We are T minus 10 days and counting until Summer vacation starts and school is out for the Summer! My kids are counting it down and cannot wait for Summer break to hit! I know that their excitement is genuine but inevitably they will be yelling “Mom, I’m bored!” within a week or two. This year I plan to be prepared with a huge list of things to do this Summer to prevent boredom from setting in! I can just consult this handy dandy list and send them off to do something fun.
*Be sure to scroll all the way to the end where I am giving away 3 one year subscriptions to Speakaboos!
When compiling this list of things to do this Summer I wanted it to include educational activities, sensory activities and exploration. I wanted their imaginations to run wild and free. Here is my huge list of things to do this summer!
- Blow bubbles (make this neat bubble refill station for them)
- Fly a kite
- Ride a bike
- Build a sand castle
- Plant an herb in a coffee mug
- Make a sand meal
- Make a milk jug planter
- Play in a sensory rice bin
- Weave a heart shaped basket out of paper (instructions here)
- Run through the sprinkler
- Have a doll tea party (grab free printable tea bags & plates here)
- Jump rope
- Make your own toy filled snow globe
- Find a four leaf clover
- Play with peppermint play dough (recipe here)
- Roll down a hill
- Have quiet time with a magnetic chalkboard activity tray (DIY here)
- Hula hoop
- Make washi tape pencils
- Play kickball
- Make your own paper bowls (instructions here)
- Lay on your back and spot cloud animals
- Make a pretzel fishing rod
- Paint a rainbow fish with celery! (free printable sheet here)
- Color the sidewalk with chalk
- Have a water fight with DIY water bombs made from sponges
- Make a toilet paper roll craft (here are 51 ideas to choose from!)
- Paint a teepee
- Paint with edible finger paint (recipe here)
- Have a finger puppet show
- Make soda bottle boats and have a race
- Make & eat caterpillar fruit kabobs for a fun snack
- Collect bugs in clear jars and use a magnifying glass to study them
- Make a bird seed wreath
- Make a windsock and study the wind direction
- Make Kool-Aid play dough and use letter cookie cutters to make the alphabet
- Run your own pretend coffee shop outside complete with shaving cream as whip cream!
- Play shaving cream math with cheese balls
- Paint rock pets
Inevitably there are rainy days and my kids want to play the iPad. I have no problem with them playing the iPad as long as it is educational and the screen time is limited. I have a few favorite apps that I love because they are educational and my kids think they are super fun games.
Our latest favorite kids app around here is called Speakaboos. It is an educational app for kids ages 2-6 that encourages reading in a fun, interactive way. I love that this app is age appropriate for 3 of my 4 kids thanks to the 2-6 age range it covers.
My 2 year old son is obsessed with Elmo and imagine the thrill he got when Elmo came on and sang his favorite song. He loves Speakaboos.
My older two kiddos love the reading features that allow them to listen to the story and interact. They can highlight words, interact with the story and hear the story read aloud since they can’t read it themselves yet. It matches their ability level so well!
One thing I love about Speakaboos is that you don’t need the internet to use it. One of our other favorite apps requires the internet in order to use it so that means that we can’t use it on any of our Summer road trips. Speakaboos solved that problem and we can take it along with us in the car. Speakaboos offers unlimited access to 200+ stories and songs and I don’t have to pay any extra during my subscription. There aren’t any ads popping up at my kids either. Win-Win.
Want to see if your children love Speakaboos as much as mine do? You can get a totally FREE trial to test it out before you commit to buy! Speakaboos offers a monthly or yearly subscription so you can pay a fee and never have to worry about your kids buying anything additional within the app or dealing with bothersome ads.
I want to make your Summer boredom-free so I am giving away 3 one-year subscriptions to Speakaboos, our favorite children’s app! Enter to win below. Good luck!
What is your favorite boredom buster for Summer?
This is a great list of what to do with kids this summer to prevent boredom as well as to help them learn a little still and not suffer from Summer Brain 😉
I love your creative with this list, and the fact that it is super long gives parents so many options to choose from!
That was my hope. Not everything works for every family. But lots of options leaves at least something for everyone.
Nice! You have made a summer activity list well to prevent these kiddos from getting bored. Or you might also try to enroll them for a summer art class or music class, who knows they might also enjoy it.
Great list. We homeschool, and often do summer school because I like to stay inside during the hot-hot weather. We love to spend time outside hiking when the weather is nice, but I love educational screen time too. My kids have learned so much from screen time, including how to read at a very young age.
Family dance party!
I try to get them outside as much as possible. We like to do treasure hunts, I’ll either plant the treasures prior to the hunt or we’ll go to a park and do a nature hunt.
We usually go to the summer movie programs at our local movie theater that cost $1
We do free summer kids bowling and movies!
Such a fun list. I like the idea of planing an herb in a coffe mug. Sounds like tons of fun.
We go to the library and go to the zoo.
I love these suggestions! We always need some new ideas each summer. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
we like to take small day trips to fun places in the area
We like to go to the dollar movies that Regal Cinemas does every summer.
Those are always a lot of fun.
Thank you for sharing this on the party. Hope you come back# #HomeMattersParty
I like the educational screen time ideas. I am always looking. For good ones I know other moms like!! They are great for those rainy days!!
It’s hard to find volunteer opportunities for small children, so a bunch of us clean up a local park a few times in the summer
That is a great way to not only get the kids busy but hopefully teach them about taking care of things around us.