Ahh, spring and summer in Missoula. There are so many kid-friendly events and activities in Missoula that it can be overwhelming.
Fortunately, some of the best local and national services have shared a wealth of resources to inspire your summertime fun. Not only will you find some great outdoor-oriented ideas, you’ll get some new rainy day activity ideas, too.
As part of Unplug and Play week, there are also some excellent tips for getting kids to step away from the screen, get moving, and get creative. Enjoy!
- “A Serious Need for Play” from the Missoula Parks & Rec about the need for creative and outdoor play in childhood.
- The Missoula Summer Activity Guide (PDF) from the Missoula Parks & Recreation Department.
- Read the NIH Report on Screen Time (PDF), full of informative facts and resources from the National Institute of Health.
- Get a printable PDF of Screen-Free Fun Tickets for Kids, a great way to make it fun for kids to turn off the TV, video games, or computers.
- For teachers, the Screen-Smart Lesson Plan (PDF) is full of materials for use in the classroom to help kids come up with alternatives to watching TV.
- Tame the Tube: Early Childhood and Tame the Tube: School-Age Children (both PDFs) are great resources from the Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to help parents set limits on TV watching and come up with fun alternatives.
- The Teachers’ Toolkit, Part 1 and Teachers’ Toolkit, Part Two (both PDFs) from the Missoula City-County Health Department inspire more screen-free creativity in the classroom.
- The Top 10 Tips for Screen-Smart Parents (PDF) from the Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity Program.