14 Summer Activities for Kids

Summer is here, which means you’ve probably been hearing “Mom, what can I do?”

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These fourteen ideas should help you answer that question, whether your child is artistic or active.

And many of these activities will help them keep learning over the summer while they’re having fun. (Go here if they would love to do summer crafts.)

See Also

• Planning a camping trip? Check out these 15 Genius Hacks or Summer Road Trips.
• Children’s Book Characters

1. Fly Swatter Painting Craft

From Glued to My Crafts

Swat! Kids will have so much fun creating cool designs with this unusual painting tool. Painting activities are always a hit with kids, but they get even better with the addition of some fun, kinesthetic tools. A few fly swatters from your local dollar store and a roll of butcher paper can easily turn into hours of summer fun. You might want to take this activity outdoors because things are bound to get a little messy.

2. Surprise Rocks & Dinosaur Dig

From The Kitchen is My Playground

Your little budding palaeontologists will love this dinosaur themed activity perfect for summer vacation. These surprise rocks and dinosaur dig take a little bit of prep,, but they are a super easy do it yourself project that your kids can certainly help with. The finished product are cute little dinosaur eggs that you can crack open to reveal a little dinosaur toy inside.

This activity involved a bit of prep, but looks like a lot of fun for your future paleontologists.

3. Kids Summer Reading Programs

From Frugal Living Mom

Keep their minds active during the summer months with local summer reading programs. With prizes and rewards given for books they read, there is even more incentive to keep their heads in the books.

4. DIY Ring Toss Game

From Mom Endeavors

A classic game of ring toss is always a favorite activity for backyard barbecues, pool parties, and any other summer celebration. This do it yourself version is super easy to make yourself and will provide hours of backyard fun! Not to mention this blogger used the most fun, summery colors to decorate it with. Customize the paint job to match your backyard furniture for an extra cute touch.

5. Summer Backyard Chalk Activities

From In The Playroom

Sidewalk chalk is an outdoor summer staple and it can be used in so many fun ways! This blog post is filled with creative and engaging ways to use sidewalk chalk that take summertime learning outside. Let your kids practice their high frequency words on the driveway, trace their silhouettes or shadows, or copy different kinds of lines to practice pencil control skills.

6. Lemur Tail Kabob and Lemur Sandwich

From My Two Sisters

Make summer snacking fun with these cute lunch recipes for lemur tail kabobs and lemur sandwiches with cantaloupe dip on the side. It is the perfect opportunity to combine food crafting with a science lesson about lemurs! These snacks are super healthy too. The kabob is made with stripes of banana and blackberry, and the sandwich is packed with healthy ingredients like dried seaweed, mozzarella cheese, and whole grain bread.

7. Smashin’ Ice Fun

From Glued to my Crafts

Have some cool summer fun in your backyard with this wildly fun ice smashing activity from Glued to My Crafts. It is a super simple activity at its core, but is sure to provide hours of fun for your little ones. Freeze plastic letters, numbers, or small toys in freezer bags of ice then give your little one a hammer and let them have at it! Smash and melt the ice away until the toy inside has been revealed.

8. Biking with Kids

From The Koala Bear Writer

On a beautiful summer day there is no better feeling than a bike ride through the park or down the beach with your family. Get out and get active with the kids this summer with these tips for cycling as a family. This brilliant post covers everything from kid friendly nike attachments to necessary safety procedures. The only thing left is to decide where your destination is!

9. How Baking Can Be Summer Reading, Writing & Math Practice

From The Kitchen is my Playground

Did you know you can keep your child practicing reading, writing, and math through simply baking and cooking with them? That’s right! Have fun in the kitchen with your kids this summer and keep them ‘fresh’ with their studies. Easy bar cookies and no-bake recipes provide the perfect opportunities. Reading recipes helps practice reading comprehension and sequencing skills in a fun and hands on way.

10. How to Make Sponge Bombs

From Stockpiling Moms

Get ready for summer with these easy, frugal and fun sponge bombs from Stockpiling Moms. Kid tested and mother approved, they are guaranteed to provide hours of backyard fun for your kids this summer. They are great to have around the pool for water fights, relay races, and just playing in general! They are also super easy to make yourself, with only three required materials.

11. Truffula Tree Pencil Craft

From Two Sisters Review Books

Inspire your kids to keep up with their summer reading by reading a story and creating a craft to go along with it. The Lorax is an amazing book by Dr. Seuss that explores environmental impact in a fun and approachable way. Read the book then craft some of these cool Truffula Tree pencils. Afterwards it would be so much fun to take a walk to appreciate the beauty in nature around you this summer.

12. Buggy Fun for Summer

From The Koala Bear Writer

Much to the dismay of their mothers, toddlers hold a relentless fascination for bugs. They follow, squish, catch and even eat them! Perhaps the novelty lies in the never-ending variety of creepy crawlers or that bugs are smaller than these little ones. Here are some simple buggy fun activities that will enchant your children this summer.

13. DIY Backyard Fishing

From Mom Endeavors

Whether or not you’ll do any real fishing this summer, the kids can have some fun practicing with this activity. This activity could be used for a whole variety of birthday party themes! But with the hot summer months coming up, magnetic backyard fishing would also make for a fantastic outdoor water play activity anytime! It’s not only easy to make, but an inexpensive kids’ activity that you can do for under $10!

14. Science Summer Colours

From 5 Minutes for Mom

Teach your young ones the science of creating colors with these fun activities that link art, science and literature. Your “color scientists” will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize that there is learning involved! Paint outside with frozen popsicle paint, get messy and paint with your own two feet, or water down paint with a spray bottle for a creative painting technique.

Check out these great products gathered by the team at Spaceships and Laser Beams that will help make your backyard entertaining more enjoyable.

(Amazon Affiliate Links)

• Electric Ice Cream Maker
• Easy Roll-Up Summer Blanket
• Sport-Brella Umbrella
• Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Wet Skin Junior Sunblock
• Color Croquet Playset
• Boochie Game
• Indoor S’mores Maker
• Toddler Sunglasses

Help make summer fun with these great tips and ideas:

• 15 Summer Must Haves for Families
• 15 Genius Hacks for Summer Road Trips
• Summer Party Hacks

Don’t miss out on 23 Outdoor Party Games…