This post is sponsored by Ohio Children’s Trust Fund’s (OCTF). The Ohio Children’s Trust Fund offers classes, articles, and events for parents to help you reduce stress and strengthen family bonds.
Can you believe schools almost out for the summer?! Or maybe you’re like me and can’t believe this fall your kids will be going to school for the first time! Either side you’re on – time is flying and I am hoping to make this summer extra special!
Before I share my favorite FREE things to do with my girls, I want to share more about The Ohio Children’s Trust Fund because they have given me resources and ideas that have helped me out as a parent. If you’re not familiar, they have a very simple goal “to prevent child abuse and neglect through investing in strong communities, healthy families and safe children.” They focus on parents, caregivers, and professionals who serve families to ensure that. They know that when the people who surround children have the support and resources they need, then children get the nurturing environments they deserve.
- Providing grants to other agencies and nonprofits that provide programs in their communities. We focus on programs based on evidence to show their effectiveness.
- Providing resources and education to parents and caregivers to help them manage stress, find support and services, and build stronger foundations for their families.
- Providing training and education to professionals who provide services to families.
- Annual awareness campaigns each April to educate the public about child abuse and neglect prevention.
- Inspired by this article – Summer Fun Creating Positive Childhood Experiences
- Felt understood by this article – You Don’t Have to Parent How You Were Parented
- Found this article very useful – Kid Friendly Recipes
- Learning from this article – Four Ways To Ease Separation Anxiety
The Ohio Children’s Trust Fund also offers classes and events for parents to help you reduce stress and strengthen family bonds, which is something very important to me.
One of Ohio Children’s Trust Fund’s (OCTF) missions is to encourage people to be daily role models for children and parents in their community through Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). We all have memories from our childhood. Some are not great, and some are amazing. No matter the memory, they help shape who we are as adults. Recent research has shown that the more Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) a child has while growing up, the happier and healthier they are as an adult. For example, a study in 2019 found that adults who reported more PCEs showed 72% lower levels of adult depression and/or poor mental health and were 3.5 times more likely to get the social and emotional support they need as an adult (Bethell, et al).
There are many easy ways for parents to help their children have PCEs. Simple ways adults can create a PCE include: playing games, talking openly, being a listening ear and offering acceptance and guidance, and sharing your experience with difficult situations to create connection and open conversation.
One of my favorite ways to create PCEs with the girls is by exploring different environments together and creating new experiences.
ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ ʜᴇʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ ᴏɴ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴘᴄᴇ’s
1 – Explore our Franklin County Metro Parks. Did you know our Metro Parks feature 20 outstanding natural area parks with more than 230 miles of trails and over 28,400 acres of land in seven Central Ohio counties!? You could spend an entire summer just exploring the parks. We love exploring the nature centers, ziplining and creeking at Highbanks, fishing at Sharon Woods, playing in the natural play area at Blendon, and seeing the buffalo at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. Make sure you check out their events. They do a TON of free family-friendly events.
2 – Ride the carousel at Columbus Commons. Did you hear? Thanks to PNC, the carousel at Columbus Commons is FREE all summer!!! It is open Daily, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m (closed on holidays).
3 – Discover a new playground. We are lucky to have a TON of great playground around Central Ohio. If I had to choose, I think my favorites would be Woodside Green Park in Gahanna, Emerald Fields in Dublin and Schiller Park in German Village.
4 – Great creative on Sundays with free admission to the Columbus Museum for Art. Check out the museums Family Guide to learn how explore and experience the Museum as a family.
5 – Stay cool at one of the many Splash Pads around town. Check out this post for more info on when the splash pads open and where they’re located.
6 – Stop and smell the roses (12,000+) at Park of Roses. Bonus: They have a fun playground with tons of swings, too!
7 – Have a picnic at Topiary Park and enjoy a FREE concert. We are thrilled that PB and Jazz is back for the summer! PBJ & Jazz concerts are casual interactive concerts designed to introduce jazz and American music to young children and their families. Featuring some of Columbus’ finest musicians and ensembles, PBJ & Jazz concerts are the perfect way for families to enjoy top-quality jazz music while children learn and play. They happen once a month from June – September.
8 – Do you have a Columbus library card? If not, get one! You can check out temporary memberships to local museums + the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for FREE. Get more details here.
9 – Family FREE days are back in Downtown Columbus. Wednesdays at Scioto Mile {fountains, live music, games} and Fridays at Columbus Commons {games, inflatables, face painting, carousel rides and more}.
10 – Did you know Franklin Park Conservatory is free the first Sunday of the month if you’re a Franklin County resident? Community Days include access to the entirety of the gardens, collections and current daytime exhibitions. Make sure you have reservations! Make them here.
11 – Go chasing waterfalls in Dublin (and Upper Arlington/Grandview area). There are THREE amazing waterfalls pretty much off of 33 and I love them all. Check out this Instagram reel from our last visit for more details.
12 – Explore the Scioto Audubon. You’ll find wetlands, a nature center, bird watching opportunities, one of the country’s biggest outdoor climbing walls, preschool storytime, a playground and MORE! More details here.
13 – Participate in Summer Reading Programs at our local libraries. Discover and read a new series together, earn prizes and more!
14 – Watch a movie under the stars at Easton. The free summer outdoor movie series will take place on Tuesday evenings on the Easton Town Square (South of Brio) in June
15 – Search high and low for the fairies hiding in 11 different local Dublin businesses on the Irish Fairy Door Trail. Record the name of each fairy, fill in your passport and return your completed passport to the Dublin Visitor & Information Center (9 S. High St.) for a FREE Fairy Door t-shirt.
I want to remind you that you don’t have to get out of the house and do all the things to create positive experiences with your kids. There are more days than I can count where we do NOT get out of the house. The girls are {toddler} mad and don’t want to do anything but what I say not to do, or they don’t wish to wear clothes or plain and simple they want to stay home and watch shows. That’s fine too. Snuggling up on the couch, listening to them tell the same story over and over again with more excitement each time, having a pretend tea party or looking for dinosaur fossils in the backyard and laughing at all the silly things Peppa Pig does are a few of the daily FUN things we do together!
