7 Things You Should Do Before Turning 7

1. Travel.

Travel as much as you can! Explore every square inch of the living room and make sure to visit the backyard during the summer! Traveling is a great way to discover life outside your crib and bedroom! Travel alone and visit the kitchen for some fantastic food, or travel with someone older and see the ancient relics of the attic!

2. Go to the park.

Don’t just go to the regular normal park that your mom or dad always takes you to; instead, go to the nicer park that’s a little bit further but has that extra long slides and more swings so you don’t have to wait in line for your turn! Going outside to the park is a great way to make new friends!

3. Make new friends.

See if you can join a game of tag, or bring your ball to the park and invite others to play with you! This is a surefire way to make new friends and build relationships. It’s important to start networking before turning 7. The friends you make at the playground can be the friends you trade snacks with once school starts.

4. Play pretend.

Ditch the iPad apps for a little bit and let your imagination run wild! Grab some action figures or dolls and go on an adventure! Tell a story! You can play pretend with your mom, dad, or older sibling, or you and your imaginary friend can go on a journey and fight crime with your superpowers! The power of imagination cannot be underestimated!

5. Fall down and scrape your knee.

Yes, it’s going to hurt when you fall—you might even cry—but the important thing is to pick yourself up afterward! It’s important to learn how to react when you trip! This is going to be a valuable lesson in life!

6. Have a Sesame Street marathon.

Don’t worry if you’re behind on Sesame Street; just make sure to dedicate one day to binge-watch the show. It’s incredible, and everyone at school will be talking about Season 44 of Sesame Street come September. Just make sure to avoid spoilers before then!

7. Learn to read.

If you’re reading this, then congrats, you’re already halfway there, but learning how to read is more than recognizing letters on a page; it’s about learning how to love and appreciate books. Dr. Seuss said it best: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”