99 Summer Activities for Kids (Screen-Free Fun)

Summer Activities for Kids

Summer's here… and so are the endless cries of “I'm bo-ored!”  But before you stress about cramming in allll the things, let me tell you a secret…

Your kids can have the best summer of their lives without any itinerary AT ALL.

☀️GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLE SUMMER BUCKET LIST WHEN YOU PUT IN YOUR EMAIL BELOW!☀️

As a mom of four, I learned that the best Summer days were often the simplest.  Filled with chasing fireflies, playing in the hose, and flying kites.  Building blanket forts where we played Go-Fish until bedtime.  We made memories from everyday activities, not big trips or Pinterest-perfect plans. To help you sail smoothly through Summer, we've compiled a list of nearly 100 Summer Activities for Kids for when you need a little inspiration.

Best of all?  These are all screen-free, and mostly cost-free ideas!

For a pared-down printable version, fill out the form below and get this cute fridge-friendly format!  Just print it, post it on the fridge and pick a few each week to check off together.

☀️GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLE SUMMER BUCKET LIST WHEN YOU PUT IN YOUR EMAIL BELOW!☀️

Indoor Summer Activites

Build a pillow/blanket fort
This is a great way to let the kids have unstructured, creative play.  It often can go on for hours as they re-imagine their fort and add things on.  Mine often brought their stuffed animals into the fort and read books in there.

Make a track for marbles/toy cars
Using couch cushions, pool noodles, books, cardboard, or anything at hand – build a track for a markble or toy car to travel down.

Do a Puzzle
Our family used to leave a puzzle on the kitchen table for a whole week letting people stop by to sit and pop in a few pieces anytime they wanted.  It was best to do this in Summer when we ate more casual dinners on the porch.

Create a yarn obstacle course
This is a fun one for a rainy day and a great one for the oldest kid to build for the younger ones!

Make Marshmallow/Toothpick Houses
See who's can get the biggest without falling…

Learn to play Jacks
You can buy jacks at the Dollar Tree and it's a fun game of hand-eye coordination that is as old school as it gets.

Play Charades
Teach your kids the simplest form of charades (acting out a thing with no noise) or the more complex charades that includes Movies, “Sounds Like” etc…

Have a treasure hunt with clues
The prize could be anything from a Dollar Tree toy to a coupon for a special treat – you pick!

Make Bath Bombs
There are a million recipes out there with varying levels of complexity, so I'll let you choose the one you like.

Leg wrestling tournament
If you've never leg wrestled – here's how to do it!

Sounds Scavenger Hunt
I never did this one but it sounds SO cool!  Make a list of sounds (Splash, Knocking, Birdsong, etc…) and tell the kids to find & record all the sounds on the list.  They'll spend a long time recreating these sounds to play back to you and have you guess them.

Board Game Night with Friends
Invite friends over for a board game night and try out each other's favorites.

Play Dress Up
If you don't have a dress-up trunk it may be a good time to start adding odds and ends to it that you find at thrift stores and yard sales.  My kids spent soooo much time playing dressup when they were little.

Make Milkshakes
What a yummy way to end a hot day than to pull out the blender and let the kids choose their own add-ins (graham crackers, cookies, etc)

Dance Party, and makeup individual dances
Bust a move and have each person make up their own signature move!

Have a “letter of the day” and only eat/do things that start with it
Eat burgers and baked potatoes after bicycling and bowling 😉

Homemade Spa
Kids love to play pretend – let them setup a spa (Help them whip up a face mask) where you can be the #1 customer!

Learn Hand Claps with Songs
Show the kids some of the coordinated hand clap songs you used to know – like Miss Mary Mack

Make a Stuffed Animal Sleeping Bag
Using an old pillow case, hand sew or hot glue a cute sleeping bag so they can join your next backyard campout.

Build Legos or Magnatiles
Nothing says hours and hours of quiet time than a table full of Legos.  Try this DIY Lego Tray Table for on the go builds.

Play Yahtzee
This is a classic dice game that normally doesn't cause fights!

Build a Fairy Garden
Grab some Dollar Tree supplies to build a magical fairy garden

Outdoor Play

Go “puddle jumping”
Taking a rain walk (or an after-rain walk) is a great way to break up rainy day boredom.  See who can get the biggest splashes.

Make a backyard or neighborhood scavenger hunt
Give the kids a list of things to find in the yard or neighborhood and bring back for you to count

Catch Fireflies
My kids used to catch fireflies in jars where they'd poked airholes in the lid. They'd put grass and flowers inside and bring it inside to be their nightlight.  The next day they'd let them go again.

Go for a picnic
Pack a picnic and eat outdoors, even if it's just your yard!

Play hopscotch
I've seen some very elaborate hopscotch-style courses recently with extra fun elements to them (Like spin on the spiral, jump over the alligators, etc) Let the kids be creative and tell them you'll come jump it when they're finished.  They'll likely spend more time making it extra challenging for you!

Play Flashlight Tag
Invite neighborhood kids to join in this one and create boundaries.  Then it's just hide & go seek with flashlights!

Paint a Cardboard House
If you have a big cardboard box handy (or you have LOTS of big Amazon boxes you can tape together) – make a house and let the kids paint it.  Fun all Summer long!

Have a Water Balloon toss
Stand facing across from your partner.  Toss the balloon and both of you take a step backwards.  Toss it again and take another step away.  Repeat until it's getting thrown a far distance and splashes on someone.

Fly a Kite
You can get a kite at the Dollar Tree and take it to any field on a windy day to let it go!  We used to take ours to the school playground during the summers.

Learn Four Square or Kick the Can
Bring back these old favorite that mour grandparents played!

Make Targets for Nerf/water blasters
Use old Amazon boxes and set up different difficulty-level targets.

Backyard Campout
Setup a tent and let the kids camp out under the stars.   Tell silly-spooky stories and don't forget the snacks.  Plan to sleep with them, or if they're old enough let them “rough it” alone. (But leave the back door unlocked) 😉

Make S’mores or roast hot dogs on a campfire
After years of doing youth group I'm always surprised by how many of our kids have never made a S'more or roasted a hot dog.  This will never NOT be fun!  You can also teach them fire-building basics in the process.

Pick fruit or honeysuckle

If you have an orchard nearby or a berry bush, pick fruit and make jam.  If not – scout some honeysuckle and show the kids how to taste the sweet nectar.

Play HORSE
If you have a basketball goal, teach your kids HORSE.

Backyard family movie night
While this technically involves a screen – it's a great family fun night that feels like a drive-in experience.

Set Up Badminton
If you're lucky, your kids will LOVE to play and you can leave it setup all Summer long for them to enjoy

Make a Sprinkler
Running through the sprinkler is a tried and true way to stay cool. Make your own by poking holes in a 2-liter bottle and duct-taping the hose to the mouth of the jug.

Have a Garage Sale
This is a great way for kids to learn the value of things – and get rid of some old stuff to purchase a new toy they've been wanting.

Plant Seeds
Whether they choose flowers or veggies – it'll be fun to watch things grow all Summer.  You can get seeds for just 4 for $1 at the Dollar Tree or for FREE at some local libraries!

Make a Flower Chain or Hunt for a 4-leaf clover
Classic way to while away an afternoon!

Have a Bike Wash
You can wash your own or offer to wash the neighborhood kids for small fee too!

Slip & Slide
This is a classic way to wear those kids out while staying cool

Epic Water Balloon Battle
Fill a whole cooler or baby pool with water balloons and let the kids go crazy until they're gone.  Setup a “Nothing above the neck” rule to avoid face-hits.

Creative & Crafty Projects

 

Make a birdfeeder
You can build a DIY Birdfeeder out of wood or make this simple one from an orange!

Finger Paint
We posted thismessless finger paint hack for Earth Day, but it's fun to do all year round!

Draw Sidewalk Chalk Family Portraits
Have each family member lie down and someone trace them with chalk.  Then fill in their features, hair clothes and details. (Or do an indoor version of this on parchment paper)

Make Popsicles
Using juice, pudding, yogurt or kool-aid – spend the morning making a treat together that they can enjoy later in the day.

Tie-Dyeing
Tie-Dye anything you want – pillowcases, shorts, scrunchies, socks, t-shirts – even bedsheets!  This is a really fun DIY activity with a great reward.

Make a cardboard puppet theater and put on a puppet show
You can also use a tension rod in a doorway and drape a sheet over it to create a place for the puppeteers to stand behind.

Make Sock Puppets
One of my kids FAVORITE activities was making sock puppets.  Pull a big sock over an overturned glass to stretch it taut.  Then glue on button eyes, yard hair, scrap clothing, etc with hot glue or craft glue.  Once it's totally dry you can pull it off the cup.

Make Up a Play
Have the kids write a play they can act out together.  The sillier the better!  They can also have their sock puppets act it out.

Make Homemade Play-Dough
Making homemade play dough is easy and you can color the dough any shade you like.  Check out our homemade play-dough recipe here! (Just leave out the cinnamon for Summertime dough)

Make Recyclable Robots
Hold onto milk jugs, oatmeal canisters, boxes, detergent lids etc… so you can build robots one rainy day.

Make a Leaf Rubbing
Find a cool leaf, lay a piece of paper over top, and gently color with a crayon to get the leaf's pattern on the paper.

Learn a Yo-Yo Trick
Yo-Yos can be lots of fun, especially if you can master a couple tricks!

Water Bottle Bowling
Fill several water bottles and set them up like bowling pins.  Use a playground ball or soccer ball to bowl them over.

Decorate Cupcakes
Have your very own cupcake wars at home, and then eat them for desert.

Make Origami
This will be great after a trip to the library to get a how-to book

Toilet Paper Tube Painting
This is a fun one to do with littler kids without fine motor skills – and the Fireworks turn out so cute!

Paint Rocks
Bring our your artistic side and beautify your garden path with the kids' painted rocks

Press flowers
Press flowers in pages of a heavy book and once they're dry you can make pretty cards, bookmarks and other crafts

Make a paper mache pinata
Paper Mache is a fun craft but it's even more fun if you can paint it and fill it with candy for an upcoming event.  Plan a pinata party just for the heck of it.

Write a Letter
Encourage your kids to pick a family member (Maybe one who's been sick or has a birthday coming up) and write them a letter to mail.

Community Exploration

Visit a Park
Is there a local park you've never checked out?  Now's the time to hit them all!

Volunteer at an animal shelter
This is a great way to let your kids play with animals if they don't have their own

Feed the Ducks
Find a nearby lake or stream that has ducks and take them some stale bread.

Go Rollerskating
Some roller rinks offer FREE Rollerskating for kids in the Summer! OR if you have skates, find a smooth place to rollerskate nearby (Tennis or Pickleball courts might be good)

Go to the Library
Check out books but also look for special free events they'll have throughout the Summer!

Visit a local historical site
Check out some history near home.

Go Swimming at a Pool, Lake or Beach
If you're lucky enough to have a lake nearby – pack a picnic and some floaties and head out for a lake day!  You might want to make theseDIY Swimmer's Ear drops to keep on hand…

Go Fishing
If you don't have a fishing license, many states offer free fishing days for all.  Or go fishing for toy fish in a baby pool. (Those magnetic fish sets are easy to find at the Dollar Tree!)

Go Geocaching
My kids got SUPER into this hobby for awhile when they were around 9 – 13, it's really fun to look into!

Visit a Free Local Splash Pad
Does your city have a free local splash pad?  If it's not free it may be just a couple dollars to play and it's worth checking out!

Visit a fire station
The fire station in my town has special days when families can visit.  They let my kids dress up and do all kinds of cool things!

Go Bowling for Free
Some bowling alleys offer FREE Summer Bowling for kids!

Visit a Local Cave
Check to see if there's a cave to tour in your area, great on hot days!

Join Free Summer Reading Programs
There are so many rewards for the Summer reading programs – check them out!

Visit a Thrift Store
Speaking of picking up dressup supplies…. thrift stores are also great places to find a new (to you) board game for the family to play!

Learning Fun

Learn To Crochet
Crochet a simple chain, or learn to build on that skill and make a scarf by Christmas!

Host a lemonade stand
A lemonade stand is a great way to teach a life lesson and entrepeneurism.  Let older kids be a part of the planning and work out the profits.

Make salt crystals
This is a long game, since you won't see instant results – but making salt crystals on a strech of yarn is super rewarding to watch over time.

Learn a new card game
Summertime is a great time to spend hours playing Rummy, War, Speed, Spoons, and tons of other games they'll remember fondly one day.

Make homemade bubbles 
Using Dawn, Glycerine and water (And food coloring if you wish) you can make pop-resistant homemade bubbles.

Learn the constellations and have a stargazing night
This is an interest that may follow them their whole life!

Construct Paper Airplanes
Look up various paper airplane methods, then have everyone test different planes in a contest.

Teach kids about car maintenance
Have the kids help you wash the car, vacuum, dust & look for lost change between the seats.  Got older kids? It's a great time to learn how to change a tire, check the oil etc…

Make a Homemade Pizza
This is a fun one to do that doubles as dinner!  Let each person pick their toppings and build it.

Learn to identify the plants near your house
You can even get a plant identifier app for your phone.  Learn trees by their leaf shape as well as flowers and weeds.

Do a Science Experiment
Try elephant toothpaste, this Ivory Bar Soap experiment or a Baking Soda + vinegar volcano!

Make Ice Cream in a Bag
And top with this homemade hot fudge sauce!

Make a Family Tree together
This is a great time for some family story time while you track your tree and its branches.

Learn a Magic Trick
Wow a family member by learning a new magic trick!

Help us grow our list of screen-free summer fun ideas!  What would you add to this list?  Leave us a comment and let us know!