50 Summer Activities For Kids

 

The Summer season has officially started and the kids are out of school. I know that after just a few short weeks (days?!?!?) of playing outside or going to the community pool, kids tend to get bored. The last thing I want to hear is “Mooooommmm, I’m bored!” All. Summer. Long. So if you are not sure what activities to do to keep the kids active and inspired, I have a few ideas to get you started!

 

 

1. Build a birdhouse from a juice carton by cutting holes in two sides and hang it from a tree.
2. Send your kids something through the mail, all kids love getting mail!
3. Visit a bakery and talk about how the items are made and what they are called.

4. Go for a nature walk.

 

5. Help your child think of an imaginary land. Name it and make up a story about what happens there.
6. Talk about the difference between night and day. Have your child draw a picture of night and day.
7. Play the “I Spy” game by saying “I spy something orange.” Let your child guess what it is.
8. Fly a kite today.
9. Set up a bright corner with books and pillows. Encourage your child to get cozy and read.
10. Poke holes in egg cartons and fill with soil. Plant two seeds in each. Keep them wet and well-lit.
11. Talk to your child about how we learn from new things. Try a new food or go to a new park to play.
12. Cut out pairs of pictures and paste them onto index cards. Place them face down and play a matching game.
13. Open a fruit that has seeds inside and explain that fruit grows from seeds.
14. Show your child a handful of change and ask them to identify the coins. Talk about size, color, and value.
15. Roll out white wrapping paper and have your child make hand and footprints with paint.
16. Stand facing your child and have them imitate your moves like a mirror.
17. Have your child draw a picture of what makes them happy.
18. Teach your child the concept of up and down by riding the escalator or elevator.
19. Talk about the names of different flowers in your garden.

 

20. Make a bouquet of fresh flowers and bring them to an elderly neighbor.
21. Talk about farm animals and how they help us (cows give milk, sheep give wool).
22. Make lemonade together.
23. Practice naming the months of the year.
24. Talk about animals you would see at the zoo. What they eat, where they sleep, where they are from, etc.
25. Tell your child “I’d love to!” instead of just Yes or Okay when they ask you to do something with them.
26. Go outside and blow bubbles. Ask your child to try and catch one without breaking it.

 

27. Talk about the meaning of today, yesterday and tomorrow.
28. Take a walk and look at traffic signs. Talk about their shape, color and meaning.
29. Dip flowers or leaves in paint and press them between paper to make unusual prints.
30. Practice naming the days of the week.
31. Have a picnic outside.
32. While reading a story talk about the beginning, middle and end of the story.
33. Trace your shadows with chalk on the sidewalk.
34. Make a weather chart and have your child draw a picture of what the weather looks like throughout the day.
35. Take your child grocery shopping and let them make a list, pick out the items and unload their bags at home.
36. Go through your child’s old clothes and talk about how donating them to charity can help other people.
37. Take a look at the moon and have your child draw a picture of what it looks like – crescent, full circle, half circle?
38. Take a walk and take a piece of paper and a pen. Count the things you see (cars, birds, flowers, signs) and keep track.
39. Talk about fruits and vegetables and how important they are for good health. Let your child help you prepare and eat some for lunch.
40. Show your child family pictures and see if they can identify each person.
41. Spend some time in the backyard or at a park and ask your child to draw what they see.

 

42. Go to a park with a blanket and some books and read stories to your child.

43. Cut out different shapes from colored construction paper and ask your child to make a pattern.
44. Play the “Last Word” game by starting a sentence and letting them finish it. “Fire is hot, but ice is ____”
45. Let your child wash their bike while you wash the car.
46. Take your child to the library and talk about the different categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, etc.
47. Take a trip to a local museum.
48. Call your local fire station and see if you can schedule a visit.
49. Let your child be a pet detective. What does your pet eat? Where do they sleep?
50. Show your child the town you live in on a map and point out where relatives live and the distance between.