We all know they’re coming . . . the dog days of summer. As parents, we love having the kiddos home and the absence of the daily grind of the bus, lunch-making and homework, but with every upside, there is a downside. And for kids in the summer, it’s boredom!

For this reason, parents spend a good amount of time searching and registering their kids for activities to keep them engaged and out of trouble. With so many options available, where do you start? Where do you find activities that are of interest to your kids, while also being kind to your wallet?

A good place to start is online. There are some great parent resources available that provide parents the opportunity to search different activities — all relevant to your child.

For instance, ACTIVEkids.com is an easy-to-use website for parents to discover and register kids for activities, classes and camps. ACTIVEkids enables parents to find a broad spectrum of activities from art seminars to dance classes to local summer camps — search by gender, age and interests to find activities that are the most relevant to parent and child. It has a database of more than 120,000 activities nationwide and serves kids ages four to 18.

Another option is the local YMCA. If you’re not familiar with the YMCA in your area, we suggest you check it out. It’s a great family organization for kids and adults of all ages. Their programs focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Many local locations offer health and fitness programs that help children (and adults) to increase energy, decrease stress, prevent illness, maintain a healthy lifestyle and just enjoy quality time with family and friends.

The Y offers a number of different summer programs that promote positive self-esteem, good decision making and self-help and care. There are likely to be one or two great options for your child.

The recreation department in your town is another great place to look for activities — and they are usually very affordable. Most towns offer programs from tennis and swim lessons to painting and music classes. The programs are usually run by local experts and are located right in town. Plus, if you coordinate with some friends, you might be able to catch a morning break that can be enjoyed and filled with some “you” time.

Wherever you go to find fun, engaging activities for your kids, just make sure you remember to carve out some simple, relaxing family time, too. The summers fly by much faster than the school year.

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