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Working Parents Guide: Ways to Entertain The Kids This Summer

Working Parents Guide: Ways to Entertain The Kids This Summer

A father and his two children dancing in living room together.Summertime offers sunny days, mouth-watering barbecue, and time with friends. However, this season can be offset by a significant challenge for parents with full-time jobs: finding safe, fun, and inexpensive activities for kids at home in summer.

Fortunately, Rent-A-Center has some solutions. Check out these tips for keeping your kids entertained, even when you can’t be there throughout the day.

Host Remote Watch Parties

Catching the latest blockbuster movies once meant corralling kids, piling into a car, hitting up the concession stand, and remaining dutifully vigilant for hours on end. That’s neither fun nor inexpensive!

Thankfully, that time has passed. Every major streaming platform debuts big-budget films with top stars throughout the summer. And thanks to multiple options for jointly streaming content, your kids can watch them with friends without ever leaving the house.

Teleparty, Hulu Watch Party, Scener, and other services make it easy for kids to gather virtually and enjoy the best of what Hollywood has to offer. Even better — this means you can save money on overpriced popcorn in favor of something far more nutritious.

Put on Video Game Tournaments

What do working parents do with their kids in summer? How about sending them into battle?

We’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill medieval battle. This one is going to be high-tech. That’s because technological progress has made items such as ultra-high-definition TVs and game consoles more affordable than ever.

Put another way: it’s never been easier or cheaper to host a virtual or in-person at-home video game tournament. Who will be June’s Mario Kart champ? What does July hold for Just Dance 2021’s infectious beats? Who escapes August with the glory of victory in Tetris 99?

There’s only one way to find out: by matching up against friends and family in a spirited competition!

Sing Your Heart Out with Karaoke

We’re a nation obsessed with singing. We sing in the shower, belt one out when our favorite song comes on the radio, and watch people compete for singing prizes on TV. Similar to computers and televisions, karaoke machines have advanced significantly while also becoming more affordable.

Pound for pound, though, karaoke might offer the most fun of them all! Kids naturally enjoy hamming it up — and, face it, you’d love to join them sometimes. The right karaoke system makes it possible. If your season’s plans call for a DIY summer camp at home, a season-long sing-along will fit right in!

“Park” It

Nothing beats free when it comes to having fun, and no mention of free things to do in the summer for kids is complete without talking about your local parks.

Did you know:

  • Most parks and recreation systems in the U.S. offer playgrounds (93.9 percent) and basketball courts (86.5 percent)
  • Also available through a majority of municipalities’ parks and recreation departments: community and recreation centers
  • Nearly half offer community gardens — a great way to teach kids about the importance of caring for the environment and much more

Combining outside time and playtime with friends or siblings makes for a great summer combo, but bringing a camera along can also turn park time into art time for older kids. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. A great time at a nearby park is limited only by your imagination!

Start Your Summer with Rent-A-Center

Ensuring children enjoy their summer break without doling out a ton of cash for day camps, summer camps, and nannies doesn’t have to be stressful. All it takes is a little planning, a touch of imagination, and Rent-A-Center! Shop big summer entertainment starting at $19.99 online or at your nearest Rent-A-Center location for an unforgettable summer break for both you and those awesome kiddos!

About Us

The good things in life don’t have to be out of reach. Rent-A-Center is here to make the things you want and need accessible, and Front & Center is your resource for living well on a budget.

Each week, we’ll bring you tips and tricks for infusing simplicity, style—even a little fun—into every aspect of your life and home. From decorating advice to money-saving strategies to opportunities to share with others like you, we’ll give you ideas that inspire. Live well, friends. And send your submissions, suggestions and questions for the blog to blog@rentacenter.com. For all customer service inquiries, please contact our Solution Center team at 1-800-422-8186.