40 Fun Summertime Activities For Kids

I promised our son, Jaya, that this would be the best summer ever.

I promised him this because this year has been so difficult with the covid-19 lockdown and then the extremely heart wrenching murder of George Floyd. There has been so much uncertainty and sadness thus far, I just had to do something to make this summer a positive one.

I know that I cannot control what is happening in the world but I can control how I handle it and how I move forward in this new world. I want to move forward with much love in my heart and with much hope that things will get better. 

So, I sat down and thought about what summertime fun meant to me and how I could give that to my son. I remember summers, as a little girl, were always really special. They consisted of endless pool parties, water balloon fights, long bike rides, kickball, trading garbage pail kids (wait, am I aging myself here?), watching summer blockbuster movies with friends, playing hide and seek in the neighborhood, eating lots of yummy food and exploring every corner we found ourselves in. Summer meant freedom and although Jaya is only 4 and isn’t allowed to independently do most of the things on that list, I did come up with a list that will guarantee he has his best summer yet!

Here are 40 things we plan to do to make this summer GREAT:

1. Paint rocks with positive messages and hide them throughout the neighborhood for people to find. 

2. Play softball with friends

3. Plan a mommy and me sleepover party

4. Make a campfire in the backyard

5. Tie dye t-shirts

6. Have a lemonade stand

7. Have a picnic

8. Project movie onto the side of the house and invite friends over to watch

9. Camp out in the backyard

10. Do something nice for a neighbor

11. Take pictures of nature: flowers, trees, bugs, clouds

12. Gardening day

13. Cooking day

14. Escape room for kids

15. Play dodgeball

16. Backyard obstacle course

17. Make a bird feeder

18. Learn to sew 

19. Plan and host a toy/book exchange

20. Play hopscotch 

21. Make a time capsule 

22. Interview and video record a relative 

23. Make a pressed flower sun catcher

24. Create a slip and slide

25. Go fishing

26. Draw on the sidewalk with chalk

27. Fly a kite

28. Stargaze with a telescope

29. Have a board game night

30. Make ice cream

31. Climb a tree

32. Make a mud kitchen

33. Bake cookies from scratch

34. Make bookmarks 

35. Have a dance party

36. Paint planters

37. Make a bird feeder

38. Have a water balloon fight

39. Go on a scavenger hunt

40. Learn about garbage pail kids

How do you plan to make this your child’s best summer yet?

Let us know in the comments below!

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