17 Activities for Kids’ Summertime Fun

Keep your whole family active, engaged, and cool this summer!

By Kaeti Spanbauer

Are you looking forward to a summer with your kids? A couple months full of fun activities to bring you closer as a family and make lasting memories. We are, and we know kids are getting excited for a break too, so let’s give them the summer of a lifetime. Here are seventeen family activities to create an amazing and adventurous summer!

Camping

Camping is a relatively inexpensive excursion and is a great way to spend time outside screen free. You can throw a football or some frisbees around, make some delicious s’mores and meals over the fire, and tell your favorite campfire stories.

You can definitely choose to rough it, but with little ones, finding somewhere with bathrooms and showers makes it a little easier on both kids and parents for bathroom runs in the middle of the night.

Star Gazing

While on a school night staying up late means getting up late for school the next day, during the summer there can be some leeway with bedtime. This means your family can spend a special night under the stars. You and your kids can drive out somewhere more secluded or even venture to the backyard to stargaze. This can also be a fun time to learn about constellations and how ancient civilizations used them.

Sidewalk Chalk Murals

Each member of the family can take a section of sidewalk and create their own masterpiece. You can invite neighborhood friends to join in, make it a competition, or simply write nice notes for the people who walk by.

Puzzle

This is a great indoor activity to keep your kids busy while you make a meal or get some other work done around the house. Puzzles are also a great screen-free activity and multiple kids can do it at once.

Water Balloons

Water balloons can create hours of fun! Have a classic water balloon fight and invite neighborhood friends. Invite other parents over too and have a barbeque while the kids play water games. Not only will this be fun for your kids but a great social activity for the community. You can also play other fun water balloon activities such as water balloon baseball or a water balloon toss competition.

Hiking

Hiking is such a fun way to get some exercise. Find a local hike, maybe one with a waterfall or a fantastic view. You can check on google to see the difficulty and make sure it fits your family. Have a great time soaking up nature and spending some quality time as a family. Don’t forget to pack sunscreen, water, and hats.

Outdoor Movie Night

Grab the projector and set up a sheet in the backyard. Have your kids pick out their favorite movies and collect some blankets and pillows from around the house for comfy seating. This can be a one-time event or a reoccurring summer activity. This is another event you can invite friends over to participate in.

Fly a Kite

Let’s go fly a kite! Grab a few kites from the store, head to the beach or the park, and help your kids learn how to fly a kite. If you are really up for the task, you could get the materials to make your own. After you teach them how to fly it, they can run around for a few hours enjoying the sun and burning off some energy. (A great plan if you want them to go to bed early or take a nap).

Picnic in the Park

Pack some sandwiches, snacks, and a blanket, and head on over to the park. The kids can eat lunch and play, even take a nap on the comfy blanket.

Slip N Slide

What is more fun as a kid than playing in the water in the hot sun? You can grab your slip n slide, or create a makeshift one with tarps, soap, and a hose. Set up your slide in the backyard and turn on some music to cool off on a nice warm day. And you can join your kids or set up a chair and enjoy a book while you watch them play.

Berry Picking

Summer can be an amazing time to pick berries! It’s fun and tasty. Grab a couple grocery bags and spend a few hours outside under the sun picking and eating delicious berries. After that, you can save some in your fridge or freezer, or make a dessert like a cobbler, crisp, or berry milkshake with any leftovers.

Plant Flowers or a Garden

Do your kids have a green thumb? Not sure yet? Well, try planting some flowers or a vegetable garden. It can be a fun summer project for the family and help your kids learn how to take care of something and be very rewarding.

Make Ice Cream

Get creative and make your own ice cream! You can find a great recipe on Pinterest and work together to make this summer treat. You can make it fun by letting your kids come up with their own ice cream creations and flavor names.

Water Color

Painting is a great indoor or outdoor activity. The family can sit outside and paint beautiful things they see in nature or their favorite animals. If you’ve had plenty of time outside, you can paint inside and enjoy the A/C and some lemonade for a chance to cool down.

Ride Bikes

Take your kids on a biking adventure. You can google a local scavenger hunt and bike around to find the different locations and items. Or simply find a fun biking trail the whole family can enjoy.

Visit Your Local Library

During the summer, local libraries often have summer activities for kids. You can go to weekly story time, join their summer reading program, or even participate in a youth book club. Check with your local library to see if they have a calendar of their summer activities so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Early Morning Walks

You can take your kids out on a morning walk (or evening, if that works better). This can be a great time to chat with your kids and get some quality time with them. You can catch up on their lives, their interests, and what they are looking forward to this summer.

We hope you have a fantastic summer!

Enjoy getting closer to your kids and making incredible memories with them. Comment below which activity you want to do with your family!