Adult Activities

Let's organise some fun activities this summer!

Hoorah! It won't be long now till the balmy summer days are with us, when we can relax and enjoy the seasonal sounds of hedges being trimmed, lawns being cut and the kids wailing that they are bored. Seriously however, those long summer evenings give us so much extra leisure time that it's a shame that we don't make better use of them. After all, what have we got to look forward to after summer but the grey chill of autumn and the icy grip of winter again, when we daren't poke our noses out of our front doors.

All of which has got me thinking about how we can make the best of our forthcoming summer that's just around the corner. It's all very well having a New Year's Resolution but I think we should mark the arrival of Summer with a Summer Resolution, where we decide to do something special that will make the most of that fresh air, warm sun and gentle breeze. In other words, let's get out more and celebrate our summers with outdoors events to which we can invite our friends, relatives or work colleagues.

On the subject of work colleagues, there's a lot of talk about how best to motivate staff. Some of the ideas are extreme. Like one where the employer pays their staff to take a summer holiday at a choice of specified locations. I can't see that one going down well at the British Chambers of Commerce or the Institute of Directors. Or how about the notion where the the boss gets rid of the management and simply leaves people to manage themselves? A recipe for disaster if you ask me!

What really does work - because it's been tried and tested - is the concept of a team building event, where you take your staff away from their desks and work-benches for the day, put them in a pleasant and enjoyable environment and set them some really fun tasks in which they can compete. It can have a hugely positive impact on their output and their ability to work together. To my way of thinking, it's a no-brainer. And it's definitely catching on across the UK as more and more employers realise that giving staff a fun break from their normal duties pays for itself in bucket-loads by improving their team-working abilities and promoting healthy competition too.

Putting people in an enjoyable environment and offering them fun opportunities shouldn't be limited to staff and employees. It also applies to friends and families too. If you're a parent of school-age children you'll be only too familiar with the phrase, “Mum, Dad, I'm bored... what can I do?” which begins shortly after the start of the school's summer holidays.

That's why I've enjoyed looking through P&J's webpages on adult activities and activity runs for the kids. It's great to get your kids involved right from the start in choosing which activities and equipment they would most like to hire for their fun day, in drawing up lists of their friends to invite, and producing and sending out invitations. In other words, the kids can and should be involved right from the start. You might be pleasantly surprised at how good they are at making sensible choices. And let's not forget the grown-ups; P&J's webpages on adult activities contain a fantastic choice of games and equipment that are perfectly suited to your summer events.

So let's make this summer a memorable and fun-filled one with some great fun events for family, friends and staff!