These Fun Summer Activities for Kids guarantee you’ll have the best summer break ever! Discover all kinds of fun things for kids to do in the summer!
The school year is over, summer is upon us, and parents everywhere are seeking out the very best summer activities for kids. We’ve rounded up 35+ of our favorite summer activities for kids of all ages – from easy science experiments to lively outdoor games, there’s something for everyone!
The summer months are a great time for all kinds of fun outdoor activities like horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, camping, swimming at water parks, kayaking, visiting local farms (strawberry picking, anyone? 😋🍓), and SO much more! Sunny days are the perfect time to venture outdoors on summer adventures, but when it’s TOO hot to explore the great outdoors, there are also a whole lot of awesome experiences that you can have right at home and in your own backyard, too! These 35+ fun activities will fill your hot summer days with tons of fun things to do!
Be Sure to Also Check Out…
Fun Summer Activities for Kids
Tie-Dye Shirts from Happiness is Homemade: It just isn’t summer until you’ve tie-dyed a shirt or two! Tie-dye is a popular camp craft, and it’s especially great for those years when you may be doing “summer camp” at home. We show you the fun way to create several tie-dye patterns along with tips and tricks to help you get bright, vivid colors and cool patterns every time.
Summer Coloring Pages from Happiness is Homemade: Get 15 fun and FREE Summer Coloring Pages here – there’s something for everyone!
Sidewalk Chalk Paint from Happiness is Homemade: Make our easy sidewalk chalk paint recipe, and decorate the sidewalk in front of your house. Make a hopscotch board for everyone to use as they hop and skip down the sidewalk or leave encouraging messages for friends and neighbors to discover!
Camping Bingo from Happiness is Homemade: Is there a camping trip on your summer bucket list (backyard or living room camping totally counts!)? Take our printable camping Bingo game along to play around the campfire! (Pssst…you can still have a campfire, even if you’re camping in the living room – check this out!)
Camping Scavenger Hunt from Happiness is Homemade: You’ll also want to take along our camping scavenger hunt to keep the kids entertained! In fact, we have an entire camping games bundle that’ll provide hours of fun during your summer camping trips.
Summer Bucket List Jar from Crafts by Amanda: Never hear “I’m bored!” again! This summer bucket list jar has all the ideas you need for a fun-filled summer with the kids. Don’t worry; these are simple ideas like have a water balloon fight, blow bubbles, or have a scavenger hunt. Keep the ideas you like, and toss the ones that won’t work for your family. Add in a few of your own ideas!
Water Balloon Pinata from Red Ted Art: Water balloons become even more fun when you hang them up like pinatas. Add a blindfold and a bat, and you’ve got a splashing good time with the kids.
Snow Cone Bath Bombs from Happiness is Homemade: Older kids will LOVE making these fun snow cone bath bombs! This easy DIY bath bomb recipe is perfect for beginners!
Summer Reading Challenge from Happiness is Homemade: Who’s up for a little competition? Use this free printable Summer Reading Challenge List to keep kids motivated to read all summer long! I like to reward a special prize to whoever completes their list first (but everyone gets a small reward for finishing the challenge!).
DIY Tiered Planter from The Country Chic Cottage: There’s still plenty of time to start a summer garden, and this DIY tiered planter is a great way to garden in a small space! This easy DIY project is a fun activity for all of your family members to make together!
Summer Beach Sand Art from Happiness is Homemade: Use seashells and sand from your beach excursions to make sand art to put on display all summer. If you’re not close to a beach, craft stores and dollar stores also carry seashells and craft sand to do this project.
Minute to Win It Summer Games from Happiness is Homemade: These fun (and funny!) Minute to Win It Games are perfect for your next outdoor summer block party, BBQ, family reunion, or backyard bash! Great for all ages!
Mini S’mores Pot from Grace, Giggles, & Naptime: When you’re craving S’mores but don’t want to build a bonfire, these mini S’mores pots are the perfect solution! They’re great for entertaining or just having a fun treat with the kids on a summer evening.
Backyard Scavenger Hunt from Hey, Let’s Make Stuff Explore your neighborhood with this fun backyard scavenger hunt! This list of items can be found in almost any yard or park—kids will love checking off the list!
Frozen Dinosaur Eggs Excavation from Mombrite: Freeze some of the kids’ toy dinosaurs inside water-filled balloons to make dino eggs. Remove the ice “egg” from the balloon once it has frozen. Then, give the kids various tools and materials to excavate the dinosaurs, such as pipettes, salt, warm water, and small mallets.
LEGO Superhero Parachutes from Hello, Creative Family: These DIY LEGO Superhero Parachutes are fun and easy to make with supplies you already have at home!
DIY Rock Candy Tutorial from Happiness is Homemade: Learn how to make rock candy at home with our easy rock candy recipe and tutorial! A delicious STEM activity for kids that combines science and sweets!
Sponge Water Bombs from Crafts by Amanda: Enjoy a water fight on a sunny day by making some homemade sponge bombs. They’re way better than water balloons because once you make them, you can use them all summer long.
Water Flow Experiment by From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom: Do your kids enjoy learning about how things work? This water flow experiment is a terrific project for the whole family to make together. Kids will love cooling off in the streams of water when they’re done.
Glow-in-the-Dark Bug Jar from The Country Chic Cottage: You can make a bug jar that glows in the dark in just minutes! This quick and easy craft idea is perfect for summer nights and catching lightning bugs!
Ocean Slime from Simple Everyday Mom: This sparkly ocean slime will be a big hit with the kids! This is a borax-free recipe, so it’s less irritating for kids with skin sensitivities. Stretch, pull, and squish this sparkly slime to your heart’s content. Add the kids’ ocean animal toys for even more fun.
Homemade Scented Bubbles from Mad in Crafts: Making your own bubble solution creates bubbles that are much sturdier than ones you get from store-bought bubble solution. Plus, you can customize your homemade scented bubbles with whatever fragrance you would like!
Outdoor Puffy Paint from Messy Little Monster: Make your sidewalk designs pop with outdoor puffy paint! Adding a bit of flour with washable paint and water is an easy way to make puffy paint with things you already have at home. It washes away easily, too.
Hot Rocks from Brooklyn Berry Designs: This hot rocks kids craft is a really fun activity that will have kids of all ages saying “its so satisfying!” If it’s hot enough outdoors, you can leave the rocks in the sun for this project, or use your oven. Always use caution with hot objects and provide adult supervision.
Paracord Survival Bracelet from Happiness is Homemade: Learn how to make paracord survival bracelets this summer. This is a craft that boys and girls of all ages will love (plus, they look super cool!)!
Glowing Ice Cubes from Go Science Kids: How cool are glow-in-the-dark ice cubes? How about glowing ice cubes that are edible? Your kids will be surprised to find that tonic water has a special ingredient that glows under UV light.
Paper Bag Field Journals from Crafting in the Rain: Upcycle a paper bag into a creative journal to record notes and findings on all of your outdoor summer adventures! This is a fabulous way to make something awesome with basic supplies you already have on hand!
Summer Random Acts of Kindness from Coffee and Carpool: Spread kindness in your community by leaving little toys at the park for other children. Toys can include a car to go down the slide, bubbles, glow sticks, and play dough—all things kids love!
Frozen Ocean Sensory Bin from Simple Everyday Mom: Cool off on any hot summer day with this colorful, textured frozen ocean sensory bin with all kinds of sensory elements. Kids can rescue the ocean animals from the frozen ball using pipettes of hot water, placing the ice in the sun, etc.
Popsicle Stick Boxes from Happiness is Homemade: Save those leftover popsicle sticks and start building! Build popsicle stick boxes to hold pencils, party supplies, or small toys. This is a great STEM activity for kids that encourages logical thinking as well as creative problem-solving skills.
Summer of Skills Passport from Crafting in the Rain: Want your kids to learn some new skills this summer? Make a game out of it by creating this Summer of Skills passport book and letting your child earn stamps/stickers and rewards for new skills accomplished!
Glow in the Dark Bowling from Crafts by Amanda: This game is terrific for camping with the family, sleepovers, or backyard get-togethers at night. Kids will love playing this game while you sit around the fire pit this summer. Make water bottles light up using glow sticks! You should be able to find an inexpensive glow-in-the-dark ball at any store that sells kids’ toys.
Soap Foam for Sensory Play from Messy Little Monster: Want to whip up a fun activity in a flash? This soap foam is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who love to explore with their hands. Add in a bit of food coloring to make it look like sea foam! You could even add some kid-safe essential oils to the mix if you’d like to add scent to the sensory experience.
Melting Frozen Pom-Poms from Oh Hey Let’s Play: Keep your toddler busy and engaged with some frozen pom-poms. The pom-poms are frozen in just enough water to cover them. Give your kiddo some tools to work with to chip away at and melt the ice.
There are so many awesome summer activities to choose from! Here’s to having the best summer break EVER this year!
Check Out These Other Fun Summer Ideas!
Pin These Summer Activities For Later
Don’t forget to pin this list of summer activities for kids so you’ll have lots of ideas ready to plan the best summer ever!
Heidi Kundin has captivated the hearts of millions with her colorful and inspiring approach to crafting, celebrations, and family fun. With over 15 years of experience, Happiness is Homemade has become a must-visit destination for those seeking quick and easy creative ideas and last-minute solutions. Heidi’s warm personality shines through her posts, inviting readers to join her on a creative journey that’s fun, rewarding, and achievable. Heidi is also the author of Homemade Bath Bombs & More and DIY Tie-Dye.