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“Bed in Summer”
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
In winter I get up at nightAnd dress by yellow candle-light.In summer, quite the other way,I have to go to bed by day.I have to go to bed and seeThe birds still hopping on the tree,Or hear the grown-up people’s feetStill going past me in the street.And does it not seem hard to you,When all the sky is clear and blue,And I should like so much to play,To have to go to bed by day?
Though I know that it is not summer quite yet, it feels like it is just around the corner. My world is turning green, and the wildflowers are blooming. After a long winter, I have thoroughly enjoyed the sweet sunshine and the sounds of the birds as they build all their nests and prepare for their babies on the way. Spring has sprung, and summer is not far away.
My husband and I have a very busy summer ahead of us that includes many graduations, a wedding, a summer camp, a vacation Bible school, along with some travel plans, as well. There is so much to do, but I am very excited about all the fun summer activities that are ahead in the coming summer months. though we are still not quite in summer, I have summer on the mind, and I hope you and your family will take advantage of all the fun things you can do outside during your summer break. There are so many amazing easy outdoor activities that you can enjoy with your entire family.
With all of that in mind, I have pulled together a list of outdoor summer activities for kids. There are three different categories including specific activities (with links and pictures), simple/inexpensive outdoor summer activities, and outdoor summer excursions.
Simple/inexpensive outdoor summer activities:
- light some sparklers
- eat watermelon outside
- catch lightning bugs
- go stargazing in your backyard
- play in sprinklers
- Blow bubbles
- do some chalk art with sidewalk chalk
- play hide-and-seek outside
- play hide-and-seek in the dark with flashlights
- ride bikes
- fly a kite
- play in the rain
- have a water balloon fight
- make mud pies
- pick a wildflower bouquet
- paint rocks
- play with water guns
- use washable paint out on the driveway
- have a hula hoop competition
- eat ice cream on the porch after supper
- buy a baby pool for your younger children to enjoy on a hot summer day
- enjoy water balloon painting
- climb trees
- build a fort out in the yard
- read books outside on a blanket in the yard
- see how many different birds you can spot
- create a bug collection
Outdoor summer excursions:
- go to the park
- find a creek somewhere and have a picnic
- go to the beach
- go on a nature walk (bonus points if you find a walking stick)
- find an amusement park
- go to a river
- pick strawberries at a farm
- pick peaches at a farm
- go for a walk in your neighborhood
- go fishing
- visit a farmer’s market
- go for family bike rides
- visit your nearest state park
Specific outdoor summer activities for kids (with links!):
- Start a nature collection (there’s a cute example HERE)
- Make a “movie theater” with a white sheet and projector outside in the yard (there’s a tutorial and example HERE)
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt (here’s a link to the color-themed scavenger hunt LINK HERE)For this activity, you could do a color themed scavenger hunt where your kids have to find things in nature that match a color scheme, or you could even do an “alphabet” scavenger hunt where they all have to find items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. If you’d like to take a different route, you could also find a nature scavenger hunt printable or create your own with just random items from nature.
- Make water balloon pinatas (Option #1 HERE and option #2 HERE)
- Squirt gun painting (link HERE)
- Glow in the dark bowlingI love things that involve glow sticks on a summer evening, and this glow in the dark bowling activity is a fun one! The example I saw just put glow sticks in water bottles which I thought was smart. You may have to put something else in the water bottles too just to make sure they are heavy enough.
Glow in the Dark Bowling Activity – by Passion for Savings (link HERE) - Shaving cream Twister (link HERE)This activity has the potential to be very messy. You have been warned! That said, I do think this game would be a very fun way to spruce up a game that many of you probably already have. Bring that game of Twister outside and make it messy!
- Enjoy a slip and slide (link HERE to a jumbo DIY slip and slide!)
- Shadow drawing (link HERE)
- Shower curtain painting (link HERE)
- Build a side-walk chalk maze (link HERE)
- Set up an outdoor kitchen (click the picture for the link!)This idea could really provide hours and hours of outdoor entertainment for your littles. The nice thing is it can definitely work for kids of many different ages. I would say that even kids up to the age of 12 or so would probably still have fun with this set up.For older kids, I think it would be really fun to have a baking or cooking competition. Maybe you could even provide them with some vegetables that you know you are not going to use in the kitchen or some dry pasta or dried beans. By providing these little items, it can help the older children to start thinking creatively about real foods that you use in the kitchen.
12. Farm animal washing station (link HERE)
This activity is similar to the dirty truck washing station activity that you will find below, but it is a good reminder that you can really use whatever plastic toys that you have and do not mind getting dirty.
13. Create an obstacle course (there are a bunch of ideas through this LINK HERE)
With this activity, do not forget to keep it simple. An obstacle course can include things like “jump on the trampoline four times” and “run around the tree backwards” or “do three summersaults.” Do not overcomplicate it 🙂
14. Ice block “treasure hunt” (link HERE)
The fun thing with this activity is that you can use whatever plastic toys or objects that you have! For little girls, you can make it themed with dolls and their accessories or even a plastic tea set. For boys, it’d be so fun to have little trucks or even dinosaurs.
15. Build a bird feeder (there are a bunch of really cute ideas at this post HERE)
16. Muddy trucks “car wash” (click picture for link!)
What a great idea for little boys! I love that this activity is both an exercise in cleaning that involves being outdoors and playing with water, but that it is also a great activity to practice with fine motor skills.
17. Enjoy some pool noodle games (link HERE)
There are so many option for using pool noodles. My husband and I had a youth activity with the teens at our church and did mostly “pool noodle” themed activities, and we had probably at least four different activities that all included pool noodles. The best part? You may already have pool noodles, but even if you do not, they are super cheap at the dollar store. These activities are simple and fun. If I were to put together a collection of ideas, I would just write a list and do each activity one after the other. Additionally, you could even challenge your kids to come up with some pool noodle activities themselves!
18. Make giant bubbles (link HERE)
I love this idea. If you do not want to go through the trouble to make the tools you would need to create the giant bubbles, you could always just have fun outside with regular sized bubbles. I have seen a super cute idea where someone put together a “bubble refill station” which I think is such a great idea. They simply used an old laundry detergent container.
19. Make “sponge balls” instead of water balloons (link HERE)
This activity is such a fun twist on the traditional water balloon fight. These little “sponge balls” do not seem to be too tricky to make, and they are reusable which is fun and practical.
20. Make homemade popsicles to eat outside (bonus points if they are healthy!)
The fun thing about making your own popsicles is that your kids can enjoy both the process of making them along with the fun of eating them outside on a warm, summer day. After a quick, little search on Pinterest, I found these homemade, healthy popsicles by Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone and thought they looked really simply and refreshing!
There you have it! Here, we have looked at 57+ outdoor summer activities for kids this year. I sincerely hope that some if not all of these ideas have been inspiring and motivating for you as you seek to make this a memorable, restful, and enjoyable summer for you and your children. I have tried to really include fun outdoor activities that will work for kids of all ages and creative ways to include everyone in these warm weather activities. Whether you decide to go on a family bike ride, visit some nature trails, or simply enjoy some water activities at your home, I hope that you will make some precious memories with your whole family.
With all of that said, summer can come with a lot of pressure to meet these unspoken expectations set on us by society. Let it just be said that it is not bad to not do all the “summer things” that you feel are expected of you. You do not need to go on a summer vacation to Disney, you do not have to go to the library every week, and you do not even have to buy sparklers, if you do not want to.
You and your family get to choose what you want to be your priorities for the summer. Maybe your church is hosting a Vacation Bible School, and you want to be heavily involved. That week, you likely will not be doing a lot of reading together as a family, and that is okay. Another week, you may be home for most of the week with little structure. Maybe that week, you decide you would like to visit a river and just swim for hours and hours. You have the liberty to make these decisions together as a family, and you do not have to answer to Instagram or Pinterest for any of the activities you choose to engage in.
As summer approaches, I encourage you to make intentional space for simply enjoying your family. I sincerely hope that this post is inspiring rather than overwhelming and that it has provided you with so many fun and easy and simply ideas that you can incorporate into your sweet summer days. It’s a beautiful season; let’s make the most of it!
Have you tried any of these ideas before?
Which activity inspires you the most?
Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time
Are you looking for more ideas to spruce up this coming summer? Here’s another post called “Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids” that includes a printable!
