10 Ways to Use Multimedia to Have Fun with Your Kids This Summer

I’m excited to have Alyssa back here for a great guest post.  With summer here It can be hard to keep the kids entertained. Lots of times we say we want our kids to not spend too many hours on media,  but what if there were ways to use multimedia to have fun with your kids this summer!  Alyssa is here to tell you 10 ways to use multimedia to have fun with your kids this summer!

10 Ways to Use Multimedia to Have Fun with Your Kids This Summer by Alyssa Craig

Summer is here, school is out and you are already hearing complaints of boredom. You may be wondering how you are going to keep your child off of technology and keep their minds fresh so they keep learning even throughout their break. Luckily, you can help them use technology to keep learning! Kids of the newest generation seem to be more ept at technology and quickly pick it up, so why not harness this natural ability and help them create something great?

Here are some awesome ways to use multimedia with your children to put their summer break to good use: 

Podcast: Podcasts can be started on just about any topic and platforms like iTunes allow for podcasts to be made available for free to listeners. If your child is a great story teller, encourage them to start their own podcast where they can share their stories and reach a broader audience. Even if you only tell your family about the podcast, this is a fun way for them to share their talents and ideas with family who may not live nearby. This also works great for older children who may have even more to share.

Create Own Computer Game or App: Games are sometimes seen as a waste of time and you may have a hard time getting your child to do much else. But have you ever considered helping your child learn how to create their own game or app? Sign them up for lessons and find websites that will help them learn the backend of the games and apps they frequently use. They can then use their new knowledge to build something from scratch.

Digital Comic Book: As a kid yourself, you might have spent your summers with your nose buried in comic books. Now you can share that love with your kids and take it up a notch! Using multimedia programs (such as Powerpoint), allow your child to write and create their own digital comic book. They can draw their own comics on the computer or simply scan and upload paper sketches.

Create a Postcard: Summer is a popular time for going on vacations or away to camp, so after each of your child’s summer adventures, have them create a great postcard from pictures or draw their own depictions of what they experienced. These can be sent to family members or kept in a scrapbook as a way to remember the fun they had!

Create a Still Motion Video: Originally used as a way to intensify a scene, still motion can be used in a variety of ways to put creative juices to the test and make something really great. Here’s an example of a fun company that used still motion videos for creative marketing. While you probably will not employ it professionally with your children, they can use it to develop skills they may later use in school, as a hobby, or even in a future career.

Write a Book: Writing is a skill that will help your child no matter where they go in life. There are many programs available that can help children write a digital or physical book. If you have a child who is a bookworm and enjoys writing, this may be the perfect summer project to keep them happy and engaged over the summer months. As your child’s writing skills develop, encourage them to look for a publisher or even publish their own book online.

Collage App: Your child probably will not be spending all of their time indoors. From bike rides, to building forts, to family picnics, there will be a lot to document. As your kids have their various adventures this summer, encourage them to take pictures on their devices and then compile their pictures into collages using one of various available apps. Once the summer is over, you can have these collages compiled and print in a book that will document the summer.

There are many multimedia platforms that can be used to teach your child new skills while harnessing talents they may already possess. This summer, encourage your child to find ways to use multimedia to create something great and have a lot of fun in the process.