In cities across the nation, school ends as summer arrives. While parents who have adapted to homeschooling release a collective sigh of relief, we know a second challenge looms: bored kids in a period of social distancing. Parents are grateful to see our kids enjoy even a few electronic-device-free hours. You, dear property manager, can help us achieve it. As a property manager, you can win big points on loyalty and resident satisfaction by hosting kid-friendly events. Need a few ideas? We’ve got three below to help you get started. These ideas are intended for locations where shelter-in-place practices are lifting, but families want to maintain activities that are appropriate for social distancing. Toddler I Spy Searching games can take on a variety of styles. One of the most casual options is to ask residents to tape paper shapes, colors and animals to their windows. As kids stroll the community with their families, they can point out the shapes, colors and animals that they discover in neighbors’ windows. Youngster Treasure Hunt This is a fun and fully customizable game for slightly older kids. Staff members can curate items and place them throughout the community: a massive stuffed bear in the leasing office window, a new bird feeder or windchime in a prominent tree, and similar items that are easy to see or hear but not easy to touch. Create a printable document that families can take with them during a stroll. Kids can check off the items that they locate and where. Incentivize the game with a fun raffle. (Allow families to electronically submit their completed forms, of course.) Teen Archery I know what you’re thinking. Give bored youth projectiles? But outdoor archery classes can successfully promote multiple benefits while keeping kids safe. Primarily,...

Watching a cartoon on a smartphone, tablet or smart TV has become a daily routine for many kids. Whether it’s Peppa Pig, Thomas & Friends, Talking Tom or online hits such as Mother Goose Club, Super Simple Songs or Wonder Quest, children spend hours with their eyes glued to those screens. As a parent, it’s almost futile to think you can control everything they watch. But YouTube came up with a handy companion. The YouTube Kids app enables adults be in command. The kid-friendly version of YouTube features a simplified design, a selection of age-appropriate content and, probably most importantly, parental control. YouTube Kids has a completely different design from the regular YouTube application. Kids can tap on large buttons to reach dedicated sections such as “Shows,” “Music,” “Learning” and “Explore,” indicated by icons of a play button, radio, lightbulb and binoculars, respectively. You should be aware the app does feature advertisements, but if you or your child come across any inappropriate content you can flag it in the same way you would on the original YouTube app. How it Works The YouTube Kids app has become a popular platform amongst families around the world. More than eight million weekly active viewers use the app. Recently, YouTube Kids was made available on LG, Samsung and Sony smart TVs in the 26 countries where the app is currently launched. Here are a few tips: Downloading the app on your device is free for iOS and Android platforms. Your device will need to be operating on iOS 7 or above or Android 4.1 or above. The app doesn’t require a sign-in or Google account. You can also watch YouTube Kids videos on your TV with a Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles and smart TVs. After the...

Do you want to win the property manager of the year award? We’ve got a list of summer camps for military youth that can make you a local hero. Once school is out, your military housing community will be flooded with bored kids and exhausted parents. By distributing this list of camps and workshops for the children of service members, you’re one step closer to peace of mind through the upcoming summer months. More than that, you can offer value-added services to your residents. Summer camps can help families avoid the summer slide, improving kids’ academic performance throughout the year. Camps are also lifelines for children in military families who move often. Camps give kids the opportunity to make new friends, acclimated to a new neighborhood, and a new school district. Below is a list of unique camp opportunities for kids of military families. Air Force Services’ Teen Aviation Camp This selective camp is open to teens with an interest life in the United States Air Force. Aviation Camp takes place during the first week in June. Flying in a Cessna 145 is one of many highlights of this camp. Those eligible are OCONUS and CONUS family members of: Active Duty Military assigned to or living on an AF installation; AF Retired Military; AF Civilian Employees; Activated Air National Guard or AF Reserve; and Joint Bases (AF lead) Active Duty, and Civilian employees. Camp Corral Military kids ages 8-15 throughout the nation can enjoy the “week of a lifetime” through Camp Corral. Attendees will join the ranks of nearly 7,000 kids in 23 camps across 19 states that have enjoyed the adventures of the camp so far. Children can explore outdoor activities such as swimming, canoeing, horseback riding and ropes course challenges. When they...