144 Fun Things To Do During Summer Vacation For Kids
With summer break coming quickly, my kids can’t wait to check all of these fun summer activities off of their list this year! Here is a list of 144 fun (and mostly cheap) things to do with your kids over the summer vacation!
Are you the kind of mom who is just as excited as the kids, and can’t wait for less structured days at home with your kiddos?
Or are you the mom who is worrying about how you could possibly keep the little ones busy all day, every day?
Whichever camp you fall into, we all have the same goal in mind: to fill our days with fun and memorable summer activities (and keep the squabbles to a minimum)!
The dreaded words “I’m Bored!”
I can’t think of one mom who doesn’t dread the words “I’m Bored!” on some level.
It’s amazing how much (or how little) you can accomplish and experience during the summer when you put your mind to it.
It’s easy to fall into a routine of lazy mornings followed by afternoons filled with squabbling kids. Oh boy do I hate that cycle!
I have found the best fit for us is to stay active for the most part and sprinkle in some down time here and there.
And it definitely helps to develop a schedule!
But when I don’t keep my boys busy, I hear a whole lot more “I’m Bored!” followed by a whole lot more screaming and fighting.
Keep Them Focused with Fun Summer Activities
For me, in order to be anywhere near organized or successful with any plan, I need to have a little structure in place.
That can be as much as a full schedule or as little as a list of ideas.
One of my brilliant helpful methods for a summer schedule is to create a list of summer activity ideas so that when we are looking for something to do we can pull out the list and pick an activity.
How to Use the Summer Activities Bucket List
This huge list of fun things to do during the summer also acts as a summer activity bucket list. It becomes a challenge for us to accomplish all the activities (or as many as possible) during the summer.
Using the list as a challenge helps us stay busy, focused, and creates memories for a lifetime.
If you have childcare help during the day (like a nanny or babysitter), share the list with them and ask them to do stuff on the list too!
We usually do 1-2 activities a day – nothing too crazy. And before you know it, the summer is over and the list is complete!
Ultimate Summer Activities Bucket List
This massive list of ideas for summer activities will help keep the kids from getting bored this summer and create memories that they’ll have for a lifetime, not to mention on that first day of school when the teacher asks “What did you do this summer?”
- Catch Bugs
- Plant a garden
- Draw with sidewalk chalk
- Look at the stars
- Lay in a hammock
- Make Root Beer Floats
- Play in a sprinkler
- Jump on a trampoline
- Put the sprinkler under the trampoline (or water balloons) and jump
- Play hopscotch
- Fly kites
- Dance in the rain
- Jump in puddles
- Plant flowers
- Have a picnic
- Play Bingo
- Bury your toes in the sand
- Go camping
- Bury a time capsule
- Go swimming
- Make music
- Ride bumper boats
- Roast marshmallows
- Go fishing
- Ride a bike
- Watch a Thunderstorm
- Write in a journal
- Have a watermelon seed spitting contest
- Climb a tree
- Help cook dinner
- Play Twister
- Visit a museum
- Ride bumper cars
- Ride on a carousel
- Start a collection of your favorite items (rocks, coins, cards, etc)
- Go to a baseball game
- Go on a nature walk
- Watch the clouds and pick out shapes
- Read a book outside
- Have a water gun fight
- Write a story and illustrate it
- Make ice cream or popsicles
- Go to the zoo
- Ride go-karts
- Do a science project
- Play in the dirt
- Play flashlight tag
- Make mud pies
- Play frisbee
- Make s’mores
- Go on a treasure hunt
- Have a water balloon fight (these are the BEST & FASTEST to fill!)
- Blow bubbles
- Stay up super late
- Make wishes on Dandelions
- Play catch
- Visit a National Park with a hired car from Rental24.co.uk
- Go for a walk
- Make homemade playdough
- Watch fireflies
- Have a pillow fight
- Paint rocks
- Visit a water park or splash park
- Play on a Slip-n-slide
- Go bowling
- Check out books at the library
- Pick flowers
- Get a temporary tattoo
- Jump rope
- Go to the movies
- Visit a botanical garden
- Learn to play chess
- Go to a garage sale
- Go to a Farmer’s Market
- Make Tie-Dye Shirts
- Play Marco Polo
- Host a lemonade stand
- Do a random act of kindness
- Play tug of war
- Do summer crafts
- Go to a Drive-in Movie Theater
- Go to an outdoor concert
- Do a puzzle
- Play at the Park with Friends
- Read at least 10 books
- Watch Fireworks
- Listen to a (new) podcast (Here are the best podcasts for kids!)
- Play kickball
- Watch a sunset
- Learn origami
- Make homemade pizza
- Camp out indoors
- Play hide and seek
- Have a sleepover
- Make homemade slime
- Eat a snow cone
- Practice skipping stones
- Play Dodge Ball
- Nature scavenger hunt
- Visit a planetarium
- Make a bird feeder
- Make hummingbird food
- Go to a fair
- Make fresh lemonade
- Make a fort
- Play badminton
- Go hiking
- Play Mini golf
- Family game night
- Go on a road trip
- Play on monkey bars
- Bake cookies
- Chase butterflies
- Hula hoop
- Make handprint art
- Make Alcohol Ink Tile art
- Play freeze tag
- Play “Mother May I”?
- Play Red Light Green Light
- Go to a beach
- Collect seashells
- Build a sand castle
- Visit a waterfall
- Have a puppet show
- Go tubing in a creek or river
- Visit grandparents
- Play Jacks
- Feed ducks
- Bean Bag Toss
- Have a puppet show
- Go geocaching
- Pick berries at a local farm
- Spend the day (or the afternoon) at the pool
- Make puffy paint shirts or canvas bags (to hold library books)
- Watercolor painting on a canvas
- Make (and eat) frozen grapes
- Do a (or multiple) STEM activity
- Make moon sand
- Ride a scooter
- Make goop
- Swing on a tire (or tree) swing
- Ride a skate board
- Storytime at the local library
- Go to a parade
Well, there it is! 144 fun things to do to keep you your kids busy all summer long.
I hope you have a blast making memories together!
Tell us in the comments: are there any of these activities you’ve never done before?
