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Want some fun ideas for your kids to do throughout the summer?
Here are 60 activity ideas – perfect for 12 weeks of summer fun!
If you’d like the printable version of this list for your kids to use, scroll to the bottom of this post and drop your email for the PDF! Your children can use the one-page list to look for ideas and color in/cross off each day that they complete an activity!
60 Summer Activity Ideas for Kids!
Make sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom and grab the printable version of these ideas! Your kids can color in or cross off each box as they do the activity. Feel free to go in order OR jump around and let them choose what sounds fun depending on the day.
#1. Create a summer journal or collage. The Dollar Tree has some cute notebooks and journals that you can use for this (along with lots of stickers and other craft items to choose from).
#2. Go on a nature walk and collect leaves, flowers, rocks, and anything interesting! Write about what you find (or even take a picture and add it) in your summer journal.
#3. Make some yummy popsicles together! Help your younger kids follow a recipe OR encourage your older kids to come up with their own recipe. They can add their recipe to their journal and maybe even a photo of the finished popsicles.
#4. Have a picnic in the backyard or at a park. You could have your older kids practice some independence by putting all the food together and organizing the picnic.
#5. Grab some binoculars (or make DIY binoculars) and go birdwatching! They could even create a graph or a page in their summer journal to keep track of the birds they see!
#6. Paint some pet rocks! If they want to paint more than one, they could create a pet rock family. Take a photo when they are finished for their summer journal.
#7. Use random items from around the house to create a DIY obstacle course!
#8. Make some DIY bird feeders and hang them up outside! You could use pinecones, string, peanut butter, seeds, and dried fruit for an easy one.
#9. Go fly some kites (this one is 53% off right now) or build a DIY kite (watch the video below)! Or, if flying kites isn’t their thing, they could try out this paper bag kite craft.
#10. Play some board games outside on a picnic blanket.
#11. Build or paint a birdhouse together.
#12. Make some homemade ice cream in a bag.
#13. Go to a local splashpad or have a water day at home. You could even make your own sprinkler with a water bottle!
#14. Go play some mini golf OR create your own DIY mini golf course at home. If you have older kids, you can encourage them to get creative and design their own course. If they don’t want to put together an actual course outside, they could draw and design a course on paper!
#15. Make some homemade pizza together and eat it outside.
#16. Fill up some water balloons and have a water balloon toss! You could even cut empty milk jugs and try to throw/catch with these!
#17. Go outside and blow some bubbles! If you have older kids, they could follow along with the video to make DIY bubble solution and wands to create big bubbles!
#18. Make some DIY wind chimes (here are 25 different ideas).
#19. Draw or paint a beach sunset.
#20. Go pick out some new books at the library.
#21. Encourage your kids to get creative and create an imaginary country in their summer journal. If they are too small for this, just help them draw or talk about their imaginary country. Afterwards they can design and paint a flag for their country!
#22. Color or paint some fireworks.
#23. Have a beach day and build a sandcastle together.
#24. Make some homemade lemonade together and sip on it while you draw some lemonade!
#26. Learn about constellations and go out on a clear night to search for them.
#27. Create a chalk paint masterpiece out on the sidewalk.
#28. Have an ice-cream cone day! Draw a silly ice-cream cone and then go grab some ice-cream from a nearby shop or make your own ice-cream cones at home!
#29. Learn about hummingbirds and then set up a hummingbird feeder in your yard! You could also make a DIY hummingbird feeder here.
#30. Make some snow cones together (you could try this healthier version that uses real berries for the syrup).
#31. Do an act of kindness for someone.
#32. Create and fly some paper planes. Test out which designs fly best!
#33. Try a beach yoga session just for kids!
#34. Have a water gun battle with the family.
#35. Find flowers to paint and use them to stamp on white cardstock for some pretty art!
#36. Make some tropical smoothies. If you have older kids, encourage them to come up with and create their own tropical smoothie recipe!
#37. Build a DIY castle using cardboard boxes.
#38. Make a DIY crown out of flowers and/or leaves.
#39. Carefully do a watermelon explosion with rubber bands!
#40. Play a game of water balloon baseball. Basically, it’s just baseball, but replacing the ball with water balloons. This sounds like fun!
#41. Make a bug hotel using natural resources. Here are 24 bug hotel ideas if you need some inspiration!
#42. Build an indoor fort (or outside if it’s nice).
#43. Play some balloon tennis. Blow up some balloons and hit back and forth with some tennis racquets. If you don’t have racquets, just use any kind of paddle or even pool noodles will work.
#44. Use bright summer colors and make some pretty marbled shaving cream art outside!
#45. Draw or paint some fireflies in a jar and then try to catch some fireflies (if you can) later that night!
#46. Make a scrape painting popsicle craft.
#47. Draw or paint a picture of your house in the summertime.
#48. Make a DIY solar oven and cook something yummy (s’mores anyone?)!
#49. Make a beautiful card for someone special.
#50. Grab a large canvas and pop balloons filled with paint on it for some fun artwork!
#51. Make an easy DIY marshmallow shooter.
#52. Make some fun puffy sidewalk paint.
#53. Make some frozen yogurt fruit bark together. If you have older kids, encourage them to get creative and come up with their own recipe!
#54. Use the sun for some shadow drawing.
#55. Make a cardboard vase. Pop some holes in it and place flower stems through them.
#56. Paint a sunflower. You can use this template from yours truly 🌻🥰😅
#57. Create a unique painting by using water guns filled with paint.
#58. Play some glow-in-the-dark bowling.
#59. Watch a movie in the backyard with some popcorn.
#60. Finish your summer journal or collage. Write down some of your favorite memories from this summer.
Grab the Printable List Below!
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