When it gets hot, summer activities for kids are as good for children as well as for parents. They are the secret sauce that makes summer special.
Summer is a time to relax and have a great time. Kids can have fun and parents don’t have to worry about them.
But when it comes to summer activities, many kids are hard to please. This is because older kids tend to lose interest in certain things that younger kids like to do.
So what can you do?
Fun Summer Activities For Kids
Each season of the year brings new opportunities to do fun things with your children. With some creative thinking, you can make memories with your children that will last a lifetime.
During the summertime, remember that there’s more to do than simply playing outside. It is a great time for your child to learn a new hobby or skill. With some creative thinking, you can make summer memories with activities for kids that will last a lifetime.
Take a look at these popular summer activities that are designed with younger and older kids in mind.
1. Make Summer Arts And Crafts
Arts and crafts can bring enjoyment to your kids year round, but you can enjoy the summer season by doing crafts that are centered on the theme of summer. Make decorations or design your own t-shirts. You can allow your kids to think creatively by producing their own ideas.
2. Cook Summertime Recipes
Pick out your favorite summertime recipes and make food and drinks with your family. Start with drinks like iced tea and lemonade or pick another family favorite that you associate with summer. Then, make summer treats or throw a barbeque.
3. Make A Memory Book
Have everyone in the family get together and make a memory book or scrapbook. Collect photos from your summer or other scraps and artwork that would fit into a book of memories. This will give you a lasting memento of the good times you had over the summer.
4. Go Seashell Hunting
Seashells come in all shapes and sizes. If your child is like most children, you will have to help them sort through and choose the best shells to take home. Teach them how to inspect the shells for defects, make groupings by color or shape, and even plan how to display them creatively at home.
5. Make A Treasure Box
Another fun thing to do after you get home is to make a keepsake out of the things you found. A few ideas to get you started are attach all your finds to a canvas to make wall hanging, make a treasure box or add your items to a net tied at the top
6. Go Metal Detecting
Most beaches have hordes of people visiting all summer long which makes for great treasure hunting with metal detectors. Older children who have the patience will be the best suited for this type of activity.
7. Make Sandcastles
Next time that you head to the beach, you should bring buckets, molds and shovels to create the ultimate sand castles. You can even invite other children to work with your child to build a large community of castles with trenches, moats, and towers.
The kids will love it and you child may make some new friends too. A day at the beach is more than just swimming and sunbathing. With a little creativity, you can turn your beach trip into an exciting adventure – and even add a few “teachable moments” to your weekend.
8. Play In The Sand
Sandboxes are not only fun, but they may help your child develop other skills, such as cause and effect. If you do not have a sandbox, you can easily purchase one. Like swing sets, sandboxes come in a wide variety of different sizes and styles. If you are looking for a small sandbox, you should be able to find one at your local department store. Many plastic sandboxes sell for around thirty dollars. Sandbox toys can also be purchased from most retail stores, often for a low price. 93
9. Cut Fresh Flowers
\ If your child would like to offer your assistance, you could purchase them their own gardening accessories. As with most other living things, you should also be able to purchase books and guides that cover common plants and flowers. You and your child may have fun comparing the plants in your backyard to those in their books.
10. Go On A Nature Hike
Whether you’re walking through your neighborhood or a local beach, a nature hike can make you more aware of the beauty of your surroundings.
Your children might enjoy creating a collection of things they find in nature, such as rocks and shells. The end of the summer might be one of your last opportunities to hit the beach this year
11. Go For A Bike Ride
If everyone has their own bikes, you can go out for a ride as a family. It’s a great way to bond and enjoy the sunshine. If your children are too young, you can take them for a wagon ride.
Hiking and biking are both great ways to get the entire family out there, doing something together. I encourage you to give it a try. Start slow and small and see how things are going. As your fitness levels improve and everyone gets more comfortable hiking and biking, you can start to tackle longer or more difficult trips.
12. Head To The Beach
Declare today a beach day! Grab your beach toys and bathing suits and have a good time in the sun. If you don’t live by the beach, you can create your own beach day anyway. Spread towels on the ground and enjoy the sun or head to a nearby river or lake.
13. Have Fun At The Pool
If you have small children, consider getting a water table. These tables provide toddlers with opportunities to play with water and toys outside of the tub. Older children may enjoy a run through a sprinkler system to cool off.
14. Kiddie Pool
If you have a kiddie pool or a big plastic tub sitting around, fill it up. Just sticking your feet in some cool water is a great way to cool off. Who needs a pool if you can sit in the shade with a good book and your feet in cool water? The kids will have just as much fun splashing around in a kiddie pool as they would if you were heading to the local pool or beach.
15. Turn On The Sprinklers
Turning on the sprinklers or the gardening hose is another fantastic way to cool off in your own backyard. If you haven’t run through sprinklers in the past decade or so, I dare you to try it. It’s just as much fun at 35 as it was at 5. And frankly you owe it to your kids to introduce them to this old-fashioned summer tradition.
16. Have Fun With Water Gun
Water guns are another fun way to play outside, get wet, and cool off. Head to your local dollar or superstore and pick up a few of them. Fill them up and let the games begin. Having big buckets of water sitting around the yard makes it ready to refill and keep playing. If you don’t want to head out to buy squirt guns, grab some plastic cups and use them to throw water at each other. 81
17. Race In Water
You can use the same buckets and plastic cups to set up some fun water races that involve getting the water from the bucket at one end of the yard to the other using the cups. It’s a wonderful way to get the kids moving.
18. Use Outdoor Chalk To Draw
Sweep off a space on a patio or driveway where it’s safe for your child to play. Have him lie down on the cement in such a way that you get a chalk outline of his entire body. Then let him work on adding details. You can assist with picking out colors to help him learn those as well. Or make this fun and different by allowing him to make himself into a funny monster or other creature.
19. Throw A Pool Party
Summer usually means a fun time around water. Throw a pool party or play around in the sprinklers. Have a water balloon fight with your family. Involve water while you still can, before the chilly days of winter arrive.
20. Throw A Party
Get together with your family and throw an end of the summer bash for all of your friends. Your family can plan the party together, cook the food and make decorations. Take lots of photos of your party so you can remember the enjoyable time you had.
21. Fly A Kite
Buy a kite at a local store or make your own if you have the time. Find a safe area to fly kites and teach your children how to get their kites up into the air. Once children learn how to fly kites themselves, it may become one of their favorite summertime activities.
22. Have A Balloon Fight
This game is fun for older children. Set up barricades of some sort in a few different spaces around the playing area. Break the kids into teams and give each team the same amount of filled water balloons. On your go, let them see how many of the other team members they can get wet.
23. Play Backyard Games
Head out to the backyard or a local park to play games. You can play traditional sports or make up your own games to play. Take advantage of the season’s warm weather, enjoy each other, and get some exercise at the same time.
24. Sell Lemonade Or Other Cool Drinks
Get your children into the entrepreneurial spirit and have fun at the same time. You can work together to build a stand and some signs. Then set up shop somewhere that you can attract some thirsty customers.
25. Play Video Games
Video games can be fun for the whole family. Some game consoles even have games that’ll get the whole family active. Choose a sports game, a family board game or a racing game and compete against your family for an exciting time together.
26. Rock Collecting
The beach is wonderful place to go rock collecting. Many rocks along the beach will be smooth from years and years of rolling through the tides which makes for easy collecting for little ones. You will find many types of rocks on the beach – agates, jaspers, quartz, jadeite among many others. You could even get lucky enough to find fossils among the rocks as well.
27. Explore Animals
When you take your child on a nature walk you can point out trees, plants, and animals. They can learn about these and also learn about habitats and all other things that involve nature.
28. Go To The Zoo
Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy the zoo during your free time. Go to the zoo with your family one last time before school takes away much of that free time. It’s also a terrific way to learn about many different kinds of animals.
29. Go Shopping At The Mall
Enjoy getting ready for the school year with your family. Find the fun in shopping for clothing and school supplies. Allow your kids to make some of the clothing decisions and to pick out some of their favorite school supplies.
30. Volunteer In The Community
Volunteering is an excellent way to provide for your children a true learning experience while having fun over the summer. Research different programs that allow children to help out in the community. This could set the stage for regular volunteer work in the future.
31. Spend Time At The Movies
Contact your local movie theaters. Many have special daytime shows that are either free or very inexpensive. Often, they will show older family-friendly movies. If your local theater doesn’t do this, look for a movie theater in driving distance that specializes in low cost shows of older films and find something you’d like to see. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon when it’s raining, or you need a break from the heat and the sun.
32. And Finally Relax at home
Enjoy some quiet time at home before the craziness of the school year starts. Order takeout and talk around the dinner table. Rent some family friendly movies to enjoy while you beat the heat together. The most important thing is that you take the time to enjoy your family.
More Tips On Summer Activities For Kids
Keep your kids from getting bored this summer with one or more of these activities. Instead of staying stuck in the house watching TV or playing video games, bond as a family and create lasting memories together!
Summer is a big time for social events such as festivals, parades, fairs, carnivals, or circuses. Children love the active atmosphere, bright colors, and lots of people to see and things to do. These affairs will keep your little ones busy for hours. Another wonderful thing about it is they are free or fairly inexpensive.
It may ensure that your teenager is outside, instead of spending their summer indoors.
- Start with a family meeting – To make sure summer doesn’t pass you by and to make sure everyone’s happy, start your summer break with a family meeting. You can do this before Summer break starts, right at the beginning, or anytime you feel the need to get everyone on the same page.
- Look at the local calendar of events – Many cities and communities will put these monthly calendars together and note any special events, festivals, concerts, community theatre performances and the likes throughout the year. There are often special summer events as well including plenty of fun and free stuff to do with the kids.
- Look for cheaper summer activities for kids – There are a lot of expensive summer activities out there from camps to amusement and waterparks. Even if you’re not heading out on a vacation, summer fun can be an expensive proposition. That is unless you keep an eye out for great deals and freebies available in your own community.
Keep your kids from getting bored this summer with one or more of these activities. Instead of staying stuck in the house watching TV or playing video games, bond as a family and create lasting memories together!
