I am sooo excited summer is on its way! We love summertime around here. There are so many places to visit. The weather is beautiful. It is such a great time of year. Plus, there are so many great summer activities.
Even though we homeschool year-round, my kids still have plenty of time for summer fun and for them to complain they are bored.
We have found some great ways to break up the summer without leaving our own backyard. Let’s face it, most of us can’t afford to run off to amusement parks, waterslides, and beaches all summer long.
We have found some ways to add a little fun to our weeks with a few simple activities. They don’t cost a lot of money, moms don’t have to be super involved, there’s nothing complicated, and they are guaranteed to keep your kids happy for a long time.
Check out these ideas and add some to your summer bucket list.
Fun Summer Activities for Kids
Fun Summer Activity #1
Aluminum Foil River
I like to stop at the dollar store and pick up some inexpensive aluminum foil and let the kids build aluminum foil rivers. The kids rip off long strips and form them so water can run down them.
Super simple!
We put the hose at the top of their foil river and let the water flow. My kids love to experiment with different items and watch them flow down their rivers.
You can experiment and see what floats best down your river. Try some of the following ideas:
- leaves
- flowers
- sticks
- mini boats made of aluminum foil or other materials
Whatever they can find, they can try floating it down their river.
It is also fun to see if the items flow the same path every time. Often the items went in a different direction as they ran out onto the pavement.
You can also try adjusting the foil with higher sides or different inclined surfaces. We like to put the foil rivers on our ramp. You could also place your foil river on boards and elevate them to different heights.
It offers an afternoon of experimentation and fun.
Fun Summer Activity #2
Homemade Slip and Slide
HOMEMADE SLIP AND SLIDES ARE SO MUCH FUN!
We have made our own, and we attended a camp that made their own, too. It was such a blast!
It is a great alternative if you don’t own a slip-and-slide or don’t want to invest in one because you don’t plan on using it a lot. It’s a quick idea for an afternoon playdate or party, too.
At home, we used a tarp and put it on a little hill in our backyard. At the camp we attended, they used a giant sheet of plastic on a very large hill. You probably want to use some stakes (or something heavy) at the top to help secure the tarp.
Next, you need water and some cheap shampoo (or dish soap). Spray down the tarp, add some soap, and let the fun begin. The camp we attended didn’t have a hose to reach so they kept filling large buckets that they poured it on the soapy tarp as the kids slid down the hill.
Your kids will have so much fun they won’t want to stop. Even grown-ups can join in the fun. This is one of our favorite summer activities!
Fun Summer Activity #3
Garden Hose Limbo
We started doing garden hose limbo when one of the kiddos I watched didn’t want to get sprayed with the hose. I would spray the hose out straight and slowly lower the stream as the kids went under it.
The little girl could decide if she wanted to get wet, and the other kids saw it as a challenge to see how low they could go without getting wet.
My hand may have “accidentally” slipped from time to time and got them wet. It became a fabulous but very simple summer activity. Plus, it takes little effort.
Fun Summer Activity #4
Extreme Hopscotch
As my kids get older, they like a little more of a challenge. Extreme hopscotch fit the bill.
The kids draw hopscotch, adding twists and turns, spiral in a circle, and may even include 20 squares! Whatever they can dream up. Once they think they’ve mastered one, they try to make it even harder.
It is a lot of fun to see what they can create and watch if their hopscotch works as well as they thought it would. Kids will have fun with this simple summer activity.
Fun Summer Activity #5
Mud Ball Bulls-Eye
Okay, this is super fun but VERY messy. My daughter wore an old maternity shirt because she didn’t want her clothes to get muddy. My son didn’t care. Swimsuits would work well, too.
The kids need a dirt supply, water, and a bucket. Moms need some chalk.
Using the chalk, draw a big target in the driveway. The kids make up their mud balls and fire away. The mud splatter leaves a nice mark where it hit so the kids can keep track of points or see who can hit the bulls-eye.
Wet sponges work, too, but after a while, the target gets washed away.
The kids can collect up some of their mud to re-use or to help clean up some of the mess.
When you are all done, hose down the driveway (before your husband gets home) and hose down the kids if they are in swimsuits.
Fun Summer Activity #6
Outdoor Board Game
Summer is a good time to play board games BUT outside! I drew a large game board on the driveway. Sidewalk chalk is great, isn’t it?! I made an oversized die, but you can make a spinner or whatever else that will work for your game.
We made a life-sized board following the Candyland style of squares and shortcuts. Take a look here!
Fun Summer Activity #7
Outdoor Cooking
Whether it is cooking s’mores on a campfire or grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, outdoor cooking can be so much fun to do with kids. There are so many ways to cook outside!
You can cook with:
- Solar ovens made out of pizza boxes or Pringles cans
- Over a campfire in foil packets, on a stick, in a Dutch oven, or on a rack or tripod over the fire
- Grill
- Propane camp stove
Kids will love finding recipes to try and different ways to cook. They can learn to make whole meals outside from the main dish, to a side dish, to dessert.
Cooking is a wonderful life skill. Kids will definitely enjoy learning to cook outside. It will seem like an adventure.
So before you hear your kids complain they’re bored, pick one of these summer activities to add and let the fun begin.
Maybe one week you’ll do some outdoor cooking, and the next you make your own slip and slide. Maybe every Wednesday, your kids can look forward to trying out a new activity.
Kids will love to have something new added to their summer, and often they will ask to do them again and again. Summer is such a great time to have fun outside. These summer ideas will make it better.
What do you love to do with your kids in the summer?
