#ad 5 Ways to Keep Your Kids Active This Summer

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My girls have been out of school for almost 3 weeks and they are already getting restless, bored, and lazy. I remember how excited they were the last day of school and all of the plans that they were making with their friends only to realize that their friends would be going on vacation soon after school let out. I hate seeing my girls being unproductive and unenergetic so I always try and come up with ways to keep them active and fueled. I’d love to share with you 5 Ways to Keep Your Kids Active This Summer, along with a simple kid friendly recipe.

I would love to send my girls to summer camps and keep them active with summer sports but I am on a tight budget, so instead I try and come up with creative ways to fuel their play each day. Here are 5 ways that I plan to keep my kids active this summer.

• Visit Our Local Park– My girls love to go to the park. Every time we visit, it’s a new adventure because they meet new kids and quickly become friends.
• Minimize Screen Time– It can be hard to minimize screen time, but it is possible. My girls wake up and immediately ask to play games on the computer and if I let them, they would stay on the computer all day long. Since summer days and nights are so long, I try to break up their screen time so that they get up and move throughout the day.
• Sprinkler & Water Fun– I live in Texas, so the summers are hot and kids often times find themselves resorting to anywhere that has air conditioning. One way that I like to get my kids out of the house is by letting them have some water fun. I like to set up water sprinklers in the yard or take them to the splash pad at the park. This is a great way to keep kids cool and out of the house.
• Play Games– Dust off the board games, create a scavenger hunt, and play old school games like tag and hide and seek. Kids love it when mom and dad turn into kids and play.
• Get Kids in the Kitchen– Since kids eat more in the summer than any other time of the year, this is the best time to teach them how to cook. There are so many skills that kids can learn in the kitchen and if kids cook their own foods, they may have a better appreciation of food and the hard work that goes into cooking.

As I mentioned above, kids eat non-stop during the summer, so I am constantly at my local HEB buying foods that will fuel my kids’ play. My first stop is in the frozen food aisle where I make sure to pick up State Fair® Corn Dogs and Tyson® Chicken Nuggets. I love that these corn dogs are simple to make and that they are a good source of protein. I also love the chicken nuggets because they’re made with 100% all natural ingredients and white meat from chicken raised with no added steroids or hormones. They are also crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. While you are at HEB make sure to keep an eye out for the yellow in-store coupon for $2 off any State Fair® Corn Dogs. You can also visit the HEB website for a $1 off coupon for Tyson® Chicken Nuggets. Simply type in Tyson Chicken Nuggets into the search box to find a $1.00 coupon.

Once we get home from HEB, I like to gather my girls and have them help me in the kitchen with a simple snack that is perfect to eat along with their State Fair® Corn Dogs and Tyson® Chicken Nuggets. Every few weeks when I see that my pantry is overflowing with different snacks I like to make what I call Pantry Trail Mix. This is a great way to get the kids off the couch and it’s inexpensive and easy to make. Some ingredients that I normally use for this trail mix include a variety of cereal, chocolate pieces, marshmallows, pretzels, dried fruit and anything else that is needing to be used in your pantry.

Since I make Pantry Trail Mix for 4 little girls, I add 1 cup of each ingredient into a plastic bag, sprinkle a sugar and cinnamon mix into the bag, shake and serve.  I always have extra Pantry Trail Mix that is perfect for when my kids and I are on the go or when we go to the park and play.

State Fair® Corn Dogs and Tyson® Chicken Nuggets along with my Pantry Trail Mix are the perfect snack and meal combinations that will help get your kids refueled for summertime fun. They are also quick and simple to make so that mom doesn’t have to spend all day in the kitchen but can get up and enjoy fun with the kids.

How do you fuel your children’s play during summertime? Do you have a creative way to incorporate State Fair® Corn Dogs or Tyson® Chicken Nuggets into a recipe that will fuel your child and get them active?