Covid-19 is still a problem, but things are getting better. If you’re looking for fun things to do with your kids that involve social distancing, the internet has lots of ideas. With a little creativity, your kids can still have a great summer.
The following list of summer activities will help your family take full advantage of summer learning fun and help spark your creativity to make the summer all that it should be! Kids can choose any activity they are interested in and complete them in any order they like (most children enjoy checking them off as they complete them). Some items require parental permission (such as adopting a pet) but others are suitable for kids to complete on their own. Some can even be done with the entire family!
Check out the list of 102 things to do this summer so you and your family don’t get bored. There are activities for everyone to enjoy!
- Make a “smash book” of everything you do this summer – Smash books are great for children to use to document creatively because there are no rules! Find inspiration for your book here!
- Have a picnic – Nothing screams “Summer!” quite like a nice shade tree, a blanket on the ground, and food from a basket. Here are 24 picnic ideas kids will love!
- Write a letter to a Pen Pal – This is almost a lost art, and many of our children may not even know what a Pen Pal is. Help your child find a Pen Pal and get great tips on writing here!
- Build a Fairy Garden – Whether you want to get fancy and go shopping, or just use items you have on hand, this list will definitely provide inspiration for you and your child to build your own little fairy garden!
- Summer Learning Resource Guide – Looking for ideas to keep the learning going this summer? Check out our Summer Learning Resource Guide for some great ideas!
- Visit the “Night Zoo” – virtually of course! – Night zookeeper is a fun literary adventure for kids. Here, they can create animals, write stories, and have a go at the 1000+ curriculum-aligned educational challenges focused on improving literacy skills.
- Join the Workforce – If you have a teenager looking to make a little extra money this summer, check out Teens 4 Hire!
- Become a photographer – Photography has become such a popular hobby and is a skill that can even potentially be used to build a career. If this is something that may interest your child, check out these tips!
- Make dinner for your family – There may be extra mess involved, but letting your kids join you in the kitchen makes for some great childhood memories. If you have older children, this collection of recipes requires minimal parental involvement so you can kick back and let them take the reins!
- Teen summer reading challenge – Check out this list of different challenges to help your kid find their love for books!
- Write a poem – Unsure where to begin? Take the challenge and let these 30 poetry prompts get you started!
- Take a virtual tour – Dreaming of far-away places? Explore the hidden worlds of some of our National Parks here!
- Bake some cookies – Let your little ones help whip up some dessert with these cookie baking tips!
- Take a boat ride – Spend a day out on the lake safely with these boating safety tips!
- Sketch a picture of your house from the outside – Learn about perspective drawing here!
- Go to coding camp – Looking for a virtual camp experience? Take a FREE coding class trial and see if you like it!
- Visit a farm – Visiting a working farm can be a wonderful family activity. Visit this website to find a farm near you!
- Take a walk and record the sounds – There are so many benefits to being out in nature. Check out this page with tips to help you and your children capitalize on those benefits!
- Hold your own soccer camp – Do you have a budding soccer player? Get some of their friends together and practice Drills, Skills, Rules, and Tips!
- Visit another country…online – With all the limitations of pandemic living, travel may not be possible…or is it? With Lonely Planet Destination Guides, your child can choose a country, learn facts, and take a tour!
- Cut up an old greeting card picture and make a puzzle – Do you have any old greeting cards lying around? Watch this short video that shows your child how to use them to make puzzles!
- Learn a musical instrument – Have you or your child been wanting to learn to play an instrument? Summer is the perfect time to pick one up and get to work! Check out this article to find amazing options for virtual or in-person lessons!
- Make a new kind of sandwich – Here is another great way to get your kids in the kitchen for a memorable lunch! Grab some bread and ingredients, and invent a new sandwich! It may taste great…or it may not. Either way, it will be fun! Find some inspiration here!
- Social distancing activities for kids of all ages – The past year has been hard on us all, with perhaps the hardest hit being our children. They need socialization and connection with others, and they need fun! Check out these creative social distancing activities!
- Go backpacking – Getting outside and wandering around in the mountains or the wilderness may sound amazing, but it may also sound daunting if you aren’t sure where to begin. Find out everything you need to know for a successful and safe trip here!
- Go outside and find 10 different kinds of flowers – There are so many different kinds of plants, and most of us can’t immediately identify them all. Thanks to smartphones, now we can. Here are the 9 best free plant identification apps!
- Create a website – Interested in web design? This website teaches children how to create their own web page!
- Go camping – Looking to hit the road this summer? Find some inspiration here for great ways to take learning with you!
- Invent a new dance – If dancing or choreography is something your child is interested in, check out the Elements of Dance for tips on creating their own dance!
- Help an elderly person with house or yard work – Is there someone in your community who could use a helping hand? Could your children pitch in and help? Here are 20 Great Reasons to Volunteer!
- Get creative – If you have an older child in your family, you’ve likely moved past the days of construction paper and markers, and the very words “art project” may be met with groans. Don’t despair! Here is an excellent list of more challenging art projects for the teen in your home!
- Learn a foreign language – Whether you are planning for an amazing vacation, just wanting to expand your skill set, or something in between, here are 5 free foreign language tools to help you become bilingual!
- Make an obstacle course in your backyard – Instantly become the coolest family in the neighborhood by building this American Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course!
- Make a scavenger hunt – The great thing about scavenger hunts is that they can be tailored to any age. Whether you have little ones or older children, this list has a hunt for everyone!
- Read a story to someone – Sometimes our children don’t want to stop playing to read a story. When that happens, suggest one of these great locations for afternoon reading!
- Celebrate Christmas in July – What better way to beat the heat in the middle of the summer than to have a Christmas party?! Pull out those holiday pajamas and have a celebration your little ones will never forget! Draw some inspiration here!
- Create an art project using recycled materials – Teach your children about the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and create some art using those recycled materials! Also, listen to this fun song by Jack Johnson about the 3 Rs!
- Clean up a nature trail – Another place your family can volunteer is at a park! Speak to a park official and spend some time sprucing up a trail! Read more here!
- Build a treehouse – A great way to spend some time this summer is by building a treehouse your children can enjoy for years to come! Learn how here!
- Take a Dive – Experience the ocean from the comfort of your own home! Thanks to our National Marine Sanctuaries, you can explore these underwater areas on a virtual dive!
- Set up a lemonade stand – Take part in the great American pastime of having a summertime lemonade stand! Learn how to set up your stand here! While experiencing downtime, your kids can play this fun Lemonade Stand Game and practice their math skills!
- Learn a new sport – Summer is a great time for your children to either learn a new sport or hone their skills on one they already enjoy. Check out this list of the best age-appropriate sports for kids!
- Watch a concert online – Everybody loves a great concert, but not everybody loves a crowd. Get your family together and choose one of these family-friendly concerts to watch from the comfort of your own home!
- Have a family game night – Spending an evening with the whole family together learning a new game are nights that can become happy childhood memories. Choose a game from this list for your next game night!
- Make a movie – Do you have a child who loves movies and dreams of Hollywood? Let this guide teach them how to make their own movies and start chasing their dreams!!
- Make a collage from magazine words and pictures – Remember that big stack of magazines on a shelf you keep meaning to recycle? Pull some out on a rainy day and get creative! Get some collage inspiration here!
- Create a terrarium – It’s one thing to hear about or read books on the water cycle, but building a terrarium is a great way for your children to see and experience it for themselves! Learn how to create one here!
- Go canoeing – Getting out on the lake can be an exciting experience for your family, but only if done safely. Read here to learn tips for canoeing with children!
- Discover a new favorite author or book series – As parents, it’s pretty safe to say that we all love to see our children reading. If you have a teen in your home, have them take this quiz to discover which series they should read next!
- Tour a virtual museum – There are so many museums in the world filled with amazing pieces of art from our history. Though it may not be feasible for your family to visit the Palace at Versailles in France, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, or the MoMA in New York, you can visit all of them and more with a click of a button!
- Make a fire safety plan – With all the fun activities of summer, don’t forget some necessary safety measures. Visit the Red Cross website for info on how to protect your home and family should the unthinkable occur.
- Make your own bubble solution – Kids of all ages love bubbles. Even if you have cool, older children, they can join in the fun by having a contest to see who can make the biggest bubble! Get a recipe for giant bubbles here!
- Fun and free stay-at-home activities for kids – Looking for a few ideas for slow, rainy days? Look no further than this list of 50 stay-at-home activities!
- Plant something – Some people are blessed with green thumbs, while some of our thumbs tend toward brown, but no matter! Playing in the dirt has excellent benefits for our little ones. Whether you’re looking to plant flowers or vegetables, check out these tips for gardening with children!
- Visit a tourist spot near your home – Many of us tend to avoid tourist attractions in our area because of crowds, but they draw crowds for a reason! Visit this website to find local attractions in your area and plan a visit!
- Weekend ideas for family fun – Family weekend activities can be some of the best opportunities for creating cherished memories together. This list offers some great ideas for weekend fun!
- Build a sandcastle – Whether you’re on a beach or in a sandbox, learn tips for building a sandcastle to be proud of here!
- Donate some of the toys and clothes you no longer use – If you find yourself with too much clutter and need to downsize, check out some of these places to donate toys, and clothes and shoes to children who need them!
- Research your family tree – It’s always fun to learn more about who and where we came from. Get your kids involved in researching your family tree with these fun activities!
- Fly a kite – There’s never a shortage of things to do on beautiful, sunny days in the summer, but select a free day, grab a kite, pack a picnic lunch, pull out the Mary Poppins soundtrack, and sing with the Banks family, “Let’s go fly a kite!” Here are 6 easy steps to fly a kite with your kids!
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