The end of the school year always tends to go by much more quickly, doesn’t it? Summer will be here before we know it and with its arrival comes the opportunity for some serious family fun! Today I’m sharing 100 things to do with your kids this summer and it’s making me crave the warmer weather even more!

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Here’s to the summer of a lifetime — be sure to pin this list for reference!

100 Things To Do With Your Kids This Summer!

100 Things To Do With Your Kids This Summer!

  1. Swim at the beach or pool.

  2. Jump on a trampoline.

  3. Go to the drive-in.

  4. Roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire.

  5. Go camping at a campground or in the backyard.

  6. Make a fairy door.

  7. Blow giant bubbles.

  8. Create a house fit for bugs.

  9. Make a sidewalk chalk obstacle course.

  10. Pack a picnic and head to the park.

  11. Make s’mores in a pizza box solar oven.

  12. Build a huge sandcastle.

  13. Have a water balloon fight.

  14. Toothpick construction!

  15. Make ice chalk.

  16. Ride bikes.

  17. Learn to waterski.

  18. Learn a few phrases in a new language with your kids. Use Duolingo!

  19. Head to the zoo with your zoo passport.

  20. Plan a family movie night with popcorn, lots of blanket, and let everyone stay up late!

  21. Make dinosaur fossils from ice.

  22. Goop!

  23. Make a first aid kit with your kids and teach them about the contents.

  24. Make a lemonade stand.

  25. Make your own felt board.

  26. Write your names in the sand on a beach.

  27. Hang out in an air fort.

  28. Go for a walk in the woods. Bring paper and crayons so you can do rubbings of all the different types of tree bark.

  29. Put a bird bath in your yard and enjoy watching your feathered friends take advantage of it. (Just don’t do this if you have outdoor kitties!)

  30. Have a yard sale and show your kids how they can earn some pocket change.

  31. Make windchimes from items found at the beach.

  32. Go fishing in a tinfoil river.

  33. Plant and herb garden and have your kids help find recipes in your cookbooks which use each herb!

  34. Plant a vegetable garden (even in a planter if you don’t have the space) and enjoy munches fresh veggies later this year!

  35. Visit a local farm to show your kids exactly where their food is coming from.

  36. Make crepe paper windcatchers.

  37. Make a water filter to show kids how water gets cleaned. Open up a discussion about how we need trees and marshes to filter water as well.

  38. Go on a road trip and stop at weird roadside attractions on the way.

  39. Camp out under the stars. Grab a book from your library all about constellations and see what you can find!

  40. Make spiderdogs.

  41. Offer to walk an elderly neighbour’s dog to help out. Or water their lawn. Or weed their garden.

  42. Make a Time Capsule and bury it in your backyard. Send a future email to yourself, reminding your family to open it!

  43. Grab an old white sheet and lay it on your lawn, then go to town with paint and let it dry in the sun! Kids love BIG art projects! You can weigh it down with rocks so it doesn’t blow away.

  44. Perfect the art of paper airplane making and show your kids how to do it too! Next, airplane races and flight tests!

  45. Make your own homemade hula hoops!

  46. Make daisy chains and wear them all day.

  47. Play Drip Drip Splash, the cool, wet version of Duck Duck Goose!

  48. Set up a blanket under a shady tree and read with your kids.

  49. Find and decorate hiking sticks for your next family walk in the woods.

  50. Make your own marker cap jump ropes.

  51. Grab some trash bags and gloves, head to a local park, and pick up garbage. Talk to your kids about recycling and how it’s important to look after our planet.

  52. Play the Firefly Flashlight game outside in the dark!

  53. Play “parachute” in your yard with a huge bed sheet.

  54. “Paint” the hot sidewalk with water, watch it evaporate, and “paint” again.

  55. Learn to Rainbow Loom.

  56. Make musical instruments from things you find around the house. Bean in a water bottle, pan-lid cymbals, and plastic containers for drums with spoon drumsticks.

  57. Start a neighbourhood parade! Ask friends and other families to come out, costume up, and join the parade around your street. Kids can make floats from wagons and bikes!

  58. Run outside with your whole family in the rain and dance in the yard. No shoes!

  59. Volunteer at a senior citizen’s residence with your kids.

  60. Record a video with your kids to send to family members who don’t live close by. If grandma’s birthday is coming up, record your family singing her Happy Birthday!

  61. Make superhero capes for your whole family! Let the kids decorate them with puffy paints!

  62. Find pen-pals for your kids (try your Facebook friends or groups!) and help them practice the art of letter-writing!

  63. Make your own outdoor movie theatre and host movie night!

  64. Bring a donation to your local pet shelter and play with the animals.

  65. Make a bird feeder and hang it outside your window. Use a bird book to identify who comes to the feeder!

  66. Plan a family nature scavenger hunt!

  67. Gather up some friends for a game of beach volleyball.

  68. Go fishing!

  69. Visit a local attraction and play tourist for the day. Take photos, be silly, and buy souvenirs.

  70. Construct a house of cards.

  71. Paint with a squirt gun.

  72. Make chalk spray.

  73. Play with lifesize chalk dress up dolls!

  74. Visit the farmer’s market and support your local farming community as much as possible.

  75. Have fun with water balloon pinatas. Great for those SUPER hot days!

  76. Make tin-can telephones and have conversations across your living room or backyard.

  77. Encourage your kids to start a rock collection. Take out a book or look up the different kinds of rocks and stones online.

  78. Check under stones for bugs and look them up online with your kids.

  79. Rainy day? Go bowling!

  80. Save up cardboard boxes, then make a HUGE fort with them! Inside or outside!

  81. Make a marble launch.

  82. Go horseback riding at a local stable.

  83. Make rock candy.

  84. Sponge ball toss!

  85. Build your own backyard teepee.

  86. Make your own cloud dough.

  87. Start a Frisbee Tic Tac Toe tournament.

  88. Let your kids camp out in the living room or basement with a small puptent and some Christmas lights as your stars. Make s’mores in the oven and enjoy!

  89. Save your recyclables to make this cool tin can wind chime.

  90. Create your own DIY sprinkler with PVC and a little imagination!

  91. Rocket straws!

  92. Plan a neighbourhood BBQ!

  93. Invent a new game. Grab a ball, a bucket, a hula hoop, or other fun items and let your kids make something up as you go.

  94. Spa day! Nail painting, mud masks, and more!

  95. Write a story with your kids. For teens, take turns writing a chapter each. This could be a project that you do over the whole summer. For younger kids, write a page together each week and have them illustrate it.

  96. Make a 5 Minute Sandbox.

  97. Invite friends over for a game night. Bust out the Scrabble, Boggle, Pictionary!

  98. Go for a bike ride in a brand new neighbourhood, showing your kids how to follow a map.

  99. Find a kite kit at a hobby store and wait for a windy day!

  100. Plan a pajama day where you watch movies, eat popcorn, and just relax. You deserve a day off too! 🙂

I hope these ideas will jumpstart your summer planning! Feel free to continue the list in the comments — what would YOU add?

100 Things To Do With Your Kids This Summer!