Sweet summertime is here and, ya’ll, it seems to go faster every year. I’m excited for the longer days, the unstructured time, and the little adventures ahead. We always plan to do some fun family things together, but I also like to leave plenty of time for boredom to creep in because (a). mama still needs a little time to get things done, and (b). that’s when imagination kicks into gear, and kids need to flex those imagination muscles!
I thought it would be fun/helpful to compile a list of summer activities for kids. I’m sharing activities we do, along with some awesome ideas that my readers sent over too! Hopefully gives you some ideas of things to do with your kids over summer break!
Things to do at home:
- Slip N’ Slide (homemade with plastic/tarp if you don’t have one)
- Build an indoor fort on a rainy day (complete with a movie)
- Have an outdoor (or indoor) scavenger hunt
- Solve a ‘mystery’, with clues hidden around the house
- Make homemade playdough
- Take a blanket in the yard for afternoon snacks
- Draw a ‘town’ with sidewalk chalk and use Matchbox cars to drive around
- Have a water gun war
- Make an obstacle course
- Catch June bugs
- Make snack plates for lunch (fruit, pretzels, and other snacks make great plates)
- Go for a wildflower walk and make a bouquet
- Make sensory bins (Orbees, slime, etc)
- Put on a play (use the porch for a stage)
- Write a letter to a school pal/friend/cousin
- Learn a new dance together
- Keep a summer journal
- Plant a small garden, or even just a few seeds and watch them grow!
- Clean out your closet and old toy bins and donate to a local charity
- Camp in the backyard
- Bake some cookies for your neighbor
- Build a fire with S’mores
- Go for a family bike ride
- Start a car wash (wash your parents’ cars and then the family bikes!)
- Paint rocks and hide them around your neighborhood
- Make a nature craft (collect items and glue them around cardboard to create a ‘scenery’ picture
- Make homemade popsicles
- Start a summer reading program at home. 1 book = 1 point (10 points = special treat)
- Have a family whiffle ball game
- Make an outdoor ‘soup’ (mix water with anything you can find outside – dirt, flowers, gravel, etc.)
Things to go and do:
- Go to the creek/river (fishing, rock skipping, wading) and bring your nets
- Head out to the park with friends and snacks
- Take your bikes to the local track or trail
- Go out for ice cream or slushies
- Hit up some local antique stores. Bring some change and buy some old glass marbles
- Go to the local library and check out a few new books.
- Try out the farmer’s market and make a meal out of your goodies
- Head to a daytime movie
- Visit the zoo
- Pack up a picnic and head to a new outdoor spot
- Go to a local fair
- Take a homemade treat to a friend
- Earn $5 to spend at the Target dollar spot
- Participate in the Lowe’s / Home Depot DIY craft times for kids
- Go to Goodwill or thrift stores and see if you can find any treasures.
- Try out a museum
- Visit a local splash pad
- Visit a stocked pond to fish (and if you can keep them, bring them home to eat!)
- Go out for slushies with the family
I’m linking up a few Amazon summer faves below, too!
Do you have any fun things you like to do with the kids over summer break? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
