21 Fun Things to Do With Kids This Summer

Have you made a bucket list for your summer activities yet? I’m sure you’ll find fun things to do with kids on this list.

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You’ll see ideas for field day games, an outdoor color match game, games to play with pool noodles, a pool noodle water wall, and water baseball.

Kids will have fun painting with bubbles, foam, paint filled eggs and sidewalk paint.

Learn how to make giant bubbles, rainbow snake bubbles, a bubble pool, crayons, ice chalk, fireworks in a jar, window art, polka dot slime, and kitchen volcanoes.

Make a tin river–or a rain gutter will work–and race boats made of ice cubes or soap.

This is going to be the best summer yet.

See Also

• Help them cool off in the warm summer heat with these 10 Water Balloon Games we Love.
• Keep them busy all summer long with 23 Outdoor Party Games.
• Imaginations can run wild with these slime recipes! 
• Get inspired to create with these tents — such a fun way to entertain kids! 
• Children’s Book Characters

1. DIY SIDEWALK CHALK

From Spaceships and Laser Beams

This DIY sidewalk chalk makes for a quick and easy afternoon craft, perfect for kids and summer. It only requires water, dry plaster of paris and paint and of course your favorite molds. It is perfect for children of all ages, including infants and toddlers!

2. FIELD DAY GAMES

From 7 on a Shoestring

Let the summer games begin! You won’t believe how easy it is to create a backyard full of summer fun games using from around the house. You can create a bean bag toss, hula hoop contest, yard bowling, and more.

3. SPONGE BALL CRAFT

From The Suburban Mom

Practical, reusable and cute, this sponge ball craft will be a favorite kid-friendly summer activity. Creating them is only half the fun! The other half of the fun is using them for a crazy summer water fight! All you need is colorful sponges, curling ribbon or string, scissors and a bucket of water!

4. RECYCLED EARTH CRAYONS

From Quirky Inspired

These recycled Earth crayons are a fun way of teaching kids about repurposing and recycling while also having a little summer fun. Using a heart silicone mold and old blue, green and white crayons, you’ll melt the crayons into a new creation!

5. OUTDOOR COLOR MATCH

From Inner Child Fun

This color match game is perfect for playing outside on a nice summer day! Simply punch a hole in a stack of paint chip cards in various colors, and store them on a binder ring. Go on a color match hunt, trying to find various things in nature to match the different hues on each card.

6. SOAP BOAT

From I Heart Nap Time

Head to your local home improvement store and pick up a rain gutter for some fun soap boat races this summer! Your kids will love carving boats out of soap (or adding a fabric sail with adult help, if they are too young for carving) and racing them in a rain gutter! A water hose provides the current!

7. TIN RIVER AND ICE BOATS

From Reading Confetti

A fun twist on rain gutter soap boat races, this tin river and ice boat activity is a must do with your kids this summer! Chances are good that you have all the supplies you need at home—aluminum foil to create the “tin river” and an ice cube tray to make ice boats for floating. Toothpicks and construction paper are all you need for the ice boat sails.

8. BUBBLE POOL

From Plain Vanilla Mom

When temperatures start to rise this summer, cool off with your baby (and even big kids) with a bubble pool. Just fill a kiddie pool with some bubble bath and water. Throw in a few toys, and you are ready for some water fun!

9. POOL NOODLE GAMES

From Learn~Play~Imagine

Let the summer games begin—pool noodle games that is! You won’t believe how easy it is to create a backyard full of summer Olympic style games using pool noodles and a few simple materials like packing tape! You can create hurdles, a ball toss, a pyramid knock-down game, hockey and a tunnel ring for crawling!

10. GIANT BUBBLES

From Spaceships and Laser Beams

Make up a batch of this giant bubbles solution this summer, and it’s safe to say that all the kids in the neighborhood will be coming to your yard. The recipe for the bubble solution is easy, and creating the bubble wand only takes a minute or two with a few simple supplies.

11. RAINBOW BUBBLE SNAKES

From Housing a Forest

Your kids will definitely want to add these rainbow bubble snakes to their summer fun bucket list! They are easy to make using items you can gather around your house: empty water bottle, duct tape, dish soap, food coloring and a matchless sock! In just a matter of minutes, the bubble contraption can be assembled and rainbow bubble snake magic will result!

12. POLKA DOT SLIME

From Fun at Home with Kids

If you’ve ever DIYd your own batch of slime with kids, you know how fun it can be. This cool summer activity for kids, adds a cool slime twist—polka dots! Pom pom balls are used with an awesome slime recipe made from 2 bottles of clear school glue and liquid starch. The result is a slime that can be stretched far and wide and provide many days of summertime fun.

13. PAINT FILLED EGGS-ON CANVAS

From Growing a Jeweled Rose

Have some fun this summer with an art project kids will really love! To pull off this paint filled eggs on canvas craft, you’ll need to save some emptied egg shells and fill them with washable tempera paint. You’ll seal this little paint “bombs” with some glue and colored tissue paper squares. Kids will have fun tossing their eggs at a canvas or poster board and watching the splattering eggs create a unique masterpiece!

14. ICE CHALK

From Growing a Jeweled Rose

Kick off summer fun with this ice chalk sensory play activity. Way more fun than standard sidewalk chalk on a hot summer day, this ice chalk is easy to make and erupts with color when sprayed with vinegar.

15. FOAM PAINT

From Dabbles and Babbles

Bust summer boredom with this unique and easy to do foam paint craft! Three ingredients are all you need for some DIY foam paint fun—shaving cream, food coloring and school glue! The foam dries overnight creating 3-D artwork.

16. WATER BALLOON BASEBALL

From Zucchini Summer

Add in an extra wet element of fun to your next summer game of baseball! Simply substitute water balloons for balls and a plastic whiffle ball bat for a standard one. Be ready for lots of flying water and giggles! Batter up!

17. KITCHEN VOLCANOES

From MomDot.

You know the classic baking soda and vinegar reaction, but these kitchen volcanoes take things to a whole new level of excitement. Keep the mess outside during the summer and simply hose things down when your kids are finished playing.

18. POOL NOODLE WATER WALL

From Teaching Mama

Keep your kids busy all summer long with this cool pool noodle water wall! You can make it by attaching pool noodles with zip ties to a piece of pegboard. Kids can add funnels to the foam noodle openings to make pouring water down the “spouts” easier. Kids will have endless fun on a hot summer day!

19. BUBBLE PAINTING

From Happy Go Lucky

If your kids have never tried painting with bubbles, it may quickly become their favorite way to paint! It’s a perfect summer time craft project and involves adding dish detergent and water to paint, then blowing bubbles in the mixture with straws. Creating the art is easy after the bubbles have risen to the top of the plastic cup! You simply lay art paper on top of the bubbles to create your design.

20. ABSTRACT WINDOW ART

From And Next Comes L

Take advantage of sunny days this summer and engage your kids in some abstract window art. All you need for this activity are colored sheets of transparency sheets, scissors and water! Have the kids help cut the transparency sheets into various shapes and sizes before dipping them in a little water for adhering to a glass window. The colored pieces will create a beautiful piece of art!

21. FIREWORKS IN A GLASS

From Paging Fun Mums

If you really want to your kids’ minds this summer, plan an afternoon to introduce them to fireworks in a glass! You only need 3 everyday ingredients (food coloring, water, oil) to get the exciting summer fun started!

Let them get creative this summer with these awesome crafts and activities:

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• Craft Giant Art Jar
• Washable Glitter Pens
• Fibre Craft Sm’ART Parts
• Bright Buttons
• Foam Stickers
• 26 pc Plastic Alphabet Stampers
• Crayola Washable Kid’s Paint
• Crayola Washable Watercolors
• Plastic Pony Bead Mega Critters Bucket
• Peel and Stick by Numbers
• Fused Bead Kit

Check out more great outdoor ideas kids will love.

• 12 Ideas for Pool Noodle Fun
• 14 Summer Activities for Kids
• Homemade Giant Bubbles
• Birthday Party Games

Plus, check out Sam’s Outdoor Chalkboard…