Fun Summer Activites

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Looking for a little free summer entertainment for your kiddos?  Check out this post from Jaime over at Time 2 Save Workshops on simple summer activities that'll provide hours of fun right in your own backyard.  I love her reminder to slow down and enjoy things that don't cost a penny.

When you're finished reading be sure to visit Time 2 Save Workshops for lots of great money saving deals online and at your local grocery store.  Thanks so much, for sharing Jamie!

Having fun doesn’t have to cost money – or even require you to leave home.  In fact – some of my kids’ favorite things to do require only that I drop everything and dive into pretend play or poke holes in the lid of a mason jar.  Here is my list of 10 Summer Fun Ideas To Do In Your Yard:

1.) Flashlight Tag.

The thrill of hide-n-seek lies in the fearfully giddy waiting period – while the seeker wanders about the yard yelling “GOTCHA” at the unlucky.  The thrill is heightened to a new level when done in the dark – with flashlights!  Grab some neighborhood kids to join in – and then sit back in your lawn chair with iced tea to supervise.

2.) Homemade Bubbles & Bubble-Makers.

Use the recipes found HERE to make a vat of bubbles.  Then have the kids search the house for interesting Bubble Blowers – Spatulas, Cookie Cutters, Wire Clothes-Hangers, Hula Hoops, etc….  If you’re going for monster bubbles, read this great how-to HERE

3.) Sock Puppets.

Rainy Days call for rainy-day activities.  Hot-gluing random bits of fabric, buttons, bric-a-brac & more to stray socks (The ones who left their mates) can be really fun!  I always stretch the socks over top of glasses or canned goods first – so it’s easier to hot-glue things on them.

4.) Homemade Puppet Theater.

After you spend time making good puppet-characters, why not put them to good use!

My favorite way to make one is to stick a tension rod in a doorway & drape a sheet over it.  If you want to get extra-fancy, use another tension rod placed higher in the doorway – and hang “theater curtains” from it.  (You can also drap sheets over chairs, ironing boards, etc…)  Have the kids spend the day making Play Posters, writing their scripts and rehearsing for the big performance!

5.) Catch Lightning Bugs.

This never gets old for my four boys.  Each night after dinner – they get their mason jars and head out back.  Their goal is always to get enough for a nighlight – but they’re always disappointed when the bugs refuse to glow once in the jar.

6.) Ball on a Sheet.

I really don’t know the name for this game, but we played it a lot in grade school – using a parachute.  Get a few kids around a sheet, toss a lightweight bouncy ball in the middle, and see how far you can launch it into the air as a group!  This game always – and I mean ALWAYS – turns into a totally different game called “Everyone run under the sheet before it floats down”.  I will warn you that this game often ends in head collisions.  But it’s fun

7.) Sprinkler/ Hose Games.

Whether you have a fancy sprinkler – or just your own thumb and a hose -water games are one of the best ways to have fun on a hot day.  You can do hose limbo – by shooting a line of water for the kids to limbo under & lowering the line with each round. Getting wet makes traditional games new again too: Try “Red Light – Green Light” or “Mother May I” around the sprinkler!

8.) Kiddie Pool Bath.

My mom used to do this on occasion for my brother & I – a novelty I still remember with a smile.  Sometime after supper, when the pool had warmed all day  in the sun, we’d pour in bubble bath and swirl it around until it was nice & bubbly.  We passed the pre-bedtime hour slipping & sliding and getting squeaky clean.

9.) Newspaper Fashion Show.

This was a camp favorite (I was a girl scout for many years…) – and it would be a perfect way to have fun with all your leftover newspapers!  Supply your kids (and maybe some neighborhood kids as well) with a pair of scissors, tape, and plenty of newspapers.  Set a timer for 15 minutes or so, and let them create wearable fashion!  Make the runway walk fun by playing music or giving awards for “Most Creative” or “Silliest”, etc..

10.) Have a Scanvenger Hunt.

There’s no need to hide a bunch of stuff around your yard to do a Scavenger Hunt – just hand your kidlet a list of things to find in nature ( a rock, a blue flower, etc…) and let ‘em go!  When my kids were younger, and learning shapes, we hunted for shapes & colors together.  The good thing is, that once your kids get the idea – they like to make lists for each other.

Which brings me to my main goal for all of the above activities – to be able to sit in your lawnchair, sipping sweet tea, and RELAX!

What are your favorite summer-fun activites to do with your kids?  Or your favorite from your own childhood?