Ah, summer! It’s the time of year when everyone is out of school, you can play all day, and every parent needs ideas to keep youthful hands occupied and out of trouble! We have a list of twenty ideas to keep your munchkins active, occupied, and exploring all summer long. Visit the links below for ideas ranging from water toss games to bird feeders and lawn games.
1. Sponge Sailboat Craft For Kids
Use household items to create your very own fleet of sailboats. Experiment with sailboat designs to create a simple STEM activity.
2. Painted Treasure Rocks Kids Craft
Bring out the creativity in your child with this decorative rock activity. Want to make it educational? Paint an alphabet set and use them to create word puzzles. Extend the art even further and create your own Scrabble set of rocks!
3. Sponge Toss Water Game
Build hand-eye coordination and aiming skills with this water toss game. It’s a fun way to cool off on a hot day, and an easy idea for mom and dad to set up!
4. How To Make A Sponge Ball For Summer
Level up your water toss game with these fun sponge balls. They are great for playing in the backyard, taking to the pool, or even just to make cleaning the bathroom counter more interesting.
5. Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Sidewalk chalk is soooo 2010! Make your own sidewalk chalk paint with these simple ingredients for an artistic afternoon on your driveway. Make just the primary colors and let the mix and match to sneak in an art lesson on the sly.
6. Ice Cube Painting Rainbows
With a little prep, a hot day can easily be tamed with ice cube painting. Roll out a paper strip, or use extra fabric, and you can save the art to decorate your classroom in the fall.
7. Soap Craft For Kids
Rainy day, bored kids, and nothing you can think of? This soap activity is good, clean (Ha!) fun for your crew.
8. Bubble Painting
Almost every kid loves bubbles, and the same goes with painting. What happens when you combine the two? Magical art!
9. Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeders
When the temperatures rise, so does the bird population in the backyard. Keep your bird neighbors happy and fed with these easy to make bird feeders. Create a learning opportunity by making a journal and tracking the birds that come to enjoy your treat.
10. Orange Bird Feeder
Put a new twist on the whole birdfeeder idea with this project. Want to create a science experiment? Create both the orange and the toilet paper roll bird feeders and track the feeding habits of the birds in your yard. Figure out which is eaten the fastest, which has more of one type of bird, or come up with your own hypothesis about the feeders.
11. Squirt Gun Painting
My kids looove squirt guns, but struggle with the whole “Don’t aim them at each other” concept. This idea gives them a constructive activity and lets them go wild with the squirt guns. Your kids will love it, too!
12. DIY Bubbles Refill Container
Tired of buying cheap bubbles that get spilled everywhere and never work? Quit wasting money and work together to create your family’s bubble station.
13. Mini Paper Kites
Paper, straws, and tape. This creative idea is beautiful in its simplicity. What could be more delightful than an afternoon of making, then flying your own kites?
14. DIY Cardboard Ring Toss Game
Forget the cheap, plastic rings that tear up instantly! Create your family’s own backyard ring toss set with these instructions and then spend time challenging each other with this fun game.
15. DIY Giant Lawn Matching Game
Get the crew moving and active with this fun matching game idea. You’ll never want to go back to the tiny cards again.
16. Painting With Feet
Mix up art, sensory play, and messiness with this unique creative idea. You’re going to want to keep the camera handy to capture their joy….and colorful toes!
17. Paper Plate Fish Craft Inspired Rainbow Fish
Bring reading and art together with this paper plate craft inspired by The Rainbow Fish.
18. Bubble Wrap Stomp Painting
Stomp the boredom away while creating interesting color combinations with this bubble wrap idea. Everyone loves bubble wrap!
19. Muddy Trucks And Car Wash
Summer is the perfect time for those messy, fun, outdoor activities that you just can’t do any other time of the year. Let them play in the mud with this idea, and simply hose them off when they are done!
20. Ice Block Treasure Hunt
Excavate for hours with this ice block adventure! 5 minutes of prep time can give your children hours upon hours of outdoor fun.
*All photos used with permission.
