Summers are here! And with summer, comes the mammoth task of keeping children entertained.
The last thing you want from your kids at home is constant nagging about being bored or long hours of screen time.
And that’s why we have come up with a great bucket list of fun summer activities and ideas for kids that you can do at home. Hop onto the section that excites you most.
Summer Fun Activities & Ideas for Kids:
- Outdoor Summer Activities & Ideas
- Brain Games
- Nighttime Summer Activities
- Nature Activities
- Summer Art & Craft
- Cooking Ideas
Summers are perfect for outdoor activities. Let your children grab some fresh outdoor air and daylight to brighten their mood and boost their overall well-being.
Outdoor Summer Activities & Ideas
1. Start a Garden
There is no better time than summer break to start your very own garden. Gardening is a joyous activity for the entire family and a pretty good one at keeping kids mindfully busy.
2. Ride a Bike
Summer is a perfect time to learn how to ride a bike. This fun summer activity for kids also doubles up as a great exercise to keep kids healthy and fit.
3. Explore Outdoor STEM Learning
Why not indulge in some infotainment to keep summer boredom at bay? These outdoor STEM activities will not only entertain your kids but also make learning fun!
4. Learn to Fly A Kite
Nothing can beat the joy of watching your first kite fly. This summer make it a point to teach your kids how to fly one.
5. Balloon Darts
Trade the old dartboard for water balloons pinned onto cardboard (or a tree trunk) and let fun outdoor game of balloon darts begin.
6. Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a great way to exercise those muscles and get children moving. Whether you are a big family or parents to a single child, hopscotch can keep everyone entertained.
7. Play Tag
Another classic outdoor game for kids that never fails to entertain and delight kids. Bonus points for parents joining in!
8. Obstacle Course
An obstacle course is an affordable fun summer activity that promises hours of fun and a great way to practice gross motor skills.
Make use of hula-hoops, yoga bricks, jump ropes and other common things lying around the house to make a challenging year fun obstacle course.
9. Go Camping In the Garden
You don’t need to go on a camping trip for summer fun. Simply pitch a tent in your backyard and let your kids enjoy.
10. Play Jump Rope
Another fun summer activity to keep children fit. There are just so many jump rope games that you can play with your kids to keep them entertained on a cool summer evening.
11. Bring Out Those Water Guns!
A super cool summer activity for kids, this one is always a big hit. Just line up a few cups on the ground and knock them off with your water guns.
12. Climb Trees
Who doesn’t like climbing on trees? Let your kids build their motor skills with this fun summer activity.
13. Splash Pool
Splash pools are a wonderful way to let off steam for kids. Simply throw in a beach ball or two for that additional summer fun!
14. Make Giant Bubbles
Who can say no to bubbles?! This is a sure shot fun summer activity that never disappoints. Adults love it too!!
15. Water Balloon Cricket
Water balloons make for the best summer props to keep children gleefully occupied. Just grab a plastic bat, a couple of water balloons and let the fun begin!
16. Nature Walk
Summer breaks call for nature walks. Pack a small meal and head off for a rejuvenating nature walk with kids.
17. Make Your Zip Line
This is for adventurous kids and hands-on parents. If you are one of those parents who like their kids to have that extra fun, we suggest you take this summer activity that will put your building skills to use and give your child a real lesson on engineering.
18. Play With Pom-Pom Shooter
Have a pom-pom shooter tournament and see who can land their pom-pom tree farthest. Hours of fun guaranteed!
19. Go Fishing
Take a fishing trip to a nearby stream. You never know when you get lucky!
20. Chalk Murals
Let your kids express their creative side by drawing gigantic chalk murals on the sidewalk. This is a perfect summer activity for a single child.
21. Water Bag Piñata
If bursting piñata wasn’t enough fun, fill up some balloons or big plastic bags with water and let your children have a blast popping them!
22. Water Dance
Kids just love chasing water from the sprinkler. Make it more fun by playing some music and inviting them for a fun round of water dance.
23. Visit a Local Farm
Farm visits are always fun (and educational!). Take a trip to the nearest farm and let your kids learn all about the summer vegetables and fruits.
24. Make a Waterbed
No child can say no to a waterbed! Let your kids roll and wobble on this cool summer prop for hours of fun.
25. Balloon Badminton
Engage in a fun game of balloon badminton to banish summer boredom blues. Little more explanation here
26. Water Balloon Hunt
This is a fun twist to treasure hunting. Instead of a treasure, let your kids hunt for hidden water balloons outdoors.
27. Outdoor Jenga
This summer fun idea appears straight out of some movie! We bet adults will join in too for this fun summer game.
28. Pool Noodle Tic-Tac-Toe
How about a giant tic-tac-toe? Simply use pool noodles to make the tic-tac-toe grid and small different coloured discs to make 0’s and X’s for an enjoyable, competitive game session.
29. Frisbee
Frisbee is a quintessential summer activity for kids and adults! Be it your backyard or a nearby park, you cannot possibly go wrong with a fun game of Frisbee.
You can also replace Frisbee with a ball and simply play catches with it. Kids just love these simple games. It also strengthens hand-eye coordination!
30. Bean Bag Toss
Why not work on numeracy skills while having a blast with this fun outdoor summer activity for kids!
All you need to do is just draw few numbers on your sidewalk and let your kid toss the bean bag on the called out number.
For older kids, you can write big numbers and give them simple mental math problem to solve. Like 5+4, 10-8, 12+6 , 3 times 5 and so on depending on your child’s grade.
This easy-peasy summer activity is certain to keep your child engaged and learning while having fun!
31. Have Fun Playing Corn Hole
Get your children to burn off their extra energy with this enjoyable summer game for kids.
32. Toss & Rhyme
We absolutely love this summer idea that works wonders with kid’s literacy skills. Playful learning at its best!
33. Water Balloon Juggling
This is such a great summer activity for kids, especially single children, as it is a single player activity. Let your kiddo learn to juggle, but with water balloons!
34. Water Limbo
Nothing can entertain kids as much as a game of water limbo. It is just that summer activity you are looking for!
35. Trampoline
A fun session on the trampoline makes for a perfect physical activity for kids. It is great for parents as it saps off kids of that extra energy.
36. Yard Scrabble
Yard scrabble promises a fun summer evening activity for everyone. Plus, it is a great way to build your kid’s vocabulary.
37. Wind Chime
This is such a wonderful and soothing activity to indulge in! With just a few commonly found materials, your kids can make this pretty wind chime to hang in the garden and watch it swing in the cool summer evening breeze.
Curious about how and why the wind blows? Check out our fun post on wind science activities for little learners!
38. Lawn Twister
Wondering how to entertain a bunch of kids in summer? Try this DIY Giant Twister to get your kids moving and laughing.
39. Sidewalk Foam Paint
Kids love foam!! Let them get creative on the sidewalk and show off their inner Picasso with foam paint!
40. Rush To The Swings
Children just love swings! Let your kids enjoy swings in a nearby park and enjoy the feel of cool summer breeze offtheir face.
Summer Brain Games
41. Riddles
Riddles work astonishingly well at entertaining kids and exercising their brains. Make sure to throw in some in your child’s summer schedule.
Bring on some fun brain games for kids to keep them off the summer slide and give them the necessary brain exercise. We promise your kids will not complain.
42. Puzzles
Indulge in an age-appropriate puzzle and make it fun by timing it! Puzzles work wonders for spatial skills and are a great brain game for children who like some alone time.
43. Read Together
Why not explore a new reading genre in summer? Be it science fiction, biographies or silly humor… whatever interests your child.
44. Family Journal
Summer is a great time to trace back your family history and write a family journal. This is one summer activity for kids your child (and the entire family!) will forever cherish.
45. Would You Rather Questions
Children love these questions! They are funny and thought-provoking – all at the same time.
46. Science Fun
Build love for science with an array of fun science experiments. Who knows, they could help your kids come up with their next science fair project.
47. Try Story Writing
Encourage your kids to give a shot at story writing or comic writing. Such a fun way to entertain kids in summer!
48. Give Coding a Shot
Learning to code is a superb way to utilize the summer break. Be it offline or online coding activities, they definitely make for an apt brain game for kids.
49. Building Activities
Construction and building activities are an amazing way to keep kids engaged on hot summer afternoons.
And you don’t necessarily need store bought blocks. There are plenty of loose materials your kids can tinker with. Like try building structures with coins!
50. Origami
Origami is such a mess free brain game for kids! With plenty of tutorials available online, this is one summer activity that is really affordable.
51. Guessing Games
Exercise your child’s brain with these quick, fun guessing games! We bet there would never be a dull moment again.
52. Try Filmmaking
Why not let your child experiment with filmmaking and learn to make videos! It is quite a 21st century skill.
53. Card Games
Card games are fun and just the right brain game to keep children happy and learning.
If you have a child who shies away from math, we strongly suggest trying math card games. These games work secretly at numeracy skills and make math learning enjoyable!
54. Make a Map
This is such a great summer brain game activity for kids. Encourage them to start with their room and then progress to their lane.
55. Rebus Puzzles
These Rebus picture puzzles are simply superb at entertaining kids at home! Much like brainteasers, they give picture clues that lead to a word.
56. Quizzes
Quizzes are not only a wonderful way to test how much you know but also a super quick way to learn something new.
And this list of quizzes from National Geographic covers a wide range of topics to suit every child’s interest and is certain to excite them.
57. Sorting Games
Sorting games are excellent at keeping children mindfully busy while polishing their critical thinking skills and at the same time giving parents a much-needed break.
58. Brain Games Kids
This is a fun online brain game for kids that packs in a range of puzzles, labyrinths, mazes, sudoku and much more to keep your children entertained during summers.
59. Mekorama
Work on your child’s spatial reasoning skills with this interactive online game.
Mekorama is an online puzzle game that is just right to bid bye to boredom blues.
60. Mentalup
Mentalup is a comprehensive resource for online brain games for kids. Plenty of options to choose from make it a favourite with parents as well as kids.
Nighttime Activities in Summers
61. Nighttime Stroll
Explore your neighbourhood at nighttime to observe it in a different light. Your kids will be amazed to observe how night transforms a busy neighbourhood into a quieter place.
62. Catch Fireflies
Summers bring along these fascinating insects that are sure to catch and simply watch in wonder. This is one summer nighttime activity that is not to be missed.
63. Shadow Puppets
Shadow puppets guarantee lots of fun and imagination. Just right for a family night, this nighttime activity is a great hit with kids.
64. Flashlight Tag
Mix in tag with hide and seek and the drama night brings along and you get a cool game of flashlight tag. Sounds fun? We bet it is!
65. Star Gazing
Summer nights are just right for stargazing. You are certain to make memories spotting the constellations and planets in the sky.
66. Nighttime Stories
Recommended for older kids who like mysteries and spooky stuff. Gather around in a comfy setting in your backyard and narrate ghost stories or simply discuss some fun ghosts facts.
If that’s too much for your kids, try detective stories for kids for a good adrenaline rush.
67. Camp Out!
How about camping out at night? Summer is the perfect time for this nighttime activity with kids. Add in ice-lollies and cool drinks for an extra punch!
68. Outdoor Movie
Outdoor movies are one of the most exciting nighttime activities for kids. Play an old favourite or simply project your family videos for a night of fun.
Maybe it could be a great idea to explore STEM movies for kids for wholesome family infotainment.
And yes…Keep popcorn handy!
69. Drive-In
Who doesn’t love a drive-in? Discover new or revisit the old favourite spots to keep children joyful.
70. Be Read Under The Stars
What we really mean is ‘listen’ under the stars. Give audiobooks or podcasts a try at nighttime and you’ll be surprised how fun they are at night.
71. Play Board Games
Engage in an outdoor session of your favourite family board game at nighttime. And don’t forget to bring in the nighttime snacks to add on some pleasure!
Summer Nature Activities
72. Bird feeder
Recycle an old empty toilet roll into a bird feeder and watch birds visit your yard.
73. Make T-Shirt Bag
Repurpose an old t-shirt into a cool bag to do your bit for nature. Be a green warrior and make it for the entire circle of family and friends.
74. Nature Faces
Gather a few leaves, sticks, fallen flowers, grass and whatever you can find in your natural surroundings and make a face using these natural materials.
75. Wind Catcher
This is a perfect nature activity for kids in summertime. It not only makes a lovely addition to your yard but also helps your child learn how to make something out of nothing!
76. Leaf Print Mandalas
This is a super cool nature craft for kids. Colourful and vibrant, it is eye catching for sure.
77. Nature Wreath
These wreaths are absolutely gorgeous and a great summer time nature craft for kids.
78. Alphabet Rocks
These nature crafts are just great for little learners and hit right at the spot to stop summer learning loss.
79. Leaf People
Unleash your child’s creativity with this summer activity for kids. These leaf people are super cute and great props for any story narration.
80. Nature Paint Brushes
How about making zero-waste paint brushes with some leaves and twigs. Simply gather a bunch of leaves and tie them around at one end of a stick/twig to make your very own nature paint brush.
81. Dandelion Blow Painting
We absolutely love this nature craft and think it is a great artsy way to keep young children entertained during summer break.
82. Leaf Confetti
Children can literally spend hours making this beautiful confetti, all the while exercising their motor skills.
All you need is a simple hole-punch (bonus points if you have the fancy different shape ones) and some fresh leaves right from your backyard.
83. Nature Weaving
We are great fans of this activity. It makes for a perfect summer activity on a warm day.
84. Zentangle Rocks
Kids will love making zentangle rocks that are not just pretty but also work wonderfully well as paperweights.
85. Stone Puzzle
What a fun way to combine nature with puzzles. Simple and easy to make, they are sure to keep your kindergartener busy.
86. Skip Rocks
Reminisce your childhood days with skipping rocks at a nearby pond or lake.
87. Make Mud Pies
Children love this sensorial activity and summer is the best time to make (and bake) mud pies. Let them get messy!
88. Bug Journal
Encourage your kids to look out for bugs and make a bug journal documenting their observations.
This is sure a fun way to learn and spend summer.
89. Leaf Prints
Make leaf prints on a warm summer day and use the paper to wrap a gift.
90. Nature Memory Game
This is such a cute memory game for kids that uses natural materials. Just the right summer activity for kids.
91. Bee Watching
Come summers and bees are buzzing all around you. This time take a closer (and be cautious) look at these gentle insects and try learning about bees!
92. Make Rock Towers
Remember stacking stones atop each other as a child? Bring back forgotten nature activities for kids this season.
93. Leaf Sensory Bag
You can never go wrong with a sensory bag for kids. But this summer, try this nature inspired sensory bag.
94. Natural Scent Jars
Pick up a few herbs from your kitchen garden to make these wonderful Natural scent jars.
Simply place the herbs in different jars and let your child guess which jar has what herb!
95. Leaf Necklace
Use a yarn, a sturdy small twig and fresh leaves for this wonderful fine motor activity.
Tie one end of the yarn to the twig and let your child thread the leaves to make some pretty leaf necklaces.
96. Garden Soup
This summer activity is a super hit with kids.
Summer is the time to indulge in water play! Combine it with natural loose parts and let your kids make a garden soup.
97. Frozen Flowers
Another summer activity that allows children to get wet, this one is so pretty you would want to join in with the kids.
To make frozen flowers, simply freeze some fallen flowers from your garden with water in a muffin tin. Once the ice is set, take them out for a sensory play session.
98. Nature Cutting Tray
Set up a nature-cutting tray for your kids to help them exercise those fingers and practice the essential scissor cutting skills.
This summer activity is certain to keep them busy for hours! Just make sure your kids do not put any of the materials in their mouths and supervise at all times.
99. Nature Montessori Tray
Great for building observation skills, this is a must do summer activity for every preschooler and kindergarteners.
100. Rainstick Bottles
Such a fun activity for kids! This one is sure to keep them entertained.
101. Make a Terrarium
Terrarium is an awesome nature inspired project for kids. It is a great way for kids to learn about plants and habitats.
102. Bird Nest
Challenge kids to make a bird’s nest using the same materials that birds use. Such a fun STEM activity!
103. Nature Sun Catchers
These beautiful Sun catchers are perfect for streaming sunlight in! Just perfect nature craft for kids.
104. Leaf Butterfly
Turn dried leaves into beautiful butterflies and dragonflies with this creative summer craft for kids.
105. Pressed Flowers Bookmarks
Let your little readers make these nature inspired pressed flowers bookmarks for their family and friends. They make such a pretty gift!
106. Birdseed Ornaments
Don’t just wait for winters to show up to make these eye-catching birdseed ornaments. They are real quick, easy-peasy to make and would definitely invite more birds to your yard!
107. Journey Stick
Heading off for a hike or a nature walk? Make sure to make your journey stick on the way…such a fun summer activity!
108. Rock Caterpillar
This rock caterpillar will definitely be the best addition to your garden this summer! Sure to keep kids busy and entertained creatively.
109. Pressed Leaf Art
Make eye-catching masterpieces using leaves or flowers. This summer activity is perfect for preschool and kindergarten.
Summer Arts & Crafts
110. Ice Cube Art
Summer is the time to have fun with ice and this cool summer activity for kids packs in lots of fun (and science!).
111. Pour Painting
Pour painting promises a lot of fun and just the thing to try with kids who are over with the usual artsy stuff.
112. Try Stippling Art
Learn a new art form and give Stippling art a shot! This stunning art form uses pointillism to bring pictures to life and is a great summer activity to prevent boredom.
113. Keep Sketch Pad
Keep a sketchpad for summer and compare how you have honed your skills over the time.
114. Make Shrink Charms
Such a fun way to spend a summer afternoon making these cute charms! This is a must try summer activity.
115. Screaming Cup
Make a screaming cup and experiment with the science of sound. Such a cool STEAM activity for kids to try in summer!
116. Shaving Cream Art
This is such a fun art activity for kids. It allows kids to get messy while creating the art. What could possibly keep kids more entertained?!
117. Sock Puppets
Make some sock puppets to spice up your story sessions.
118. Sand Clay Prints
Why not make sand clay prints of the entire family every summer and watch little hands grow!
119. Squirt Gun Painting
This summer art activity is sure to keep kids happy and busy for hours.
120. DIY Kinetic Sand
This one never fails to entertain kids irrespective of the season. But summers definitely make this messy play special.
121. Make a Scrapbook
Scrapbook is a great art project idea for summers. Let your children unleash their creative side and list down their summer memories in their scrapbooks.
122. Marble Painting
Line an empty shoebox with an art paper. Put in blobs of watercolor on the paper and roll in a few marbles to make this beautiful abstract art.
123. Tie & Dye
This is such a fun summer art activity for every child. Repurpose an old plain t-shirt into a vibrant summer tee.
124. Washi Tape Art
Such a pretty way to make an art and keep kids busy during summer!
125. Weaving
Weaving is such a beautiful craft and is hands-on in teaching kids patience. Great for concentration as well!
126. DIY Spinners
These paper spinners are wonderful at keeping children busy and giving parents the much needed quiet time.
127. Soda Bottle Planters
Give new life to old soda bottles and save the environment from plastic pollution by recycling them into planters. Adult supervision necessary here!
128. Give Paper Mache a Try
Such a great craft to utilise the extra time (and sun!) available in summer! Besides, they also make pretty trinket holders.
129. Paper Hand Fans
Your kids will love making these cute paper hand fans. Simple and easy to make, they are a must try summer craft for kids.
130. Make Play Dough
Playdough is a forever favourite with kids. This summer, help them whip up their own batch of no-cook play dough rather than heading for the store.
131. Hot Air Balloon Craft
There is something about hot air balloons that gets everyone excited. While a ride in a real hot air balloon might not always be doable, this craft surely is.
132. Finger Puppets
Make some finger puppets for imaginative play and let your kids have fun!
133. Paper Flowers
Make a bouquet of paper summer flowers that last long after summers are gone.
134. Kitchen Roll Farm Animals
Such a fun way to recycle an empty kitchen roll tube into farm animals! We bet your kids will love making their own version of farm animals.
135. Pot Painting
Let your kids paint flower pots in summer colors and let out their inner artist.
136. Alphabet Letter Craft
Don’t let summer break lead to learning loss. This cute alphabet letter craft will make sure your preschooler remembers his letters forever!
137. Counting Sticks
Don’t lose track of numbers and get your child interested in maths with this cute counting sticks craft.
138. Zoo Animals
Making these zoo animals will certainly keep your child entertained in summer and work wonders for their creativity.
139. Make a Kite
Summers are perfect for kite flying. This summer instead of buying one, make your own kite.
140. Popsicle Crafts
Who could think popsicles could keep kids busy in summer and far from boredom!
In fact, there are tonnes of crafts you can make with popsicle sticks. From easy-peasy popsicle monsters to a DIY Catapult, the options are endless.
141. Toothpick Crafts
These humble toothpicks can be used to make some real crafty things and real cool STEAM projects as well!
142. Family Tree Craft
Why not utilise summer time to trace family history and make a family tree!
143. Crazy Glasses
Kids will love making these crazy paper glasses and flaunting them!
Cooking Ideas for summers
144. Give Baking a Try
Try baking this summer to keep kids busy and purposefully engaged. Plus, they get to eat the yummy treats they bake.
145. Make Sandwiches
Kids are more likely to eat what they make. Lend them a helping hand and let them learn how to fix their own sandwiches.
146. No Bake Granola Bars
Involve your kids into making these delicious no bake granola bars while inculcating a habit of eating healthy.
147. Lemonade
Let your kids make a pitcher of refreshing lemonade to cool off on a warm summer evening.
148. Ice Lollies
Children just love Ice Lollies! And you know what they love more? Making them! Yes, it can be a little messy but definitely lots of fun.
149. Guacamole
Guacamole is such a healthy dip and so easy to make. Let your kids make this healthy dip for their sandwiches and crackers.
150. Make S’mores
Your kids will never say no to this delicious summer activity! S’mores make a perfect dessert for every occasion.
Time For Fun!
With this mammoth list, we are sure you will find plentiful ideas that will click with your kids and make their (and yours too!) summer fun, entertaining and memorable!
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links, which means that we earn a minuscule (< 5%) commission if you purchase.
The post 150 Fun Summer Activities & Idea For Kids appeared first on KidPillar.