Summer is here, and with it comes the challenge of keeping your kids busy and entertained. Even is your child is in camp during the day, you still want to make sure they are occupied with something other than video games and screen time. This blog post is your guide to keeping your kids busy during the summer months. From creative projects to outdoor adventures, you’ll find practical tips and engaging activities that will make this summer is one for the books.
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1.Arts and Crafts Projects
Arts and crafts are a fantastic way to keep kids busy while stimulating their creativity. Here are some project ideas to get you started.
DIY Tie- Dye Shirts
One popular activity is creating DIY tie-dye shirts. before starting you need to wash the shirt in the washing machine (with out fabric softener) and dry in the dryer without dryer sheets. Twist and fold shirts and place with rubber bands. Use different color dye’s from a squirt bottle all over the shirt. Suggestion: Use plastic gloves so you won’t get dye on your hands.It’s probably a good idea if you cover the area with a plastic table cloth for easy clean up and the area you are dying in won’t become covered in dye.
What you need:
Here is a video of the dying if you need a visual.
You can also purchase already together kits from Amazon.
Here are a few:
Easy Dry Tye Dye– Comes with 12 colors ad 4 white shirts.
Tie Dye DIY Kit: Comes with 32 bottles and bags of tie-dye pigment. Also comes with 120 rubber bands, and 10 pairs of protective gloves, 1 tablecloth, 5 aprons and 10 sealed bags.
Tie Dye Kit–Comes with 20 squeeze bottles with dye, tie dye powder refill packs, protective gloves, rubber bands, reusable surface cover and a carry case.
Homemade Fluffy Slime
Another idea is to make fluffy slime. If your kids love slime, then fluffy slime is a must! All you need is a few ingredients, and your kids can create colorful, stretchy slime that will keep them entertained for hours. Mix glue, baking soda and water to a bowl. Add saving cream and mix. Add food coloring and mix. Slowly add in the contact solution.* If the slime does not form, you most likely need to use the recommended brand of contact solution. Add half a table spoon at a time, knead and add some more until the texture is one of your liking.
What you need:
- 2/3 cup of Elmers glue
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 -3 cups shaving cream note: do not use gel shave cream
- 1.5 tablespoons of contact solution. note :only use Renu Fresh or Equate Brand
- Liquid food coloring
2.Outdoor Adventures
Summer is the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. Here are some ideas for outdoor adventures that will keep your kids active and engaged.
Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Organize a backyard scavenger hunt. You can easily create a list of items for your kids to find that are in your backyard, such as certain flowers in your garden, trees, a smooth rock, or a butterfly. Even items you have like a fish pond, a birdhouse ore en a specific the of buts you know they might see. This activity is not only fun but also helps kids learn about nature.
You can also find some already made below.
Backyard Treasure Hunt– Use the 36 clues to find each item in the back yard. Your family will have plenty of laughs. Also creates working together and family bonding time.
Scavenger Hunt Circle Cards-Pick a scavenger hunt piece and use the magnifier glass to help find the item. The family will have a ball.
Backyard Scavenger Hunt-Print these out and have each family member check off as they find each item.
4.Plan A Family Camping Trip
Whether it’s in your backyard or a nearby campsite, camping is a great way to bond as a family and enjoy the outdoors. Set up a tent, make a campfire and roast some marshmallows. You can make it fun whether it’s at home or at a camp site.
5. Educational Activities
Just because school is out doesn’t mean learning has to stop. There are so many fun educational activities that are perfect for summer. Plus it will keep your kids’ minds sharp during the summer months they are home.
Summer Library Activities
Consider looking into what your local library has going on this summer. Every city has different free library events. Check and see what your offers. There’s usually toddler classes, story time, and even arts and craft events. Some libraries may even have summer reading programs that encourage reading.
Educational Apps And Games
It may seem impossible to not bring along your phone or be tempted to bring your child’s iPad. So why not make these habits educational? It’s easy to incorporate educational games and apps into your kids’ screen time. There are many apps available that make learning fun, covering subjects like math, science, and language arts.
Here are some free apps you can try:
Subscribe to Educational Kits
Little Passports– $20 per month and you can choose the package you want. It goes by age and theme.
Highlights– Getting a Hightlight summer delivers 5 new books every month and ranges from levels. It’s a fantastic way to build your little ones library. They also have subscription learning boxes that go by grade. These help support the standards for the year with learning activities.
Learning With Kelsey– Your a buy a monthly box or a 6 month supply. You have a choice if you want sensory, art or academic! You’re kids will love these!
Cooking and Baking
Cooking and baking can be a fun and educational way to keep your kids busy. Here are some ideas to get them started in the kitchen. Even if you aren’t a baker, there are easy recipes to follow. Or you can have them be involved in simple meal prep such as making a pizza, pouring a bowl of cereal, or their own drinks, and making cookies! You can even have them make their own ice cream sundaes!
Kid Friendly Treats Ideas
Candy Sushi– Easy to make and fun to eat! I’ve made this with my students and my own children, and they all loved it! Check out the exact recipe here.
What you will need:
- Unsalted butter
- Mini marshmallows
- Rice crispy cereal
- Gummy worms
- Fruit roll ups Green or red
- Swedish fish
Homemade Frozen Banana Ice cream
This is so easy to make and your kids can help make it! All you need is chopped bananas and skim milk. To make place 2 frozen bananas cut up and 1/4 cup skim milk into the blender. Blend for 30 seconds and add another 1/4 cup milk and blend on high speed until smooth. Probably about 30 more seconds.
Sports and Physical Activities
Being out of school for the summer is the perfect time to make sure they stay active.Keeping kids physically active is crucial for their health and well-being. Here are some ideas for summer sports and physical activities you can try.
Enroll in A Summer Sports Clinic, Camp Or Class
Many communities offer summer programs for sports like soccer, basketball, swimming, track, basketball and flag football. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find some for free. I know in my community ( New York ) they offer free track, tennis and you can even find free swimming lessons. If you can’t find anything that is free, you can definitely find week camps or day clinics.
Backyard Obstacle Course
Use your backyard to set up a fun obstacle course.If you do not have yard, you can go to a local park with grass and do the same. Use items like cones, ropes, workout hurdles, bean bags, and hula hoops to create a fun and challenging course for your kids to complete.
What you may need:
- Obstacle course race set
- Ninja warrior obstacle course
- Agility obstacle course
- Dome arch
- Hoola Hoops
- Tunnel
Science Experiments
Science experiments are a great way to keep kids entertained while also teaching them about the world around them. Here are some simple experiments to try at home.
Make A Volcano
Using baking soda and vinegar to make a volcano is a classic experiment that people have been doing for years. You can absolutely make a volcano- but that’s another post for another day. Today we are focusing on making the reaction of the volcano. So you can use a bucket or glass or something.
Rainbow in a jar
Create a rainbow in a jar. This experiment demonstrates density and can lead to discussions about how different liquids interact. Pour honey into the middle of the container. Color the corn syrup purple then pour it into the middle of the container. Color the water blue and pour it into the middle.Then the dish soap. Pour a fairly thick layer of the olive oil into the middle of the container. Last pour the rubbing alcohol into the container, color this one red.
What you will need:
- A mason jar
- Honey
- Light corn syrup
- Dish soap (blue dawn or green Palmolive)
- Olive oil
- Rubbing alcohol
- Water
- Food coloring
Gardening
Gardening is a wonderful way to teach kids about nature while also keeping them busy. It is a calming activity, and also teaches them about plants, nature and how to take care of plants. Here are some gardening activities to consider.
Start a vegetable garden.
Kids will love to start their own vegetable garden. Easy to grow vegetable they can plants are tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots. Make sure after they plant the seeds they water and then pick them when they are ready. After they are done growing, they not have heathy vegetables to eat that they will be excited about!
Create a butterfly garden
Plant flowers that attract butterflies, like milkweed and marigolds. Plant these together in one section of your yard. This activity is also a great time to teach kids about the life cycle of butterflies. You can read books about it and even buy your own caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies, before you let them go and live on your flowers!
Get them Moving With Music and Dance
Summer is the perfect time to get your kids involved in music, dance or even drama! See if your community offers dance or drama classes. It’s the prefect time to start them with music lessons such as piano, guitar, violin or even singing lessons. Some communities offer summer dance camps or clinics that can get your ids involved in learning to dance- and them maybe they will continue in the fall.
Create a dance party
Summer is a great time to encourage your kids to have a family dance party. Create a play list together and then dance it out! You can even create your own music and choreography. Give them instruments such as a keyboard or a music app- you will be surprised at how creative they can be!
Creative Writing
Kids love to write. Some may not think they do- but if you give them a creative way to write they will. Make it fun and light! Leave room to tell stories through pictures or words! There are so many ways to encourage this!
Set up a writing station
Have all different kinds of notebooks available, fun pens and different colored pens, erasers, markers and crayons Encourage your kids to write stories, poems, or even a summer journal. You can even have a writing prompt book available to them if they need ideas.
What you need:
Create a family newsletter
Involve your kids in writing articles as simple as what to make for dinner or fun places to go. You can take photos and use an app like canva designing the layout. This can be a fun way to document your summer adventures and bring writing and technology into the mix.
Conclusion
Summer is a time for fun, exploration, and learning. With these summer activities, you can keep your kids engaged and entertained while also creating lasting memories. Remember, the key to a successful summer is variety and balance. Mix up the activities to keep things fresh and exciting.
For more tips and ideas, be sure to check out our other blog posts and resources. Happy summer!
Summer Bucket List For Families
I'm 40 years old and a mom of 2 three year olds and a first grader. I am also a Special education teacher. My passion has always been to help people, which is why I started this blog.