The Ultimate Guide to Fun Summer Activities with Kids

With school wrapping up in just a couple of short weeks, I’m looking forward to the upcoming days filled with fun summer activities for the kids. My kids are 1, 3, and 6, and outside of two weeks of a family vacation, we don’t have too much planned this summer. While it seems like the norm to sign up for summer camp for the entire summer, I didn’t do that. I really want my kids to have time at home to relax and just enjoy summertime as a kid. Time feels like it’s flying by too fast, and in just a few short years I’ll have all three in full time school! Plus, I have fond memories of playing with the neighborhood kids, riding bikes, exploring, and begging our moms to let us watch a movie in someone’s basement (hah).

If you’re asking yourself “how do I entertain my kids all summer?” I have some ideas!

Summer Bucket List Printable

I created an easy summer bucket list printable that you can download and fill out with everything you (and your kids) want to do this summer! I did one for each of my kids and have them hanging on the fridge, so if we have a free day we can pick something off the list!

(Mostly) Screen-free Summer Schedule

I’m hoping to not have my kids watching screens too much of the summer. It’s really easy to fall into a bad habit of staying in pajamas until 10 or 11am or watching a movie before lunch. I’m hoping that this summer we can get out and do more! I’m not opposed to screens, though. I do find that sometimes they need to just lie down for a minute and sometimes a good Disney movie is the only thing that helps them stay in one place.

Here’s the very loose summer schedule I’m working towards for a really fun summer

7:30-8:30am wake up and have breakfast, get dressed for the day

9:00am morning adventure! This might be to the local playground before it gets too hot, or it could be something as simple as grocery shopping.

11:00am the baby takes her nap, so the big kids will play outside or do a quiet activity indoors

12:00pm lunch! My kids love to do “snack boxes” on the front porch

1:00-4:00pm afternoon adventure. Maybe we go to the children’s museum where we are members, or it could be hanging out in our backyard pool or having a play date with friends.

4:00pm the baby takes her afternoon nap, so more quiet play for the big kids (a great time for building LEGO or reading books)

5:00pm family dinnertime with the occasional extended family backyard BBQ

7:00pm bedtime routine begins for all 3 kids

As far as the different adventures we’re planning, here are some ideas I have in mind

Fun and affordable outdoor summer activities (some for your own backyard)

Is there anything better than just being outside in the warm weather as a kid? Aside from going to the beach or the local pool, here are some ideas for affordable outdoor summer activities to do with your kids.

Break out the water table

Always a hit with kids under 10! I plan to add a water pump to ours this summer for added fun

I also have a list of fun backyard toys for kids under 5!

Make a butterfly garden

We started gardening a few years ago and love planting our own vegetables to pick all summer. I think it would be lovely to plant flowers that butterflies are attracted to!

Have a backyard picnic or meet friends for a picnic at the playground

Simple but easy summer fun

Watch an outdoor movie

All you need is a white sheet and a projector!

Draw with sidewalk chalk

There are endless opportunities for creating with chalk. My kids love to create obstacle courses or “roads” to drive their scooters and bikes on.

Play “cornhole” (drawn on the driveway with chalk!)

Go camping in your backyard

This is something I’ve never done but I think could be really cool! If you live in a bug-free environment (or have a really good bug spray), set up a tent and enjoy a night under the stars with the kids.

Fun summer indoor activities for hot summer days

When it’s too hot to be outside or too rainy, there are tons of things you can do inside!

Make ice cream

We have an ice cream maker but plenty of recipes don’t need any gadgets to make your own ice cream. You get to pick all the mixins, which is half the fun! (The other half is eating the ice cream, obviously).

Build a fort

Yes it makes a mess when you take out every blanket, pillow, and chair to build a fort. But you can also check out the very cool fort building couches specifically made for kids. I reviewed ours in this post:

The Nugget Couch (And Best Alternatives!)