No more classes, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks! Every child’s favorite time of the school year is drawing near: summer vacation! Children with cancer face some unique challenges during their vacation, from treatment schedules to restrictions for protecting their weakened immune systems. Positive experiences, and the subsequent increase in good endorphins, are important to maintain morale when fighting illness. How can a balance be achieved? Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to fill this summer with meaningful, memorable, and enjoyable experiences while planning summer activities for kids in cancer treatment. Cancer is costly in more ways than one (Why 25% of Patients Can’t Afford the High Cost of Cancer Care – Here To Serve), so here are some affordable suggestions for summer boredom busters for immunocompromised kids.

Creative At-Home Activities

Sometimes your planned vacation happens at home, whether that’s because of a treatment regimen or from its effects. Regardless, there are endless staycation ideas for families with a child in cancer treatment.

Themed Movie Marathons: Does your child love the Avengers? Star Wars? Maybe they have a favorite Disney Princess? Or perhaps you’ve introduced them to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Dress up like the characters, make lembas bread, duel with light sabers (or craft them) between movies, and turn your child’s viewing spot into a throne. If you need some help coming up with a marathon theme, Babywise Mom has you covered: Movie Marathon with Kids: Over 100 Movies for Families – Babywise Mom.

Board Game Tournaments: There are two kinds of people in this world; those who really enjoy board games, and those who do not. If your child is the former, creating a board game tournament could be a wonderful family bonding activity for kids with cancer. Depending on the number of participants, you can create brackets on a dry erase board, March Madness-style, to keep track of who is winning! There are several templates for this you can find online. You can also use this time to teach your child new games they may not try otherwise, such as chess.

DIY Crafts: I promise you don’t need a cabinet full of crafting supplies for this one. It’s amazing what can be done with just a sheet of paper. Sitting down and practicing origami with your child could be a fun new experience for you both! Unsure where to start? Not to worry, https://origami.guide/ has easy step-by-step guides for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. If you’ve got some colorful string on hand, making some friendship bracelets is another good summer craft for kids with cancer. They can make several bracelets and give them out as gifts the next time they go for treatment or when school starts back up. The easiest instructions can be found on https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Friendship-Bracelet. Don’t have the patience for paper folding or string weaving? Homemade slime might be just what the doctor ordered. Mix in equal parts: water, Elmer’s glue, and liquid laundry starch, then drop in some food coloring and voila! The website, www.stayathomescience.com has several slimy sensory recipes you can check out.

Kitchen Creativity: Whipping up some sweet treats is a cool way to beat the summer heat. Homemade ice cream is a fun thing to do at home for kids with cancer. All you need are some zip-lock bags, ice, salt, sugar, half and half, vanilla extract, and the energy to shake the bags for about 15min. Kids may find the alchemy of creating their own ice cream both fascinating and satisfying. Best Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe – How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag (delish.com). Best Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe – How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag (delish.com).

If that sounds like too much work, make homemade popsicles. Simply have your child pour their favorite juice into a mold, stick it in the freezer, and in a few hours, they’ll have custom-made popsicles. If you don’t have ice pop molds, use ice cube trays, aluminum foil, muffin cups, small disposable paper cups, straws, or toothpicks.

Indoor Scavenger Hunts: All the above ideas can be made even more interesting by turning them into scavenger hunts. Wrap the board games, craft materials, and theme ideas in paper and hide them around the house. Tell your child whatever they find first will be the activity of the day!

Embracing the Outdoors (Safety Considerations)

First and foremost, for activities outside of the home, prioritize safety before fun.

Sunscreen: It is important to make sure your child wears sunscreen outside even on cloudy days. Choosing a higher SPF sunscreen doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better; it’s the frequency of application that ensures protection. Any SPF from 15-50 is sufficient to keep your kids from damaging rays. It is important to note that any sunscreen you get should be broad spectrum as well. No sunscreen is fully waterproof, so make sure you’re reading the label to see when you need to reapply.

Hydration: We know that as adults, we need eight 8oz glasses of water a day. However, small children have different requirements. To keep your child hydrated during the hot summer months, if they are age 8 or younger, they should drink as many cups of water as their age. For example, a five-year-old should drink five cups of water a day. That’s just water, as juice and milk technically don’t count toward hydration. From age 8 onwards, it’s eight 8oz (one measuring cup’s worth) glasses a day.

Summer safety concerns for immunocompromised kids extend to group activities and places where many people are present as well. However, the amount of people-contact your immunocompromised child should have will depend on their situation and doctor recommendations. Accessible outdoor activities for kids with cancer enjoying a staycation could include:

• picnics and camping in your backyard
• stargazing at night
• a fashion-show using all the clothes in the house
• sidewalk/driveway chalk art
• blowing/playing with bubbles
• gardening projects in raised beds

If your child’s health allows it, other options are available that involve adventures outside the home. When embarking on these journeys, ensure you’re avoiding peak hours and crowded areas to decrease the amount of pathogen exposure. That said, going out and about for some free and cheap summer activities for kids with cancer could look like:

• nature walks in the park
• going kayaking; some parks with lakes have kayaks for rent
• visiting local historical sites or museums
• short but scenic road trips
• drive-in movies

Free and Low-Cost Community Events

Most communities support families when school is out for the summer by offering a variety of fun activities. Many libraries have story time or summer reading lists. Some museums have free or discounted visiting days. Other communities have weekly outdoor concerts, farmers markets with live music, or annual summer festivals. Every community is different, and the key is knowing where you can look to find free or low-cost community events suitable for your child. A simple google search can reveal a wealth of inexpensive kid-friendly fun in your area. There are apps for that too: “All Events In City” will reveal everything happening in your area, from art workshops to sports events The 10 Best Apps for Discovering Events Happening Around You.

The Power of Virtual Experiences

Since 2020, the landscape of virtual experience has completely changed for the better. There is a plethora of virtual options for your child to participate in, from virtual summer camps (18 virtual summer camps to keep your kids learning—and busy (fordhaminstitute.org) to virtual museum tours 12 Museums From Around the World You Can Visit Virtually (travelandleisure.com). The British Museum website even has free games such as re-creating virtual ancient pottery! Don’t forget about all of the nature documentaries your family can watch together on YouTube Free Documentary – Nature – YouTube . For more educational fun, there are also courses that will use games such as Minecraft and Roblox to teach your child how to code 8 of the Best Online Coding Courses for Kids: Virtual Programming Classes (funtech.co.uk)! 

From a bystander’s perspective, it may look like your kid is just sitting there. This is when you remind yourself that offering your child virtual experiences is a great way to keep them safe, while also keeping them mentally and creatively stimulated. The diversity and accessibility virtual experiences offer to immunocompromised children is incredible. They’re able to connect with other children in different parts of the country, and in some cases, different parts of the world. They have the opportunity to learn things they would have missed if they were, say, taking diving lessons at the germ-filled community pool.

Turning Everyday Moments into Adventures

To paraphrase Eleanore Roosevelt, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today… today is a gift; that’s why we call it the present. While you’re being present with your child this summer, you can turn even the mundane into memories. Turn the weekly grocery shop into a treasure hunt. When you’re cooking, dance in the kitchen every time someone’s favorite song comes on. Set up a ‘vending machine’ of snacks and use monopoly money to ‘pay’ your children for doing chores. They can then ‘buy’ their snacks. You get to decide if the apple is worth less and the mini-muffins or not, depending on how badly the chores need to get done and how strong your child’s drive is to hustle for the muffins. You don’t have to be rich to create lasting memories with your child. They’ll remember the quality time you spend with them every day, no matter how you spend it with them, and those memories are priceless.

Conclusion

Cancer introduces varying levels of uncertainty into family life, but one thing is certain: creating a fun and memorable summer with your child is possible. Every pediatric cancer situation is unique, and overcoming your specific obstacles can be done with a little creativity and exploration. Use websites like stayathomesicence.com and apps such as All Events In City to help spark some summer activity ideas that you can modify for your immunocompromised child. Reaching out to support groups can also be a family bonding activity for kids with cancer. We all need somebody to lean on, and organizations such as https://stupidcancer.org/ and https://heretoserve.org/ are here to help. 

Here to Serve is a resource you can use in several ways to infuse some metaphorical sunshine into your family’s summer prognosis. Our focus is on helping families with children navigating cancer treatment, providing comprehensive wraparound support for in-home needs. There are many people who don’t qualify for traditional aid, despite a devastating and life-changing diagnosis like cancer. Healthcare as it is now leaves these people to figure everything out on their own. That’s why Here to Serve was created; to ensure no one falls through the cracks during any season. Please use the ‘Get help’ button on our homepage to be connected to more resources.

Sources and Resources:

• https://www.babywisemom.com/movie-marathon-with-kids 
• https://stayathomescience.com/2017/09/12/everything-you-want-to-know-about-slime/
• https://komodomath.com/us/blog/world_chess_day_2020-us#:~:text=Chess%20can%20increase%20focus%2C%20strategic,comes%20to%20success%20in%20math
• https://komodomath.com/us/blog/world_chess_day_2020-us#:~:text=Chess%20can%20increase%20focus%2C%20strategic,comes%20to%20success%20in%20math.
• https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Friendship-Bracelet
• https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54721/ice-cream-in-a-bag-recipe/
• https://www.choc.org/programs-services/urology/how-much-water-should-my-child-drink/#:~:text=Water%20Intake%20by%20Weight&text=When%20it%20comes%20to%20weight,of%2064%20ounces%20of%20water.
• https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/5-misconceptions-about-kids-and-sunscreen
• https://www.makeuseof.com/mobile-apps-for-nearby-events/
• https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
• https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/18-virtual-summer-camps-keep-your-kids-learning-and-busy
• https://funtech.co.uk/latest/best-online-coding-courses-for-kids-virtual-programming-classes

About The Author

Rachel Peach Fenske, BSN, has worked in healthcare for over a decade, and the past six years as a nurse. Additionally, she is a healthcare freelance writer and cares for her two elderly parents who have multiple health problems. Having worked in many different healthcare settings, Rachel has seen the triumphs and changes the years (and the pandemic) have wrought on the clinical landscape. She feels the current system is failing many people in a myriad of ways, which is what drew her to volunteer for Here to Serve. This non-profit organization makes sure nobody – regardless of their situation – falls through cancer’s healthcare cracks. Here to Serve helps in unique, community-minded ways that empower families, who otherwise would be left floundering amid the life-changing chaos that cancer creates.