Fun Kids Summer Activities To Do At Home
Easel // Easel Paper // Smock (set of 2) // Washable Paint //
Let's all raise our virtual hands if we're loving summer but running out of ideas to keep our kids entertained day in and day out. (Both of my hands are raised high and I'm guessing yours are, too.)
Summertime creates conflicting feelings of both loving your schedule's flexibility and craving more structure in your day. Translation: wishing your kids were in school for at least a few hours a day so you can get stuff done! Or go to work without having to line up a string of camps and babysitters. Throw in a rainy day or sick kiddo and things go south really quick. Cabin fever is no parent's friend!
Here at the halfway mark of summer, I thought it might be helpful to share a list of activities kids can do at home on days you can't get out of the house for one reason or another. Kids can entertain themselves with some of these while you get some work done or catch up on house chores. All the productivity without the guilt of plunking them down in front of the TV! (No judgement here, I do it, too.)
Make a sensory bin (here's a list of 21 ideas!) to foster fine motor skills, math, color identification, coordination, and rule following -- what goes in the sensory bin stays in the sensory bin!
Make homemade popsicles using fresh juice (here's a post on how we did it)
Freeze cubed fruit and use a shaved ice maker to make homemade snow cones.
Build a blanket fort inside or a clubhouse outside using cushions, sheets, and twine. Or go buy an indoor/outdoor tepee tent (this one is under $20).
Recreate your child's favorite book or movie scene, like we did by dressing Harlow up and painting like in Fancy Nancy, Aspiring Artist.
Get your craft on with non-traditional materials like cotton ball painting, potato stamping, and marble painting.
Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Create a list of natural objects and animals for your kid to spy while playing outside.
Collect objects from your nature hunt and make a nameplate out of them.
Make your own Moon Sand or Cloud Dough using 2 cups of plain flour, 1/3 cup coconut oil, plus any food coloring you want to use. Bust out the beach toys and bring the beach or sandbox to the backyard!
Get artsy with your sidewalk chalk. Have your kids (or help them) draw pictures of hats, crowns, flower bouquets, butterfly wings, kites, etc and then photograph them lying down next to their drawings as if they're wearing/holding the item. (You can see examples HERE.)
Create a playlist of their favorite songs mixed with some of your faves from back in the day and have a dance party! We love Madonna, Taylor Swift, Phil Collins, and more '80s/'90s hits.
Make shaving cream rain clouds. With rainbow food coloring. Guaranteed 'oohs' and 'aahs' with this one.
Tidy up around the house or help with a chore like brushing the dog, pulling weeds, picking up sticks, switching the laundry, etc. Most kids love to help "like mommy"...or they grow bored quickly enough to go entertain themselves haha!
Have a picnic in your backyard! Bring a ball or frisbee to play with after you're done eating.
Sit on your front stoop and play Red Car, Blue Car. Count the cars until you see a red car, then start over and do the same for a blue car. Keep alternating.
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