30 Classic Summer Activities for Kids
By: Highlights Editorial
Inventing new sports. Building with found objects. Conducting “science experiments” in the kitchen. This year, give your children the kind of summer you remember with this list of 30 classic childhood activities.
These time-honored traditions — along with modern twists on nostalgic classics — will help your family wean off the screen this summer. Instead, you’ll want to go all in on the kinds of spontaneous games, wild creativity and outdoor adventures that raised generations of pre-internet kids.
Summer Arts & Crafts Activities
Perfect for downtime or rainy days, crafting helps kids build developmental skills, and gives you a chance to build warm memories with your little ones.
1. Make a ‘Floating’ Jellyfish
Kids will channel carefree beach days with these colorful, glowing, “floating” sea creatures. This activity uses common craft and household items, and can be easily adjusted for children of different ages.
2. Create a Colorful Windsock
Practice color names, weather words and fine motor skills with this 5-supply, easy-to-make windsock. Or just enjoy a crafty afternoon in the summer breeze as you and your child explore your creativity and the art of conversation.
3. Try DIY Pool Noodle Crafts
Who knew there were so many uses for a pool noodle?! These 6 fun crafts for fun in water and on land will keep your kids too busy creating, playing and laughing to ever utter, “I’m bored!”
4. Paint with Natural Materials
What could be easier than finding art materials right in your own kitchen and backyard? This sensory-rich summer activity reinforces problem-solving, flexible thinking, and cause and effect through colorful, productive, messy fun!
5. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk
Making your own sidewalk chalk is the perfect blend of mad science and creativity. The best part is, it’s something kids will want to make and use all summer long!
6. Celebrate with DIY Confetti Poppers
With endless variations (and nonstop fun), these kid-safe poppers will soon become your go-to entertainment for holidays, birthdays or any special occasion!
Bonus parent tip: Find more ways to make family memories with activities for Memorial Day and other celebrations!
Celebrate with DIY Confetti Poppers
7. Create Rinse-and-Repeat Sidewalk Paint
Made from water, cornstarch and food coloring, this DIY sidewalk paint lets kids draw, write and play games at a larger-than-life scale. When they’re done, they can get a hose, wash away the paint and start all over again!
Create Rinse-and-Repeat Sidewalk Paint
Summer Outdoor Activities
Playing outside from morning till dusk might be one of the most cherished childhood summer memories. These tried-and-true activities will make every summer outdoor adventure one to remember.
Bonus parent tip: Learn the surprising benefits of outdoor play for babies!
8. Play Quintessential Outdoor Games
Kids’ summer activities are going old-school! Task your kids with rounding up the neighbors and school them all in how to play high-spirited outdoor games like foursquare, H-O-R-S-E and more.
9. Hold an Outdoor Concert
Use everyday recyclables to create a guitar, drums, shakers or other instruments with your child. Then, select band members and brainstorm a name, and you’ll be ready for your first al fresco concert of the season!
10. Organize Olympics-Inspired Backyard Games
One of the most fun summer activities for kids is watching the Olympics. While the summer games only come around every 4 years, your family can celebrate the Olympic spirit anytime by testing your own feats of athleticism in your backyard!
Organize Olympics-Inspired Backyard Games
11. Mix Your Own Bubbles
You’ll never be out of things to do when you can make your own bubble mix using this easy-peasy recipe right at home. It’s a great way for kids to use their craft skills, imaginations and science smarts — all at the same time.
12. Have a Nature Adventure
No matter whether your child likes music, art, science or tech, you can find fun an outdoor summer activity to fit any taste. See how geocaching, scavenger hunts and frog songs can stoke your kids’ curiosity.
Summer Indoor Activities
When weather doesn’t cooperate, these games will give your child the creative and physical outlets they need, even during indoor play.
13. Make a Magnetic Fishing Game
This hand-eye coordination booster requires little setup and can easily be adapted to include any number of kids (or grown-ups!)
14. Play Tabletop Horseshoes
It’s a craft and a game, all in one! Kids can exercise their artistry as they create their own game, then brush up on math skills as they tally scores and measure the distance between horseshoes and post.
15. Cook Up Some Bubbling Slime
Slime. That you can personalize. And it BUBBLES! Need we say more?
16. Compete in a Mini Basketball Game
With a mini hoop and a ball launcher, this easy-to-make game will keep kids engaged for hours. (That is, if they can get it away from the grown-ups.)
Compete in a Mini Basketball Game
17. Create “Action Dice”
Kids will get their wiggles out with this interactive game similar to charades. Extend the fun by making multiple versions of the dice with different themes. You can even use them as a fun way to choose outings or complete things on your to-do list!
Summer Printables
Take your summer fun to go! Stash these printables in the car, your suitcase or daypack to find fun summer activities wherever you go.
18. Devise a Summer Bucket List
If your child is a visual person, print out this adorable Summer Bucket List with 14 fun things to do in summer — plus room for your own ideas!
19. Play Summer Reading Bingo
Can you read in a hat? Can you read to your cat? This Bingo board of hilarious challenges will keep your kid laughing — and reading! — all summer long.
20. Embark on a Summer Learning Scavenger Hunt
Print this chart of 24 quick, easy and educational activities to pepper into your summer plans. Cross each one off as you complete it. How many can you accomplish before summer’s end?
Embark on a Summer Learning Scavenger Hunt
21. Take the Summer Fun Bingo Challenge
Don’t just make a list of things to do this season; make a game of your summer fun. The first one to complete a row of activities gets to yell “BINGO!”
Take the Summer Fun Bingo Challenge
22. Make a Keepsake of Summer Moments
Kids’ summer activities are so much fun, but they’re gone in a flash. Use this worksheet to record your favorite moments of discovery and adventure from these carefree days.
Make a Keepsake of Summer Moments
Summer After-Dark Adventures
No early school wake-ups = treating your kids to special late-night activities. Here are a few fun things to do in the summer that kids will be sure to remember.
23. Play a Round of Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling
Create homemade beanbag “balls” and water-bottle “pins” for a tenpin game you can play anywhere. Add glow sticks and glow bracelets for instant cosmic bowling — perfect for summer nights!
Play a Round of Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling
24. Camp Out (or In!)
Whether you camp with your kids in the backyard or just pretend to do so in the living room, little ones can practice pitching a tent, “cooking,” “fishing” and engaging in other rich imaginary experiences. In addition to building creativity, you’ll forge family bonds and memories that last a lifetime.
25. Take a Night Hike
Hiking by the light of the moon gives kids an entirely new view of and appreciation for the peacefulness of nature. Not to mention the thrill of being outside past bedtime!
Summer Learning Activities
It’s easy to keep kids’ school skills sharp over the summer when you practice with cool experiments and homemade scientific equipment!
26. Do a Food Color Science Experiment
This simple experiment only requires water, food coloring and an ice cube, but it still helps kids practice the scientific method by observing, making hypotheses, testing and drawing conclusions.
Do a Food Color Science Experiment
27. Build a Recycled Microscope
Kids are naturally inquisitive. Nurture this important trait by helping your child use everyday recyclables to construct a simple microscope that actually works!
28. Explore with a DIY ‘Telescope’
Home in on birds, airplanes or nighttime stars with this easy summer activity that will help kids notice more about the world around them.
Explore with a DIY ‘Telescope’
29. Create Earthly Constellations
After using your “telescope” to gaze at the stars, continue your astronomic exploration by creating your own constellations with rocks and glow-in-the-dark paint. When you’re done, arrange your rocks to mimic real star groups you see in the sky.
30. Give All Kids a Meaningful Summer
Teach your child about compassion and community by spending some time helping other kids in your neighborhood or around the world. Volunteering in your city and supporting summer learning programs nationally are just a couple of ways your family can help make summer count for every kid.
Give All Kids a Meaningful Summer
Bonus parent tip: Find even more super simple ways to boost summer learning.
Kids deserve a joyful and engaging summer. Luckily, you don’t need a big budget or complicated plan to create one. With Highlights’ classic summer activities for kids, you can celebrate the nostalgia of your own long-ago adventures and bring new memory-making activities to your family all season long.
