All kids LOVE summer! When the month turns from March to April, I begin to feel the anticipation from my own kids because they know there is only a few weeks left of school.
I remember those days! I was doing nothing but dreaming about sleeping in and creating a list of all of the things I was going to do that summer. My friends would all sign my yearbook with, “have a great summer,” or “HAGS” if you were cool and hip.
My kids have high expectations for summer. They want to know what we are doing, where we are going, how long we are going to be gone and most importantly, how many days we have left. My three oldest kids were all born in August. [Insert popular joke about being EXTRA thankful for Thanksgiving here] So counting down to their birthdays is like a double edged sword. They love school! But the freedom of summer is the best thing since the Nintendo Switch, as my son would say.
I homeschool our kids so we have already discovered a nice balance between independent play and depend-on-mom-for-entertainment play. For those of you who feel like you’re being held hostage by your own children in your own home, don’t worry, I’ve got your back! My kids have helped me create a list of the 8 best summer boredom busters to keep you from ripping your hair out!
1. Find a New Subscription Box
There are so many options these days! Our absolute favorite subscription box is the Raddish Kids Cooking Club. Every month, my kids get three new recipes, a cooking utensil to use in one of those recipes, and an iron on patch to put on their apron when they’ve completed all of their recipes. The apron comes in the first box. There is also an option of signing up multiple kids so everyone gets their own utensil and apron patch.
I love cooking and I also love teaching my kids basic cooking skills so they grow up to be comfortable in the kitchen like I did. The recipes that come in the Raddish Kids subscription box are easy enough that even our youngest chef can participate.
2. Build a Play Dough Kit
We made these all of the time when I was a kid! The best part is this activity only takes me a few minutes to make the play dough and then the kids can continue playing as often as they want.
I usually go to the dollar store or thrift store to find the tools for these kits. I like to include pizza cutters, rolling pins, cookie cutters, plastic silverware, garlic press, and small trinkets like buttons, gems, erasers, googly eyes, feathers etc.
3. Time for Tie-Dye
This was another one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. The possibilities and designs are endless. My kids love to tie-dye shirts but pillowcases or socks would be cool too!
The tye-die kit comes with multiple colors, plastic gloves, rubber bands, and a plastic table cloth. The only other item you need is a white t-shirt.
For my Colorado readers, check out my tutorial on how to make a Colorado flag tie-dye shirt.
4. Plan a Picnic
We have a huge tree in our backyard with a deck built around it that makes the perfect place for a picnic. My kids grab a serving tray we got at target and load it up with ham, cheese, crackers, fruit, carrots with ranch, yogurt, and of course, popsicles. They will usually spend a couple of hours playing and snacking.
We also enjoy packing up our picnic and taking it to the park when the weather isn’t too hot.
5. Create a Scavenger Hunt
There are two versions of a scavenger hunt that we play. The first is to print off a chart or list with all of the items the kids are searching for. The other option, is to create clues that leads the kids around to different places to find the next clue until the treasure is found. Both options are super fun and easy to create!
For a successful scavenger hunt, I hide a big surprise at the end. Sometimes I keep it simple with cookies or candy, and other times I buy a new board game or card game for them to play.
6. Start a Water Fight
My kids aren’t independent swimmers yet. Until I can figure out how to morph into an octopus in the water, I can’t take them all to the pool. So we have to be creative on how we incorporate water play throughout the summer.
We love water balloons! Especially the ones you can hook up to the hose and fill rapidly. But if, like us, you hate picking up the pieces of balloon out of the yard, check out how to make water bombs! They are reusable water “balloons” and so easy to make.
7. Roll Out the Water Hose
What kid doesn’t like playing in the water on a hot summer day? We usually have an inflatable pool, slip-n-slide, water balloons, sprinklers, and squirt guns on rotation. This year we were gifted a splash pad. I love it because it requires very little adult supervision (unlike the pool with little ones.) It’s a huge hit and entertains the kids for a couple of hours.
8. Get Crafty with Some Clay
I had recently bought a bucket of air dry clay for another project I was working on. Thankfully I had just enough to finish what I was doing because by the time I turned around, my kids were all seated around the table with the rest of the clay divvied up among them.
The creations are endless with this clay! If they are playing with it too much and it starts to dry out, you just have to add a little water and it’s good as new. After about a day or two of letting it air dry, it’s time to paint.
Kids Don’t Remember Their Best Day of Television
I love being able to fill my kids’ summers with fun activities and special memories. My hope, when they are a little older, is that we will spend our summers driving to cool places and seeing new things.
But for now, I want my kids to see that I am always trying to make the best of what we have today. I want some of my best days to also be some of their best days.
What summer time activities do you do with your kids? Is there anything I should add to this list? Please let me know in the comments!
