Big Splashes

May 21, 2026

A tumble is not a verdict; it's information. And kids are natural data analysts. 

That's what a mom half a generation older than me told me when I was getting ready to have kids, and I took it to heart. So I was secretly a little thrilled the summer my daughter Madison was almost 4, when she took her first big splash off a slippery log into a creek. Here's why: To succeed in life, everyone needs to learn to stretch to the edge of their abilities... to gather courage from their toes, to calculate, to balance, to wobble, to slide... and eventually to succeed. Kids can learn this early if the grownups in their orbit help them see the mud and bruises that come from a tumble as badges to be worn proudly: a fail-until-we-succeed philosophy in action. That's how personal fulfillment happens, and it's how human progress happens, too.

Summer is childhood's best laboratory, where sensory experiences stick as lifelong learning. School has grades and rubrics and consequences; summer has grass stains and do-overs. An amusement park ride can teach the difference between fear and danger. A hands-on museum can teach that when your tower collapses, you simply vow to rebuild it taller. A farm can teach that maybe you don’t like strawberries from the grocery store, but you do like the ones you picked yourself, still warm from the sun. A climbing gym can teach your muscles that “I can’t” really means “I can’t yet.” And summer camps are entire worlds built around trying something new with no transcript following you home.

Last week, the KidsOutAndAbout.com team launched our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey. It's a way to thank the people who make your community a great place to raise kids. Equally important, it’s a giant menu of local opportunities for your kids to stretch their legs, their minds, and their bravery this summer. Use it to create your summer bucket list!

Then step back and set your family’s summer dial to “safe to fail.” Watch your kids climb, build, stumble, and try again. Let them splash.

—Debra Ross, publisher

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