There are so many fun summer activities that you can do with your kids this summer! There is no need to keep them stuck inside staring at a television or computer screen. TV shows and video games only provide a limited time of entertainment before parents start hearing the dreaded whiny voices saying “I’m bored” every five minutes. Make this summer full of fun with these magnificent ideas that are entertaining for not only the children but the parents as well!

It is always a great idea to go on a hike! Find a local trail or hill and walk the entire path. It is nice to just have chats while going on a walk. If you find is a little pond with ducks your child can feed them! Sounds fun? Bring a bike with you and get the scenic ride together. Everyone will enjoy it. This is a great way to stay active in the summer and allow your children to get in touch with nature. Print the scavenger hunt and bring it with you. Kids will get entertained and active finding things around. Find fireflies? Catch them in the jar! Just be sure there is no rain ahead!

Check out these awesome ideas for scavenger hunts

• Printable Bug Scavenger Hunt. The download is free from Preschool Powol Packets.
• Printable Nature Scavenger Hunt. Great to learn nature and free to download from Stay at Home Mum.
• Printable 4th July Scavenger Hunt. Getting ready for July 4th? Consider this free printable, plus it is editable! Created by Erin Thomson’s Primary Printables.
  Forest Scavenger Hunt from Paper Bluejay.
• My nature walks activity mini journal.

Catching fireflies

• 14 Fun Facts about Fireflies
• Guide to Catching Fireflies in Mason Jars

Although every child loves to spend a day on the beach, sometimes you need extra ideas to keep them entertained. The first things your child will do of course swim and build sandcastles. This always seems like a great hit among children. Let them scour the sand in search of some beautiful shells to make necklaces, bracelets, and crafts later at home! Bring some sand home and your child can make outstanding art projects!

Check these awesome ideas for seashell craft

• Make a Mermaid Tiara. Step by step guide on how to make a mermaid tiara from Creative Green Living.
• Make Mermaid Necklace. Complete your tiara with a mermaid necklace from Mama.Papa.Bubba.
• Make Crystal Seashells. That easy experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands will bring a lot of fun for kids.
• Make Ocean Discovery Bottle. Your child will be very excited to create this bottle from The Imagination Tree. Plus! It makes waves and bubbles!
• Make Seashell Necklace. DIY video tutorial on how to make a seashell necklace from Kids Activity Blog.
• Make Seashell Fishes. Bring friends and create a party with snails, fish, and ladybugs.
• Make Seashell Lady Bugs. Design rainbow ladybugs from Still Playing School.

Sand Art Ideas for kids

• Tide Pool Art for Kids. This activity from Buggy and Buddy is great for sensory play!
• Sand Castle Art. You can create a sandcastle at home! No beach needed.
• Make Your Own Colorful Sand. DIY how to make colorful sand from Mom Wife Busy Life.
• Home Made Aqua Sand Recipe. More sand activity: super cool handmade aqua sand from Play Learn Grow.
• Sand Art Bottles. DIY sand art bottles from Diana Rambles.
• Sand clay recipe and handprint keepsake (save small seashells for this craft).

Does your child like the treasure hunt? I bet she does. So plan one or two around the yard or around the neighborhood. Start a lemonade stand (you can make ice popsicles as well!). It gets very hot in the summer and not only is it a fun activity, but it will also help to cool them down while giving them a tasty snack! Do not get a chance for camping? Make one in the backyard. Play water balloon fight, practice rope skipping, make a race track or zip lines.

Ideas for race tracks

• Pool Noddle Race Track. Fun track for kids.
• Backyard Race Track. Make it short, make it long!
• Car Tunnel. Build a cool truck tunnel together with kids.

More fun activities

• 6 fun ways to jump rope. Jumping rope is not only a fun game but also improves your child’s gross motor skills and coordination.
• Songs for rope jumping – add even more fun for this activity.
• Ideas for backyard obstacle course from Frugal Fun for Boys.
• DIY car wash with pool noodles from Mom Endeavors.
• Build lego zip lines.

Start a lemonade stand

• Free lemonade stands printables and homemade recipes (sugar-free option).
• Another design for lemonade stands from Whipperberry.
• Mr. Lazy Lemonade Recipe.

In addition to lemonade make refreshing Popsicle for these hot days:

• Gummy bears Popsicle
• Breakfast Popsicle
• July 4th Popsicle

Treasure hunts

• Cardboard treasure chest tutorial is fun, easy, and made from recycled material.
• Trough out a pirate party for your kids. Check out ideas, you will find a lot of inspiration.
• Make a pirate treasure chest, you kids will be excited to find it.

Are you tired of bubbles that pop as soon as you blow them? Not anymore! Try making your own bubbles and wands. Summer is a time for bubbles fun! So, make them a lot.

Check these bubbles recipe and DIY bubble wands

• Homemade giant bubbles every child will love from Happy Hooligans.
• Homemade bouncing bubbles from A Little Pinch of Perfect.
• DIY Bubble Beaded Wands from The Artful Parent.
• DIY Bubble Shooter from Kids Activity Blog.
• DIY Homemade Wands from A Few Short Cuts.
• July 4th Bubble Wands. Don’t miss it!
• Get inspired by these Blue Hill Hand BubbleWands.

• Bubble Bin Sensory Play from No Time for Flash Cards.
• Buble Painting from 101Childhood.
• Painting with bubbles is so much fun, try this one.
• DIY Lava Bubble Lamp from  Juggling with Kids.
• DIY how to make gelatin bubbles with a video tutorial.
• Bubble Science. What can you use to make bubbles?

Make sidewalk chalk paint and of course, use it to paint the sidewalks afterward! It’s better than painting walls or other things that they should not be painting, right? Make the sidewalk paint and brushes at home on a rainy day and get ready for the sunny days.

Follow these recipes and DIY tips to make your own chalk

• Boring of regular sidewalk chalk? Give it new life – make a paint. DIY how to make sidewalk paint.
• Great spray sidewalk chalk recipe from Play Learn Grow. Add additional hints to every sidewalk picture with this spray.
• Color-changing squirty chalk. Sounds fun, right?
• DIY Sidewalk chalk pops. Fun and easy to make.
• Glow in the dark chalk recipe. Wait until dark to see your picture.
• Soap foam sidewalk chalk.

Get inspired by these incredible photo chalk projects

• Summertime chalk photo ideas.
• Amazing things to do with sidewalk chalks.

Educational games with sidewalk chalk

• Check these fun educational games collections from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom.10 Sidewalk chalk ideas to keep kids entertained.

Make paint brushes

• Nature paint brushes.
• Another great sample of nature paint brushes.

Birds are back! If you did not get a chance to feed birds all winter, this summer is a great time to start! It is very important to feed the birds all year round. Here are excellent crafts you can make together with your children and get closer to nature.

Birdhouses

• Make a recycled birdhouse. This project will cost you a 0! As it, all made from recycled material.
• Junk Store Birdhouse from Fave Crafts with step-by-step instruction. Easy and fun, let’s try it.

Bird feeders

• Pine cone craft bird feeders. Step by step tutorial with pictures of how to fill the pinecone with seed. Really cool activity for kids.
• How to make a gourd bird feeder another great tutorial to try.
• Make birdfeeders in different shapes: heart, circle, star, and more. Here you will find out how to make it.

Another fun project could be having the kids make a summer journal. Have them document all of their favorite moments and memories throughout the summer from beginning to end. They can be creative and draw pictures and everything! Or even glue in some photos that were taken from a camera! This will be a great thing to look back on for parents and children as the years go by! Especially if they create a new journal every year, this could be an ongoing project become a tradition with their own kids! They’ll thank you for that one, I’m sure.

Not leaving the indoor activities, you can spend the rainy day practicing origami skills, weaving looms, making a shadow puppet theater. Especially with younger kids, this could be hours of entertainment, trust me. Maybe even try setting up a way to do indoor mini-golf! This might require moving around some furniture so that nothing gets hit or broken, but this could be a lot of fun for the whole family. Plus it would be a much cheaper alternative than actually going out to play mini-golf.

Practice origami and make paper projects

• Make paper boats and bring them to the beach, or your child can play with them in a pool.
• Fill the backyard with these cute and easy-to-make frogs.
• The very cute little mermaid and enjoy your time with kids.
• Make a crown. Every princess needs a crown, or maybe two.
• Folded paper bracelets– make it, color it, personalize it.

Great resources for summer journal

• Scrapbook ideas for summer journal from Nature Store.
• Create your own nature journal this summer.
• Make this summer nature journal! They are really great and you can take them for a walk.

Promoting fine motor in a fun way. Let your child make weaving looms

• DIY popsicle weaving looms for creative time. It is a great way for little explorers to discover texture and patterns.
• Q-tips weaving looms to practice their techniques.
• Explore these weaving techniques to get ideas for your next art project.
• Paper plate weaving doll hammock – DIY tutorial plus video.
• Cardboard weaving looms – make beautiful art and decorate the wall in your child’s room.

Play a puppet shadow theater

• DIY puppet show theater – help your children express their emotions through the play.
• Shadow Puppets for the play.

One more summer activity for kids to keep their hands busy and improve fine motor skills. Play sensory bins! You can play it at home, or in the backyard.

Examples of sensory play

• Digging for spaghetti worms
• Sunflower sensory bin
• Pond sensory bin
• Zen garden sensory play
• Fairy garden  in a box

There are tons of things that you can do with your children over the summer. Don’t let the months that they are out of school flash by before your eyes. Make the most of it so that you can hold and cherish these memories that they will remember as they grow older.