If you’re like me, you never know what to do with the kids during summer until it’s almost over. And if you’re working full time then it can be even more challenging because summer camps typically run a shorter day, making pick up and drop offs a bit tricky. Or you forgot entirely about signing up the kids for camps by the deadlines, which I’ve totally done before too!
No matter how much time you have Monday through Friday to spend with your kiddos, you can still make the summer count. From your own free nostalgic memories as a child to spendy new experiences, here are 50 fun summer ideas for kids.
50 Fun Summer Ideas For Kids:
1 – Teach the kids how to ride a bike.
2 – Sign the kids up to learn how to play tennis or golf – both sports come in handy as they grow up!
3 – Choose a wild animal to learn and then visit them at the zoo! Like these flamingos.
4 – Cool off at a water park.
5 – Create a book challenge and build in rewards along the way. Check your local library for summer reading series.
6 – Rent a bouncy house and have the neighborhood kids over.
7 – Pack a picnic and try a new park every week.
8 – Camp in the backyard and do some stargazing by using a kid-friendly app such as Starlight or Sky Guide.
9 – If roughing it isn’t your kids’ thing, go glamping. Find a hotel that offers a camp package like The Houstonian. Or go big and try one of these 11 best glamping sites in the UK.
10 – Sign up for a family fun run to support a cause.
11 – Host a backyard bonfire and make smores.
12 – Attend a show at the theatre; kids go free in August at the Official London Theatre.
13 – Go to a matinee and see Toy Story 4, Spiderman: Far From Home, The Lion King, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, The Angry Birds Movie 2.
14 – Make old fashioned popsicles with ice-cube trays.
15 – Try a new summer sport like surfing, paddleboarding, croquet or badminton.
16 – Cool off by painting a picture (or themselves) with homemade ice paint.
17 – Make ice cream bowls at a local pottery store.
18 – Host a lemonade stand.
19 – Make snow cones.
20 – Volunteer at a pet store or visit the dog’s trust.
21 – Go to a county fair.
22 – Host a movie and popcorn slumber party.
23 – Become members of the local library.
24 – Host a slip-n-slide party in the backyard.
25 – Pick strawberries at a local farm and make strawberry shortcake.
26 – Make a family flag.
27 – Go to the beach and collect seashells to make a kid craft.
28 – Have a squirt gun and water balloon fight.
29 – Teach the kids to sew and make a fun summer pillowcase.
30 – Go on a boat ride.
31 – Take the kids to a trampoline park.
32 – Make slime.
33 – Play a par 3 round of golf or footgolf course. Great for all ages!
34 – Play in the local splash pad.
35 – Create a summer whiffle-ball competition.
36 – Plant a kids’ garden.
37 – Attend the horse races on a family fun day.
38 – Go to a music festival in the park.
39 – Teach double dutch jump rope.
40 – Paint nails fun summer colors.
41 – Attend a free music festival.
42 – Outline hopscotch in the driveway with colorful chalk.
43 – Tour a music or sports stadium.
44 – Plan a Friday night food truck experience.
45 – Buy ice cream from the musical ice cream truck or make an ice cream sundae station.
46 – Attend an outdoor evening theatre or music show, like this one in St Albans modeled after the world famous Minack open-air theatre in Cornwall.
47 – Dig for worms.
48 – Then go fishing.
49 – Enjoy a sunset.
50 – RELAX and sleep in…a lot. 🙂
If these 50 summer ideas for kids doesn’t quite hit the spot, then brainstorm as a family to make a summer bucket list. Tape up your list or put the chalkboard easel with all the summer things to do with kids in your kitchen as a constant reminder. (My favorite kid-friendly chalkboard easel is this one from Ikea.) This works for our family year after year. Keeping it in the kitchen or somewhere highly visible ensures a fun activity every weekend. We always feel good about what we accomplish by the end of the summer because we outline so many ideas at the break of school.
So don’t wait too long to start planning because the kids will be heading back to school before you know it. As for British kids, they have less than 2 months to make the summer count. So start planning an amazing summer with kids today and make it your best summer yet!
Looking for more summer at home with kids resources? Try these.
- How To Get Through The Summer At Home With Kids
- Cornwall: A Summer Weekend in Newquay With Kids
- Moving abroad? Download the moving abroad checklist. Created for expats, by an expat who moved abroad in less than 3 months. All the steps in chronological order to get you organized to move from the USA to the UK. Download today!
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