50 Fun Summer Activities For Kids [Free Printable]

Summer is bursting at its sun-soaked seams with activities to entertain the troops. All you need is a vivid imagination and a little bit of spending cash to brighten up the midsummer doldrums. Children are ecstatic to be free of school for a few months and parents love the opportunity to spend time with them and enjoy the warmer weather together. Here are numerous fun summer activities kids will love and a fun printable for activities kids can keep on hand for ideas all summer long.  These activities can be done as a family or your kids can take these ideas and run with them.

Ideas For Summer Activities Kids Will Love

School is out soon and the outdoor fun is about to begin! If they don’t have summer camps to attend, they may need some ideas to keep them busy in a good way. It is a perfect time for kids to enjoy some outdoor activities and fresh air while they aren’t cooped up at school. Get the kids out of the living room and active outside for a great summer. Here are a lots of summer fun ideas kids will love.

Organize a Neighborhood Game of Wiffle Ball

Remember how much fun wiffle ball was? Here is an affiliate link for a Wiffle 32 Inches Bat & Ball set that costs less than $10 on Amazon, and you don’t have to be an athlete to be a valuable member of the team.  I had the best time playing wiffle ball with my brother when I was little.

Build the Ultimate Sand Castle

You don’t have to live near a beach to make your ultimate sand castle dreams come true. If you’ve got some boards or a base, just fill it with sand and you’re halfway there. Build a homemade sand castle kit with shovels, old cool whip containers and large oatmeal cylinders. Throw a little Elmer’s glue into your sand and water mixture for a non toxic way to help it last. It is a great way to let kids express their creativity.

Take Advantage of the Internet

With an HDMI plug-in cord, you can hook your laptop up to your TV for an unforgettable family movie night. Introduce the kids to a few early Charlie Chaplin films or watch some classic cartoons. Sit back with some popcorn and have a few laughs with the family. Or find a drive-in theater if you can. Pack up snacks and sleeping bags and settle in for a night outdoors with a great show.

Learn a New Skill

Ever wished you could play the piano, speak French, juggle or ride a unicycle? There is nothing stopping you from practicing music and learning a new skill along with your family. In addition to bragging rights, they’ll learn patience, consistency and perseverance, and that can extend to other areas of life.  Or pick something the family can work on together to learn, such as beginning a new language, cooking, or needlework. Sit down with the kids and break out those artistic skills by creating custom tote bags or tye-dye t-shirts. Compete with each other for fun prizes like the right to attack the less- practiced with a hose while they are armed with squirt guns. Pick a reward for the whole family if everyone reaches a certain level and cheer each other on.

Go Green Together

Want more fun summer activities kids will love?  Think of new ways to recycle or reuse- here are some plastic bottle reuse crafts. Have the kids each do a presentation on how everyone can be more green this summer and see who can come up with the most suggestions. Kids may even teach you some new skills!

Go Camping in the Backyard

A camping trip or vacation can get tedious, expensive and difficult to plan, but not if it’s in your backyard. Wrangle your kids’ friends, go with a theme like “African safari” or “Arabian nights,” and they’ll have a blast, and it’s a good way to get the kids outside. Have your kids pick a spot, real or imaginary, that they would most like to visit. Then work together to find household objects to recycle to transform the backyard into a fantasy getaway. They can spend the day building the family tent, making decorations out of boxes, and getting all set up.  They can spend the evening making smores, telling spooking stories, and relaxing in their sleeping bags!

Take a Heads-or-Tails Road Trip

Gather the family in the car, take a coin and you’re ready to go. Flip the coin at every turn: heads=right, tails=left. Give yourself a time and/or distance limit and see where you end up. You might just find out that your hometown has more to offer than you thought. This can even be a fun thing to try on a family bike ride.

Set a World Record

This summer break, you could be the next famous record-breaking family. Maybe you could make the world’s biggest cupcake or blow a record number of bubbles. Even if you don’t set a record, you’ll have enjoy your summer days and have fun trying.

Make Giant Board Games to Play Outside

For outdoor Twister, all you need is grass and nontoxic spray paint. Simply measure a patch of clean, moved grass, pick your colors (red, blue, yellow, green), measure 10-12 9-inch circles for each color, then measure the area you want to play on your lawn and, voilà! Life-sized Jenga is simple to carry out as well: You just need four 2 x 4 x 16 pieces and a circular saw. The key to making it work is ensuring each piece is exactly 10.5 inches long. A quick sanding and you’ll have a perfect jumbo Jenga in no time.

Take A Trip To The Library

This is one of the best free summer activities for older kids. All ages from preschoolers to teens love to be able to pick out their own books.  A trip to the local library is always fun and followed with some quality reading time out loud or to yourselves. Many libraries also offer fun summer children’s programs.  Out of all the fun summer activities kids will love, don’t skip this one because reading is so great for building vocabulary and writing skills too.  It is a great, fun way to prevent summer slide.

Build A Lego Creation

I’m not talking about buying a new set, I am talking about building something out of the pieces you have. Using your imagination and building a city and things to drive and fly.  And then, of course there will be a lot of pretend play time to follow that up as the LEGO characters explore their new digs.  My son likes to use LEGOs to build Pokemon characters and sometimes to build Transformers.

Discount & Free Days At Museums and Zoos

Many zoos and museums offer free or discount days, particularly on days when they expect fewer visitors. Be sure to consult the websites of locations within driving distance and do a search for coupons or passes as well. Another place to check is the local Chamber of Commerce for any budget-friendly days or deals.

Get Out And Play

Get fit together the old-fashioned way– get out and play for a good time. Go for long walks in parks or on trails, take family bike rides together, have water fights and play tag. Make up your own fun summer games and try new things. The best part here is this one is centered around playing- so almost anything counts from nerf gun wars to making mud pies in your own backyard.

Get Wet

A water table is great for toddlers. Cool off at local lakes or the community pool on a hot day. Check for a splash pad at your local park. If a summer pass for pool admittance is not too pricey, consider splurging for the fun and exercise of local swimming options. If you live near a water park, see if they offer a special rate for locals. You can also make sponge balls for water play in the backyard or have a water balloon fight.

Challenge Relays

Update the traditional relay race with challenges to make the game a little more interesting. Start each player off by jumping rope five times before running off to the next step of the backyard relay. Another station may be to do the hula hoop a certain number of times around their neck, hips and knees. Kids may even like to build an obstacle course to have the relay race pass through.

Fun With Chalk

Hopscotch is always a fun and easy way to get active outdoors. Have the kids use their creativity to come up with new rules or a different way to organize the squares! Here are additional sidewalk chalk ideas.

Popsicle Social

This one is a perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day. Squeeze ripe oranges for fresh orange juice and freeze in popsicle trays. Once your homemade popsicles are ready, enjoy this ice cold treat outside in the warm sun. Or have an ice cream sundae bar late one lazy summer evening. Sometime the process of making your very own treat is half the fun!

Freewheeling

Split a group of four or more kids into pairs and create your own wheelbarrow. Have one person get down on all fours while their partner picks them up by their ankles. When everyone is set, race to the finish without falling over!

Perform a Backyard Concert

It’s a simple fact that everyone loves music, and about anything that makes noise can pass as musical instrument for a child. Collect some buckets to serve as drums, pan lids for cymbals, maybe even a leftover kazoo from a birthday party…or anything else around the house that makes noise. Chances are good that your child already has some musical instruments lying around with their toys. Next, set up their stuffed animals, army men, or whatever they prefer as an audience and the show is on! If they are a little older let the practice real instruments and singing and then put on a show for the parents for a little fun in the sun.

Have A Party

You do not need a pool to have a party, though that would not hurt! We recently had a little outdoor party.  The kids played on the swing set, rode bikes, played tag, and swam in the baby pool.  Everyone had a great time! Picking a theme as a family and having everyone decorate can be a fun added element. Try a family game night party too with your extended family or friends.

More Fun Ideas: Printable Summer Activities

Here are 50 Kids summer Activities you can print and give to your kids for inspiration all summer long. See if they can check off one item a day of this printable summer activities list pdf.

Benefits Of Summer Activities

1. Promotes Learning and Development: Engaging activities help children develop cognitive, motor, and social skills. Activities that are educational or skill-based can enhance their knowledge and abilities.
2. Encourages Creativity: When kids are involved in creative play, such as drawing, building, or storytelling, they learn to think imaginatively and solve problems in innovative ways.
3. Reduces Behavioral Issues: Boredom can lead to restlessness and misbehavior. Keeping kids occupied with constructive activities helps reduce the likelihood of tantrums or disruptive behavior.
4. Builds Independence: Structured activities teach children how to entertain themselves and develop a sense of autonomy. They learn to enjoy their own company and manage their time effectively.
5. Enhances Social Skills: Group activities and playdates provide opportunities for kids to interact with peers, learn cooperation, share, and resolve conflicts.

Conclusion

Goodbye video games. Anything out of the ordinary can become a summer adventure with your kids if you go about it with the right attitude. Unique experiences that capture their interest and build memories do not have to break the bank. Be sure to include surprises but also to ask for their input on ideas. You might be surprised by some great ideas for fun summer activities and all kids like having their voices heard and valued. You can create a calendar filled with mystery days, kids’ idea days, and fun family activities for everyone to enjoy anticipating the coming fun summer activities. What some of your favorite summer things to do?

Summer always seems like it will last forever when it starts but before you know it, you can’t believe it is over!  There are so many fun activities to do with kids, and really, as long as you are spending time together, any thing can be fun! I hope you enjoyed these fun summer activities kids will love to you through any summer lulls. What are your favorite summer activities kids are sure to enjoy?

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