Activities for kids at home during summer
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36 SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR KIDSActivities for kids at home during summer -
25 Activities to Keep Kids' Brains Active in Summer
As students set out on summer adventures, send their parents a much-needed "life preserver" -- a list of 25 activities to share and enjoy with their children. These fun activities cover all subjects and grades; there truly is something for everyone. And, if you have your own summer adventurers at home, this list can rescue your kids from the boredom and blahs of rainy summer days. This year, do more than amuse and entertain your kids and hope for the best for your students, keep their minds working all summer long!
It's summer -- that time of year when teachers bid farewell to students, hoping their gleefully escaping charges don't forget everything they've learned during the school year. It's also the time of year when nervous parents take on the challenge of keeping their children physically busy and mentally active during long summer days. To help those efforts, Education World offers 25 ideas that not only reinforce skills taught during the year, but also to entertain students through the summer months. Share these resources with parents to help them and their children make the most of the lazy, hazy days to come!
Many of these activities link to online resources. In most cases, however, the activities can be completed even by those without Internet access. The activities that do require Internet access can be printed and distributed to students before school ends or accessed and printed by parents at most public libraries.
- Fill in summer's special days and events on the Education World Coloring Calendar for June, July, or August. Or help children use pencils, drawing paper, and rulers to create, decorate, and fill in their own summer calendars.
- Teach kids to cook with the step-by-step lessons and recipes at Cooking With Kids. The site also includes measurement reminders, safety tips, and suggestions for involving kids in the cooking process. Or check out your local library or book store for one of the recommended Heritage Cooking for Kids: Taste History books and try out recipes from Colonial days, the Civil War, and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- Make homemade Bubble Solution and experiment with such unique Bubble-Blowing Tools as strings, milk containers, and garbage can lids.
- Read aloud The Paper Crane by Molly Bang. Then introduce the art of paper folding by printing and following the instructions for How to Make an Origami Crane. Younger children: Try making a fish.
- Go on a Light Walk, an outing designed to teach kids the properties of light and facts about the sun. Bob Miller of the Exploratorium explains it all. Can't take an online tour? Do your own image walk by printing the directions and template found at the site.
- Create musical instruments from materials found around the house. Need help? Enchanted Learning provides instructions for such Musical Instruments as a rattle, box guitar, maraca, and rain stick.
- Cool down by making Ice Cream in a Bag. The simple technique produces delicious ice cream in about 5 minutes. What ice cream varieties will you and your child concoct?
- Read aloud a selection from Candlelight Storybooks or your own favorite myths or fairy tales. Discuss the stories with your child. Then invite your child to choose a favorite story, and together make a diorama depicting a pivotal moment in the tale.
- Catch a firefly and then go online to learn more about fireflies or read a book, such as Fireflies by Sally M. Walker, to help your child learn more about them. Then invite your child to complete the Education World Firefly Facts work sheet. Firefly Facts Answers:
- Fireflies are really beetles because they have four wings; true flies only have two wings.
- Most fireflies like warm, humid areas.
- In the United States, glowing fireflies are found east of the middle of Kansas.
- Firefly larvae feed mostly on earthworms, snails, and slugs.
- Scientists believe fireflies use their ability to flash as a warning signal to predators and to attract mates.
- Print a grid of dots from Connect the Dots by Math Cats and invite your child to make an original tessellation.
- Staple together pieces of plain paper or use a notebook to help your child make a cartoon flip book. Kids draw a sequence of cartoons and simulate motion as they "flip" through the pages. (Note that the first image in the series should be at the bottom of the stack of pages, and the illustrations should progress from bottom to top.) How to Draw Cartoons or The Complete Cartooning Course by Steve Edgell, Brad Brooks, and Tim Pilcher, offer simple instructions for drawing cartoon figures.
- Learn about national parks from the comfort of your own home, and encourage your child to complete online activities and become a Web Ranger. Materials are grouped by age and include cool awards and a membership card.
- Start a rock collection. Collecting Rocks, a Web site by the U. S. Geological Survey, offers advice to help the novice collector gather, identify, and store neat rock specimens. The Audubon Society Pocket Guide Familiar Rocks and Minerals North America will help children identify and label the rocks and minerals they find.
- Plan with your child a family activity day. Decide how much money to spend, and help your child research events and activities in your area and choose an affordable activity the whole family can enjoy. Remind your child to be sure to allow enough tiKids Party Checklistme for the activity, and to remember to include food in the day's plan. (This online Kids Party Checklist will help.) Don't forget to bring a camera and take lots of pictures. Your child can mount and label each photo and create a family scrapbook of your special day. You might provide the questions below to help guide your child's thoughts as they plan this special day.
- Describe the event or activity your family will attend.
- Will everyone in the family enjoy this activity? Why do you think so?
- What do you need to arrange ahead of time? Will you need to purchase tickets? Pack a lunch? Make reservations?
- What supplies or materials will you need?
- What costs will be involved?
- Take a virtual CampusTour of colleges and universities your high school student might be considering. Tour the schools' grounds, look at maps, view videos and photos, and request information about those institutions of higher learning. If you don't have Internet access at home, take your tour at the local library.
- Have your child follow instructions to Build the Best Paper Airplane in the World. Then ask your child to design an original paper airplane and diagram the steps for constructing it, so another family member can recreate it!
- Start a family or neighborhood book club. Even a parent and child can form a book club, by reading the same book and chatting about it. For larger groups, check out some online hints for starting a book club.
- Hang a white sheet outside at night and shine a light on it. Observe the variety of insects it draws. To identify some of those nighttime visitors, explore links such as this one or read the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders.
- Kids rarely have the opportunity to design their own rooms to best suit their individual needs. Invite your child to devote some thought to ways to improve his or her living space. Explore with your child Kids' Room Decorating Ideas to find ways your child might individualize his or her room. Then have the child draw the layout of their "new" room. The following questions might guide kids as they consider the possibilities:
- Other than sleeping, what do you do most often in your room? Play games? Work on a computer? Listen to music? Do homework? Entertain guests?
- What furniture or other items do you use most often? What do you use least often?
- What kind of storage do you need? A dresser? A bookcase? A clothes hamper? A desk?
- What do you like best about your room? What do you like least?
- How do you want to change your room?
- Help your child make a set of tangrams with instructions found at the Math Forum's Constructing Your Own Set of Tangrams. Trace the designs on a piece of paper, mix up the tangram pieces, and use them to create jigsaw puzzles.
- Create a thing of beauty from a lump of coal! With a few common ingredients, you and your child can grow a "Magic Crystal Garden" with pieces of coal. Instructions for the crystal garden can be found at Joey Green's Mad Scientist Experiments.
- Soar into space (the space in your bedroom, kitchen, or dining room) by constructing Science Bob's Balloon Rocket. This simple science experiment using a balloon, string, straw, and tape, illustrates the use of air pressure to produce movement.
- Turn plain white carnations or fresh-picked Queen Anne's Lace into dramatic colored creations by Coloring Flowers. Using just food coloring and water, flowers can be changed from white to any tint, usually in just one day. Colors deepen over time, and kids will enjoy modifying the experiment to see what unique combinations they can make.
- Invite your child to play a Math game and record his or her scores on a sheet set up like the illustration below. Choose a probability game, a timed flashcard activity, an online game from a site such as FunBrain, or another favorite math activity. Then have your child graph the results of the Game Challenge chart. Celebrate your child's effort with a special treat.
Game Title: _________________________________
Round Kind of Game Level of Difficulty Score 1 2 3 4 5 - Put old wallpaper and magazine scraps to good use by using them to create Recycled Paper Beads. This easy activity requires very few common materials and keeps kids very busy on rainy days. When they're finished, children can string their beads and give them as gifts or wear them for fun.
Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © , Education World
Summer Holiday Activities for Kids
Hooray for the summer holidays! School’s out and the sun is shining… Well, at least some of the time! But what are you and the kids going to do with all those weeks to fill? There’s only so much reading a child can do, and maybe yours haven’t quite reached that stage yet. It’s time to get organized and think about summer activities for kids.
THEMED SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
One of the easiest ways to get your kids engaged in summer holiday activities is to present them as a challenge or fit them into a theme. Not every day needs to be meticulously organized – it’s the holidays after all – but you’ll find the days drag less if you’ve worked out a plan at the start of the holidays. Maybe choose a theme a week and aim to do two or three activities, or give yourselves a couple of challenges to achieve by the summer’s end.
Below, we’ve tried to help you plan by gathering together some of our favourite summer holiday activities for children, based on different activity themes. We’ll be honest, there’s going to be a bit of mess involved, but with Persil small & mighty, you know we’ve got you covered when it comes to helping you get rid of stains. Now, with sunhats, sunglasses, sun cream (and maybe umbrellas) at the ready – let’s start having some summer fun!
ACTIVITY THEME: NATURE
Even if you don’t have your own garden or balcony, why not head to the local park, or adapt these summer activities for indoors. Follow the links for helpful tips and information on the different activities.
Make daisy chains – take a common garden daisy, and use your fingernail to make a small hole in the stem just big enough to thread the stem of another daisy through. Keep going until you have a daisy crown or garland!
Grow an edible garden
Collect bugs
Climb trees. It’s important that kids have adult supervision when climbing trees, but it’s also a fun way to exercise and find out a little about nature!
Go camping
Build a den
ACTIVITY THEME: WATER
Let’s hope there’s not too much rain this summer, but if there is, adapt these activities for your bathroom!
Make paper boats – there are plenty of fun, easy video tutorials for making origami paper boats online! Once you’ve made your boats, you can try floating them in the bath or sink, or even move on to other origami paper craft projects!
Mud painting
Blow bubbles
Conduct water experiments
Construct ice cube towers
Make rose water
Have water balloon or pistol battles
ACTIVITY THEME: THE SEASIDE
Summer is a great time to visit the seaside, but there’s a lot you can do at home, too:
Make flags for sandcastles
Play the Desert Island Game
Paint pebble paper weights
Create a seaside diorama: Put sand and water (or scrunched up crepe paper for an indoor version) in a large tray to make a mini-beach together. You can decorate it with shells, small boats, or any toys your kids think could use a nice holiday!
Make ice lollies with fruit juice: Pour juice or squash into ice cube trays and sink in little wooden lolly sticks before freezing them. In an hour or two, you should have cute mini lollies to enjoy!
Make a model light house
Play pirates
ACTIVITY THEME: SPORTS
There are so many sports you and your kids can do out in the garden or park, but here are some other active ideas:
Obstacle courses
Outdoor yoga
Hopscotch (use pavement chalk)
Skipping
Hula hoop
Play Sly Fox
Keep a score board for big sporting events this summer.
SUMMER CHALLENGES
Older children might find it more interesting to set themselves a summer challenge. Here are some ideas for activities that will take time and practice to accomplish:
Learning to riding a bicycle
Learning to swim
Learning to roller skate or skateboard
Learning a new language. You don’t necessarily have to join a class or buy any books: Your local library may have books and even tapes to help your kids pick up the basics! If you’ve not visited before, you can find out where to go from your local council website.
Making your own outfit: Start off with something easy, like tie dyeing a scarf, and work your way up to clothes patterns by the end of the summer!
Writing and illustrating a book
Fun + Easy Activities kids can do AT HOME
In today&#;s post: Check out this HUGE list of summer activities for kids that they can do athome. (Also perfect for any other time kids are stuck at home!)
This time of year many of us moms get a little worried about summer boredom. How are we going to keep the kids entertained for the next three months until school starts again? I actually think boredom is a great thing &#; it gives kids a chance to use their imaginations.
Of course, boredom also tends to lead to my children poking, prodding, or otherwise terrorizing each other, which is less of a great thing. Sometimes getting out of the house is just what the kids need, but other times I really want them to be able to amuse themselves at home for a while, without loss of limb or destruction of property. Today I&#;m sharing a list of fun summer activities for kids that can all be done at home: you&#;ll find fun games, simple crafts, and easy activities. Perfect for restoring sibling harmony and saving your sanity on those lazy summer days at home.
Need ideas for teens and tweens? Find summer activities for teens here!
I scoured my brain (and the internet) for as many fun things to do at home as I could find. Some of these summer activities will require a bit of parent help, but others can be done without much supervision. It&#;s been nice to print the list out and hang it up on the wall so my kids can look through it when the b-word gets mentioned. That way they can decide what looks interesting and even check activities off as they do them.
You can download the list in two different formats. First, click here to download a 16&#;20 .jpg file which you can upload to a photo processor to have printed out ($7 at Costco).
Or, if you prefer to print the list out at home, click here to download a 4 page .pdf. Print the pages at %, then trim white border off the top of pages 2, 3, and 4, and tape or glue the pages together.
About half of the ideas on the list have an asterisk after them. That means these ideas have a blog post or web page that gives more information and instructions, and all of those are linked in the list below. You can bookmark this page, or mynewextsetup.us so your kids can easily find the instructions for any activity on the list that has an asterisk.
Finally, please leave me any great summer fun ideas you and your kids enjoy in the comments so I can make this list even bigger next year!
summer activities for kids
1. Hunt for bugs.
2. Use water to “paint” the house, sidewalk, patio, etc.
3. Set up a backyard obstacle course and time each other.
4. Leave notes for neighbors in chalk one the sidewalk.
5. Make a ring toss game out of paper plates.
6. Make cookies using an illustrated recipe.
7. Make fidget spinners out of legos.
8. Learn to play the dice game.
9. Play balloon ball: hit balloons back and forth with hands or rackets.
Hide “treasure” and then make clues for someone to find it.
Make marshmallow launchers / marshmallow catapults.
Use a long piece of aluminum foil to make a river.
Wash dishes + play with water in the sink or tub.
Dump out all your crayons and sort them by color.
Make tissue paper art.
Use a piece of cardboard to make a ramp to race cars down.
Use masking tape to create roads on the floor.
Tape crepe paper across a hallway to create a “laser maze”.
Make boats from pieces of pool noodle and pencils.
Take turns telling a silly story, each person adding a sentence.
Water all the plants. Ask permission to water neighbor’s plants.
Decorate a cardboard box to look like a car. Go for a drive.
Build a tent with blankets.
Set up an actual tent inside and have a sleepover w/toys.
Fill the bucket relay race.
Go for a bike ride or invite friends over for a bike rodeo.
Spread butcher paper out and draw a city.
Glue cardboard boxes together to make buildings. Paint them.
Make lightsabers.
Color overlapping circle drawings.
Attach ribbons to a stick and the dance with it.
Thread macaroni on yarn to make a necklace. Paint it.
Use toothpicks and mini marshmallows to build skyscrapers.
Draw chalk outlines of each other, then color them in.
Hunt for smooth rocks and then paint them.
Try to take pictures of things that are every color of the rainbow.
Paint with homemade finger paint.
Use a balloon and a straw to make balloon rockets.
Find somewhere comfy and listen to an audiobook.
Search online for dot-to-dots and print them out to finish.
Learn how to fold paper airplanes.
Learn how to fold origami jumping frogs.
Learn how to fold newspaper hats.
Decorate dollar store t-shirts with puffy paint.
Make your own kite and try to fly it.
Have a creating contest with playdough.
Make puppets out of brown paper bags.
Learn to make flowers out of tissue paper.
Collect leaves to make rubbings.
Play two square or four square. Draw squares w/chalk.
Write a letter or email.
Listen to songs from your favorite movie and sing along.
Make ice cream in a bag.
Put hula hoops out in the yard and play frisbee golf.
Make a toy car wash with a little water in a bin and wash your toys.
See how high you can stack plastic cups.
Make a lego maze pinball game.
Glue seashells on a dollar store photo frame to decorate it.
Make homemade moon sand and play with it.
Make tin can stilts.
Set up indoor bowling with water bottles and a ball.
Cut up small pieces of colored paper and make a design with them.
Make a God’s-eye with sticks and yarn.
Make fingerprint drawings.
Have a lego building contest.
Have an A-Z scavenger hunt (find things that start with each letter).
Practice making shadow puppets.
Draw a giant hopscotch on the driveway with chalk.
Create your own summer Olympics games.
Make your own bubble solution for giant bubbles.
Use washable paint to paint each others’ faces.
Play Bingo (get printable cards online).
Play Charades.
Try out some yoga for kids videos.
Take a family nap. Get pillows and snuggle and listen to music.
Work on a puzzle (or get out two easy puzzles and race to finish).
Have a picnic in the backyard.
Try out some easy science experiments.
Jump rope. Look up some jump rope rhymes online.
Skype or FaceTime with grandparents or cousins.
Collect moss, bark and leaves to make a fairy house.
Write and illustrate a comic book.
Play toilet tag or TV tag.
Set up a mini golf course in the house.
Make a bird feeder.
Make your own drumset and kazoo and start a band.
Look up riddles online and see if you can stump each other.
Watch family movies.
Look at scrapbooks (or check out your parents old yearbooks).
Read! Find book recommendations for your age online.
Play dress up. Visit Mom + Dad’s closets.
Wash the car.
Collect leaves.
Learn finger knitting.
Use straws and a cardboard lid to make a marble maze.
Design with Perler beads (melty beads). Find templates online.
Color or paint paper doilies from the dollar store.
Collect sticks and leaves and use them as a paintbrush.
Play Duck Duck Goose.
Draw a target on the driveway and toss balls/sponges at it.
Make and play with oobleck.
Even more summer fun ideas:
20 awesome water games to play in the backyard
20 kid art projects pretty enough to frame
3 ingredient puffy slime
Tissue transfer art for kids
Fired alcohol ink art for kids
Make giant bubbles!
12 outdoor projects with kids
Find more summer fun ideas here!
Sand Clay Prints
Why not make sand clay prints of the entire family every summer and watch little hands grow!
Squirt Gun Painting
This summer art activity is sure to keep kids happy and busy for hours.
DIY Kinetic Sand
This one never fails to entertain kids irrespective of the season. But summers definitely make this messy play special.
Make a Scrapbook
Scrapbook is a great art project idea for summers. Let your children unleash their creative side and list down their summer memories in their scrapbooks.
Marble Painting
Line an empty shoebox with an art paper. Put in blobs of watercolor on the paper and roll in a few marbles to make this beautiful abstract art.
Tie & Dye
This is such a fun summer art activity for every child. Repurpose an old plain t-shirt into a vibrant summer tee.
Washi Tape Art
Such a pretty way to make an art and keep kids busy during summer!
Weaving
Weaving is such a beautiful craft and is hands-on in teaching kids patience. Great for concentration as well!
DIY Spinners
These paper spinners are wonderful at keeping children busy and giving parents the much needed quiet time.
Soda Bottle Planters
Give new life to old soda bottles and save the environment from plastic pollution by recycling them into planters. Adult supervision necessary here!
Give Paper Mache a Try
Such a great craft to utilise the extra time (and sun!) available in summer! Besides, they also make pretty trinket holders.
Paper Hand Fans
Your kids will love making these cute paper hand fans. Simple and easy to make, they are a must try summer craft for kids.
Make Play Dough
Playdough is a forever favourite with kids. This summer, help them whip up their own batch of no-cook play dough rather than heading for the store.
Hot Air Balloon Craft
There is something about hot air balloons that gets everyone excited. While a ride in a real hot air balloon might not always be doable, this craft surely is.
Finger Puppets
Make some finger puppets for imaginative play and let your kids have fun!
Paper Flowers
Make a bouquet of paper summer flowers that last long after summers are gone.
Kitchen Roll Farm Animals
Such a fun way to recycle an empty kitchen roll tube into farm animals! We bet your kids will love making their own version of farm animals.
Pot Painting
Let your kids paint flower pots in summer colors and let out their inner artist.
Alphabet Letter Craft
Don’t let summer break lead to learning loss. This cute alphabet letter craft will make sure your preschooler remembers his letters forever!
Counting Sticks
Don’t lose track of numbers and get your child interested in maths with this cute counting sticks craft.
Zoo Animals
Making these zoo animals will certainly keep your child entertained in summer and work wonders for their creativity.
Make a Kite
Summers are perfect for kite flying. This summer instead of buying one, make your own kite.
Popsicle Crafts
Who could think popsicles could keep kids busy in summer and far from boredom!
In fact, there are tonnes of crafts you can make with popsicle sticks. From easy-peasy popsicle monsters to a DIY Catapult, the options are endless.
Toothpick Crafts
These humble toothpicks can be used to make some real crafty things and real cool STEAM projects as well!
Family Tree Craft
Why not utilise summer time to trace family history and make a family tree!
Crazy Glasses
Kids will love making these crazy paper glasses and flaunting them!
Cooking Ideas for summers
Give Baking a Try
Try baking this summer to keep kids busy and purposefully engaged. Plus, they get to eat the yummy treats they bake.
Make Sandwiches
Kids are more likely to eat what they make. Lend them a helping hand and let them learn how to fix their own sandwiches.
No Bake Granola Bars
Involve your kids into making these delicious no bake granola bars while inculcating a habit of eating healthy.
Lemonade
Let your kids make a pitcher of refreshing lemonade to cool off on a warm summer evening.
Ice Lollies
Children just love Ice Lollies! And you know what they love more? Making them! Yes, it can be a little messy but definitely lots of fun.
Guacamole
Guacamole is such a healthy dip and so easy to make. Let your kids make this healthy dip for their sandwiches and crackers.
Make S’mores
Your kids will never say no to this delicious summer activity! S’mores make a perfect dessert for every occasion.
Time For Fun!
With this mammoth list, we are sure you will find plentiful ideas that will click with your kids and make their (and yours too!) summer fun, entertaining and memorable!