Summer is the perfect time to save a little money and increase the value of your home with a few simple DIY home improvement projects. And if you’re looking for ways to keep your kids entertained, then this is a triple win for you! Here are a few DIY home improvement projects the whole family can get in on this season.
Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets
If your kitchen functions just fine but looks a little bit outdated, one of the easiest DIY projects you can do is cabinet refinishing. A good set of cabinets can last up to 50 years, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look dated after a few decades have passed. In order to complete this project, you’ll need to remove all of your cabinet doors, sand them lightly, and then repaint them. If you’re really getting into it, you’ll want to sand and paint your shelves and cabinet units, as well. But as far as getting kids involved, there are a few key steps in this process with which they can help.
- Choosing a paint color for the cabinets.
- Hand-sanding the cabinet doors.
- Collecting screws and hinges that need to be removed before painting.
- Choosing new hardware for the refinished cabinets.
- Painting the cabinet doors.
Since this is a multi-step process, there are plenty of areas where kids of any age can help. And the best part is that when you’re finished with this project, you can take pride in the fact that it was a family effort.
Planting a Garden
Gardening is one of the best activities to get kids involved in during the summer months, especially if they don’t mind getting a little bit messy. And you might be asking yourself how this qualifies as home improvement, but the truth is that curb appeal is a major factor in your home’s value! A garden of any kind can help add value and curb appeal to the property you’re living on. And besides, almost 85% of U.S. homes were built before 1980 and are in need of some kind of improvement. The garden definitely counts! Here are a few ways you can get your kids involved in this outdoor improvement project:
- Picking which plants will go in the garden.
- Tilling the soil before planting things.
- Weeding the garden on a regular basis.
- Digging holes to place plants in.
- Watering the new garden every day.
- Creating homemade garden labels to tell which plant is which.
- Harvesting items if you’ve planted a vegetable garden.
The options for getting your children involved in gardening are virtually endless. And not only does this activity help beautify your property, but it also gets everyone outside for a little while.
Paint a Room
Sprucing up a bedroom or common area with a fresh coat of paint can be an awesome DIY project for the whole family. This is a particularly great project for older kids who might have outgrown the look of their childhood bedroom. And since almost 85% of homeowners have home insurance, a little mess with paint is nothing serious to worry about. In fact, as long as you have the proper protective materials for your trim and flooring, painting can really be as messy as you want it to be. And with your older children, this is an opportunity for them to really customize their space and contribute to beautifying their home. For starters, asking your child to pick the color or theme they want for their room is a great way to give them autonomy over their own space and to get personally invested in this kid of project. And the little ones can help too provided they can hold a paintbrush!
Home improvement projects can sometimes feel like an area where you don’t really want your kids involved. But on the contrary, these three DIY projects are perfect for the whole family. And when you’re beautifying your home together, you’ll probably find more kid-friendly projects along the way, too.