20 Inspiring Summer Activities For Kids You’ll Love
Looking for fun summer activities for kids? You’ll love my guide, filled with fun summer activities for a hot summer day. Think summer crafts, a summer reading program, and lots of fun adventures for the entire family including younger kids and older kids.
So to help with that, we’ve come up with this list of fun activities kids can do at home to keep them entertained, both indoors and outdoors. Expect to read about how to spend quality time together as a family including watching a family movie, finding local bowling alleys, how to have fun at an outdoor play area, finding fun things to do in your backyard, how to set up a classic lemonade stand and even how to get your kids excited about taking part in science experiments.
Need a few ideas free summer activities? Check out my article 32 Cheap and Free Summer Activities for Kids to help you plan a summer like no other.
And if they get burned out from that, we also love reading these books for kids about summer. It’s perfect for rainy days or when it’s just too hot to go outside.
Whatever your plans are, we hope you have a great time spending it with your family and loved ones!
Summer Activities for Kids
Sidewalk Paint Rockets: A fun backyard science activity!
Finding fun ideas for summer activities don't get better than a science experiment, crowd pleaser, and boredom buster all in one! These sidewalk paint rockets splatter colorful bursts of chalk paint on the ground and clean up with water!
You'll find some cute pictures of kids enjoying this fun activity – they look like they're having a blast! The best part is, you don't need anything fancy for this summer craft. Chances are, you already have all the materials at home.
The process is easy and it's all explained step by step for summer fun. You'll mix up some fizzy paint and pour it into empty film canisters. Then, watch in amazement as the rockets shoot up into the sky and leave colorful marks on the sidewalk.
It's a fantastic way to get the kids moving, exploring, and being creative during the summer break. Plus, cleanup is super simple with just a hose. Give it a try and enjoy one of the best outdoor summer fun activities with your little ones in your own backyard.
LEGO Challenges and Activities for Kids
If it's too hot outside this summer, my fun LEGO challenges and activities are hours of indoor fun!
Expect a treasure trove of creative and engaging ways to have a blast with LEGO bricks. With 15 awesome activity ideas for kids to enjoy, catering to a wide range of interests and skill levels. From building a LEGO volcano to creating a LEGO marble maze, there's something for everyone.
The article also includes educational activities, like using LEGO to learn math or practice spelling. It highlights the benefits of LEGO play, such as enhancing problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork.
Why not learn how to organize LEGO bricks and create a LEGO-themed party for extra fun this summer.
DIY Pool Noodle Games- No Water Needed! (Alternative Uses for Pool Noodles)
Sure the intrinsic nature of a pool noodle is fun and games. But how about without using water!? Here are a few Pool Noodle Games that don't call for a pool! These games are great for inside OR outside during the hot summer months!
From pool noodle races and target toss games to building structures and obstacle courses, there's something for everyone. The best part? These games require no water, making them ideal for any time of the year. Expect instructions and helpful tips to ensure that the games are easy to set up and enjoyable for the whole family.
As one of the best summer activities for kids, this is a budget-friendly way to keep kids and adults entertained while promoting physical activity and creativity. Whether you're looking for a rainy day activity or something exciting for a sunny afternoon, these DIY Pool Noodle Games has you covered!
Puffy Sidewalk Paint
Kids love sidewalk chalk because it's a fun activity for kids (and adults) of all ages to do outside. This puffy sidewalk paint recipe only requires a few materials and it's such a clever spin on the traditional store-bought sidewalk chalk.
It's a must-try for parents looking for some of the best summer activities for kids! The creative and exciting DIY sidewalk paint recipe is a game-changer for outdoor play!
With simple ingredients that are easily found in most homes, making the puffy sidewalk paint is a breeze. The process involves mixing shaving cream, glue, and a dash of food coloring to create a puffy and vibrant paint mixture.
The real fun begins when kids use the paint to create colorful masterpieces on the sidewalk. The puffy texture adds a sensory element to the activity, making it even more engaging and enjoyable.
Not only is this one of the best summer activities for kids, it also encourages kids to unleash their creativity and imagination while spending quality time outdoors. Plus, it's a fantastic way to beat the summer heat! With endless possibilities for artistic expression and easy cleanup, this puffy sidewalk paint is sure to become a summer favorite for kids of all ages when looking for fun ideas to keep them entertained.
Bubble Painting - Fun Summer Activity
This bubble painting fun summer activity is amazing for kids of all ages! It's super easy to set up and costs very little to create. You can also do it with groups of kids so it would make a great craft for parties or playdates where kids paint together.
Bubble painting is a super fun and mess-free activity that is sure to captivate young artists. And the best part is, you just need a few basic materials - dish soap, water, and washable paint. Kids will love blowing colorful bubbles on paper and watching as the bubbles pop, leaving behind beautiful patterns and designs.
Parents will appreciate that the setup is hassle-free and the materials are safe and washable. It's one of the best summer crafts that allows children to explore their creativity while enjoying the warm weather.
With its simplicity, affordability, and entertaining results, bubble painting is an activity that both kids and parents will adore throughout the summer season.
Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course - a Fun Summer Activity For Toddlers & Preschoolers
A new favorite summer activity is making a sidewalk chalk obstacle course. It's a great low prep gross motor activity that toddlers and preschoolers love to do over and over. You can continue to keep it fresh and fun every time you do it. Of course, if you have older kids you can make it harder and they'll still want to do it. They might have so much fun designing it!
I love how this summer activity for kids combines creativity and physical play. You'll learn an impressive innovative way to use sidewalk chalk to create an engaging obstacle course in the backyard or on the sidewalk.
With simple instructions, learn how to draw various challenges like hopscotch, zigzags, and balance beams using colorful chalk. The course can be customized based on the child's age and abilities, making it suitable for kids of all ages.
Parents will love that the setup is budget-friendly and requires minimal materials. If you're looking for more cheap and cheerful summer activities for kids, check out my guide: 32 Cheap & Free Summer Activities For Kids.
Super Silly Screen Free Coding Activity with Chalk
This is a super fun (and silly!) activity to get kids thinking about the problem-solving skills needed to code. Teaching kids to code starts with the very basics. Preschoolers and early elementary school kids can start to apply the basic concepts of programming. This activity is great for kids age 4+!
This is a brilliant and screen-free way to teach kids the basics of coding through a fun and interactive game. The activity, known as "Robot Coding Dice," is designed to engage children in coding concepts without the use of electronic devices.
Learn how to create the game using simple materials like dice, stickers, and a game board. Each side of the dice represents a different coding command, and kids take turns rolling the dice and following the instructions to navigate through the game board like a robot.
Through this hands-on activity, children learn important coding principles such as sequencing, loops, and conditional statements. It not only sparks their interest in coding but also enhances problem-solving and critical thinking skills, making it one of the best summer activities for kids looking to learn!
Under the Sea Ocean Slime Recipe Without Borax
This blue and glittery, borax-free, under the sea ocean slime is a fun DIY sensory activity perfect for the summer months. You know those rainy summer days when all the kids want to do it go outside and play, this ocean slime activity will keep them entertained while stuck inside, still making it one of the best summer activities for kids.
Expect a step-by-step guide on how to create this fascinating sensory play material that resembles the colors and textures of the ocean.
Simple ingredients required for the slime, such as clear glue, saline solution, baking soda, and various blue and green shades of food coloring make it easy for all families to enjoy. Enhance your kids' imagination and expect to see an adorable ocean-themed items like tiny sea creatures and glitter to make the slime even more captivating.
The process is easy to follow, and the article includes colorful images of the final product. Ocean slime not only engages children in a creative and hands-on activity but also offers sensory benefits, allowing them to explore various textures and colors.
How to Make a Giant Outdoor Chalkboard
Need a fun idea to keep your kids busy in the backyard? This giant outdoor chalkboard is the perfect addition to your back fence, and the kids are guaranteed to love it! If you have a kid, you'll know that chalk is always a huge hit.
A chalkboard can be a fantastic addition to any outdoor space, promoting creativity, imagination, and learning. Your kids can engage in artistic expression and educational play, while adults can also utilize the chalkboard for planning and organizing. So it's a win win all round when looking for ideas for summer activities for kids.
With charming images of the finished product and the creative possibilities for play ideas it offers, overall, it's a wonderful way to enhance outdoor play, and make cherished memories in the comfort of your own backyard.
Swing Painting Activity for Kids
Wondering how to keep the kids occupied all summer long? Swing Painting is super fun and is one of the perfect summer activities for kids all ages. This actually ends up being good exercise for the kids, too! They'll have to control how hard they're swinging.
Learn how to set up a swing painting station using a few simple materials. Parents can hang a large canvas or a sheet of paper on a sturdy tree branch or swing set, and then let the kids swing and create beautiful art at the same time. By attaching paintbrushes or sponges to the bottom of the swing, the children's movement will leave colorful patterns on the canvas as they swing back and forth.
With vivid images showcasing the swing painting results, the article serves as an inspiration for parents to engage their kids in this delightful and messy yet memorable outdoor art adventure. It's an activity that guarantees joy, laughter, and one-of-a-kind masterpieces!
Thrill Your Kids with Colorful Squirt Gun Painting
Squirt gun painting is a thrilling summer art experience for kids and is the ultimate boredom buster! If squirt guns aren't your thing, use plastic spray bottles! They work just as well.
Balloon Tennis - Fun & Easy Activity for All Ages
Balloon Tennis is a fun and easy activity for all ages. It only takes a couple of supplies to create the rackets and then you can let all the fun begin!
How to Make a Giant Jenga Yard Game
If you have ever wanted to make a giant Jenga style yard game, you're in the right place! Giant jenga (or as some might call it life size jenga) is the perfect yard game to play outside at BBQs, picnics or family get togethers! It's a great beginner woodworking project and it's super affordable, too (less than 10!). It also makes a great gift for outdoor, BBQ and tail gating enthusiasts.
And you can see the best outdoor Jenga games here
Sidewalk Chalk Outdoor Math Game
Now that spring is finally here and the pollen is (somewhat) subsiding, most kids kids have been itching to get outdoors! With this easy sidewalk chalk outdoor math game, your active kids can get some arithmetic practice done while moving!
Easy Homemade Bubble Solution
Mix a quick batch of this three-ingredient homemade bubble solution for summer fun all season long! Here's a quick recipe for an easy homemade bubble solution to make loads of perfectly poppable bubbles!
Create a Surprisingly Easy Backyard Obstacle Course This Summer!
Create a Surprisingly Easy Backyard Obstacle Course! Make a American Ninja Warrior-esque obstacle course and time your kids as they complete it to make it more fun. The beauty of the backyard obstacle course is that you can use just about anything that you have to make this more challenging and FUN.
Fun Neighborhood Outdoor Scavenger Hunt with Sidewalk Chalk
Looking for a boredom buster for the summer or another time when you're stuck at home? This fun neighborhood outdoor scavenger hunt with sidewalk chalk is the perfect way to get the entire neighborhood involved yet do it on your own time at each family's convenience.
DIY Bean Bag Toss: the Best Outdoor Games!
Here's a DIY bean bag toss game using clay saucers and a printable. This bean bag game is easy to assemble and you'll have a blast! This bean bag game is SO easy to assemble and you'll be having a lot of fun in minutes! Children can help make this too, before they play.
DIY Tic Tac Toe Tag Game
It's fast-paced and highly entertaining for both the players and the spectators, and the best part is you can get the kids in on the action of making them and they have an added bonus of being inexpensive to make! This game is such a blast to watch because in the middle of the kids racing, you have multiple minds trying to strategize a game to win, but they also need to be fast.
Free Printable Monthly Reading Charts for Kids
Are your kids tracking their reading for Pizza Hut's Book-it program, a library reading program, or are they just wanting to improve their reading? Reward your child for reading with these free monthly printable reading charts for kids. There's one for each month, and they make daily tracking fun with their cute themes!
More Summer activities for kids to check out!
If you need more ideas for summer programs for things to do with your kids this summer, check out our other summer posts:
- 32 Cheap and Free Summer Activities for Kids
- Free Summer Printables for Kids
- DIY Summer Crafts for Kids
- Summer Activities for Kids with Water
- Delicious Summer Salads
- Yummy Summertime Meals
- Amazingly Delicious Summer Dessert Recipes
- Summer Staycation Ideas
- Popsicle Recipes
- Summer Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- 15 Free Kids Activities with Magna-tiles
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