance is a perfect choice for a diversion from technology, while engaging the mind in creativity and at the same time working on physical fitness. Every summer Lincoln DanceCentre offers classes for almost all ages of dance students taught by our core faculty. We incorporate at least 2 or 3 new classes or dance styles and/or guest faculty members into the summer program to give students exposure to training variety as well. This summer, in response to feedback, we’ll also be focusing on musical theater dance! Our talented faculty member Jenna Richter Nasif spent many years working professionally in New York and abroad performing musical theater, so LDC summer dancers will have a blast!”
Vicki Harris – Harris Academy of the Arts
Speaking of music and the arts, summer is also the perfect opportunity for kids to pursue their interests in any number of musical genres and experiences. “We are proud to announce that Harris Academy of the Arts has become a year-round music education program, offering summer lessons to ensure that students are able to make continued progress towards their goals,” advises Vicki Harris, owner of Harris Academy of the Arts. “We also continue to offer a wide variety of summer classes, designed to provide students with increased opportunities to learn and participate in other aspects of music, outside of the private lesson music experience. Our summer classes aid in maintaining skills and knowledge that were already learned, all while having fun in a relaxed group environment. Class offerings vary widely based on age, instruments, skills, focus and interests. Some of the classes include: Kindermusik, Children’s Music Academy, Rock Band, Vocal Ensembles, Guitar Classes, Group Piano, String Ensembles, Beginning Suzuki Strings, Music Theory, Composition, Drama and much more! A complete listing of classes and detailed information can be viewed at harrisacademyofthearts.com.”
As an ever-popular American pastime, bowling is another great activity that if fun year-round, especially as a cool respite from sweltering temperatures in the summer months. “When the weather heats up, the bowling center can be a great place to keep your kids active for a few hours out of the sun,” advises Jennifer Davis-Korn of 48 Bowl (www.48bowl.com) . “48 Bowl, Inc., better known as Parkway Lanes and Hollywood Bowl, offers a wide range of FREE to affordable kid and family summer activities. Our most popular Kids Bowl Free program is back and registration is already open. This program enables all Lincoln-area youth, ages 5-15, to receive two FREE games of bowling, daily from May 1st through August 30th, 2016. Shoe rental is not included, but a Youth Shoe Pass can be purchased for $10 and is valid for shoe rental for the passholder throughout the duration of the program. Moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers and older children are able to get in on the fun bowling action by adding a Family Pass to your Kids Bowl Free registration. This gives up to four other family members the same two free games, daily. Participants who are registered to one of the 48 Bowl centers (Parkway or Hollywood) may use their passes at either center! Registration to this program is open now and can be completed online at kidsbowlfree.com. Parkway Lanes and Hollywood Bowl also offer summer Youth Leagues and Adult/Youth Leagues. Kids don’t need their own equipment to get started and we have coaches who love to introduce bowlers to the basics. To learn more about any of our youth leagues, visit 48bowl.com/youth-leagues.html.”
Brian Kleinknecht
Sun Valley Lanes
Sun Valley Lanes is another Kids Bowl Free destination in Lincoln (parents can register their kids at www.kidsbowlfree.com/sunvalley) and with the addition of its new Fun Valley arcade with a “ticketless” point card system and more than 20 state-of-the-art redemption and video games, there’s plenty of entertainment here for kids to enjoy over summer break. Brian Kleinknecht of Sun Valley Lanes (www.sunvalleylanes.com) adds, “We are also offering a Sunday Fun Day Youth/Adult league. Teams will consist of two bowlers—one adult and one child. This league will take place on Sundays at 1:30 p.m., beginning May 22nd. Participants who are registered in the Kids Bowl Free program can use their daily passes to bowl in the league for free, while participants who are not registered in the Kids Bowl Free program can still bowl in the league by paying the $7/person weekly league dues. With any of our summer offerings, make sure you sign up now before you forget. With the Kids Bowl Free program, it will only take a few minutes of your time and registration is valid for the calendar year. So if you were registered last year, you’ll need to register for 2016. It’s always best to call ahead to confirm lane availability too. With several thousand Kids Bowl Free participants each year, there are times that we are completely full and on a waiting list. Calling ahead will allow you to plan accordingly.”
Whether it’s a sport or the arts, or any other number of summer activities, kids not only benefit from regular activity but from continued interaction with friends and others their age. Without summer activities planned over the next few months, it can be easy for kids to bum around the house and experience both boredom and loneliness.
Diane Hesson, owner of the Lincoln location of Play It Again Sports (www.playitagainsportslincoln.com) , also touches on the importance of getting kids involved in something during the summer months. She notes, “There are a lot of opportunities out there for kids to stay active and continue some type of routine, so no matter what it may be, make sure to get them involved in something. Sports in particular can be so important for their overall health, providing them with physical challenges and helping with mental acuity, all while they’re developing positive social skills. At Play It Again Sports, we offer everything you’ll need to keep active this summer. Whether it’s for baseball, softball, football, soccer, golf, or another sport or fitness-related activity, we’ve got the items to outfit you and/or your young athletes. Our staff truly enjoy applying their knowledge to help our customers find the right items and the right fit. For us, it is so rewarding to watch these kids transition from one sport to another throughout the year and to watch them grow. To outfit them with their first pair of cleats or bat and then help keep them in equipment as they grow and mature on the court or in the field, that’s a neat thing to be involved in and that is what the Play it Again Sports model is all about.”
There are also summer learning programs in our community that incorporate regular activity as well as exposing kids to new experiences. “We continue with learning through our school-age summer program which still incorporates fun as well as education throughout the entire summer,” says Dawn Robinson, M.Ed., Director at World of Knowledge Child Development Center and Preschool (www.worldofknowledgene.com) . “During the summer we also offer soccer, dance and cheer clinics, music classes, and Jump Bunch. Our school-age summer program consists of four field trips a week which includes both educational field trips, such as Tree Adventure and Homestead National Monument, to go along with our theme units as well as fun field trips such as roller skating, mini golf, and bowling. We also get involved with the summer reading program with the Lincoln City Libraries.”
One of the major goals for summer activities is just that – keeping kids active and engaged in experiences that tie in fun and learning. From camps to sports, to music and dance, crafts and cooking, theatre and STEM experiences, or any number of planned curriculum and activities geared towards our youth, there’s so much out there to take advantage of these days. As many summer activities for kids have a registration deadline this month or next, make sure to start looking into your schedule and doing your research so your kids are able to get into the activities that they prefer!