101 Easy Summer Activities for Kids
This is our last summer before Jack starts school (give me a moment while I bawl my eyes out).
So I’m still used to helping him find things to do throughout the day – and he’s pretty good at using his imagination on his own as well.
However, I know that many parents are starting to look for simple summer activities for kids now that school is getting out.
I put together this list of 100 fun activities for kids – most of them are pretty simple and require little to no cost (though a few of them might be more of a splurge).
I’ve also put together a printable version of this list, which you can signup for below. You’ll also get a fill-in-the-blank “Summer Bucketlist” to help you make your family’s list of must-do activities. When you signup, you’ll also receive several other printables from other bloggers, which I will talk about more at the end of this!
- Blow Bubbles
- Age Appropriate Puzzle
- Make chalk art – with chalk or the newly popular chalk paint (totally washes over the driveway perfectly!)
- Attempt to break a world record
- Make pottery – at home with a pottery kit or at a place like Color Me Mine
- Go on a walk
- Play night games
- Paint a self-portrait
- Movie night with popcorn
- Camp in the backyard
- Family bike ride
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Make cookies – we have lots of easy cookie recipes to choose from.
- Have a lemonade stand – make sure to use our best lemonade stand lemonade!
- Go on a picnic – make sure you bring a waterproof picnic blanket!
- Go to a splash pad
- Go to the zoo – we love the Denver Zoo!
- Attend a free museum day
- Play frisbee (or pick up Disc Golf – our family’s favorite)
- Family room sleepover
- Go camping – make sure you take one of our popular dutch oven recipes with you.
- Join a summer reading program – many libaries and book stores do this
- Make play dough – this play dough recipe is SO easy.
- Go on a bug hunt
- Dollar Tree Shopping Spree – $3 limit
- Go to garage sales – give each child a bunch of quarters to use.
- Run through the sprinklers
- Go to the pool
- Feed the ducks
- Make donuts – a donut pan is a must-have for this!
- Have a dollar dinner – give each child a dollar (or two) to buy something from the store for dinner. Anything goes! Then eat everything together.
- Have a garage sale – here are our best yard sale tips.
- Go bowling – the Kid’s Bowl Free summer bowling program is an amazing deal.
- Make snow cones – I’d love to get a snow cone maker someday!
- Play board games – here are some great board games for families and some fun preschooler-friendly board games.
- Go on a hike – make sure you read our best tips for hiking with children!
- Make cupcakes (cupcake wars!)
- Make cookies for neighbors
- Skype with grandparents – or download Marco Polo (or favorite app)
- Play at the park
- Make homemade bubbles
- Do Mad Libs
- Go on a long drive and play road trip games
- Make a sand castle
- Make wooden cars from craft kits and race them
- Make sail boats
- Act out skits
- Star Gaze
- Make a time capsule
- Write letters to family members
- Make pizza together as a family – our easy pizza dough recipe is always a hit!
- Build LEGO towers
- Make homemade ice cream – gotta love a good ice cream maker!
- Rent a Redbox and make popcorn
- Go to sand dunes and sled on them
- Go on a nature hunt
- Fly Kites
- Make paper airplanes – here are some really fun ones to make.
- Tie fleece blankets to donate
- Make shrinky dink crafts
- Do a crossword puzzle
- Read a book together as a family – these are all great books for kids
- Wade in a river
- Go on a train ride
- Do a science experiment
- Go to a musical or play
- Go on a picture scavenger hunt – give each child a list of different things they need to take a picture of, a disposable camera, and then have fun seeing what they came up with. This may require adult supervision/driving. We used to do this at malls for birthday parties when I was younger.
- Have a water balloon fight – these water balloons are AMAZING!
- Build an indoor tent/fort – we love our Teepee Joy!
- Make caramel popcorn
- Go to some kind of sporting event
- Make s’mores
- Go to a trampoline park
- Play rock, paper, scissors
- Go to a pet rescue center and play with the animals
- Go to a beach or lake
- Write a story
- Play I-Spy (Jack’s favorite game!)
- Go on a tour (many towns have free tours at different venues)
- Clean your room
- Have a magic show – a magic kit will keep them busy for hours!
- Make a carnival in your backyard
- Go to a Farmer’s Market
- Plant a garden – here are a few things we learned about gardening our first year
- Play with glow sticks
- Go berry picking
- Make banana bread
- Make popsicles
- Make a track and have Hot Wheels races
- Swing on swings
- Have a dance party – or play Just Dance
- Have a water gun fight
- Make banana splits
- Wash the car
- Go to a parade
- Go Mini Golfing
- Go fishing – these are some great kid’s fishing kits
- Play in the rain
- Color – with a coloring book, color wonder, or even on an app
- Sing songs around a campfire
- Listen to an audiobook – here are the best audiobooks for kids of all ages
What are your favorite summer activities?
Make sure you signup below for the printable version of this list and a fillable Summer Bucketlist.
By signing up to receive these, you will also get:
- A vacation checklist from What’s up, Fagans?
- Reading Journal and Printable from Overstuffed
- Summer activity list and bucket list from me!
- Kid’s cleaning printable from Pulling Curls
- Summer reading printable from Tips from a Typical mom
- Road trip journal from Your EveryDay Family