20 Fun Summertime Activities For Kids

Summer is nearly half way over but that does not mean you cannot still have a little fun. If you are anything like me, you may be on the lookout for some fun summertime activities to do with your kids to keep them engaged and active during these last few weeks of summer. Below are 20 fun summertime activities for kids.

1. Wash the car as a family. Soap, water, sun, and music are great for a hot summer day.
2. Create a unique family story. Add to the story daily and type it up at the end of the summer as a keepsake.
3. Create a backyard treasure hunt with clues to follow. Use little treasures from the dollar store to hide in the backyard or around the house.
4. Experiment with new recipes. Create theme dinners and allow the kids decide which recipes to make. Try the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book for inspiration and kid-friendly recipes. 
5. Allow the kids to create sidewalk or driveway masterpieces with chalk.
6. Take out old photos and allow kids to create unique scrapbooks with paper, stickers, crayons, glitter, etc.
7. Utilize the free museums days in your area.
8. Perform science experiments in the kitchen or outdoors. Many books and websites provide experiments kids can do independently with safe materials.
9. Turn on music from past decades that the kids have never heard before, like oldies or jazz. Teach about the music’s history and have a dance party.
10. Take advantage of the summer movie series for children at your local movie theater. Most offer weekly movies at discounted rates.
11. Make forts using blankets, pillows, chairs, and other furniture.
12. Make homemade ice-cream. There are many recipes that are kid friendly using a coffee can, freezer bag, or stir and freeze methods.
13. Start a family recycling program and pick up litter from your neighborhood park or public area.
14. Begin a unique journaling tradition. Get a nice notebook or journal and write something special about your child. They can then write something nice about another family member. Continue journaling all summer long.
15. Collect all your family’s unused or outgrown items and give it away to the less fortunate. It is good for kids to see how their items can help someone else.
16. Create an old fashioned lemonade stand. Have the kids make flyers and distribute to trusted neighbors and friends ahead of time so that they get a few customers.
17. Encourage the kids to create a family newsletter about the activities they participated in during the summer. Do this at least once a week.
18. Teach your kids some games from when you were a kid like jacks, Old Maid, Go Fish etc
19. Have a summertime family movie night. Introduce your kids to summertime movies from when you were a kid.
20. Make relay races that your kids can perform indoors or outdoors. Examples include: walking 20 feet with an egg on spoons, 10 long jumps, 3 summer salts, shooting a basketball into a hoop, etc.

What are some things that you do with your kids during the summer to keep them engaged?