It’s summertime and the living’s easy, unless you have kids at home sneaking screen time and moaning about being bored. If your kids need some motivation to get off the couch and have some fun, here are 5 fun summer activities for kids.
1. Have a Cooking or Baking Competition
Full confession: my family loves watching people cook as much as we like to cook. My kids have watched all the Great British Baking Show episodes and they love to throw around words like fondant and marzipan, even though they’ve never eaten either.
If your family has binged on the Great British Baking Show, Nailed It, The Final Table, or another cooking show, your kids may be thrilled to recreate one of these popular shows.
Depending on the age and abilities of your kids, they may need you on hand as an assistant chef. But if your kids are older, hand over your kitchen and serve as a judge. (It’s not a bad job, if you can get it.) Pro tip: Make cleaning up part of the contest.
2. Create a lemonade stand
Nothing excites kids like drinking lemonade and making spare money, so setting up a lemonade stand could become a favorite past time. Here are the simple steps for your budding entrepreneurs to get their business off the ground.
Supplies needed:
- Outdoor table and chairs
- Poster board
- Markers
- Lemons
- Honey
- Ice
- Paper cups
Instructions:
- Set up the table and chairs in the front yard.
- Make a sign.
- Whip together lemonade. For a healthy recipe, combine 4 cups water, juice from 5 lemons, and 1/3 cup of honey (or more for desired sweetness).
- Pour it into paper cups, and add ice and lemon wedges
- Sell your lemonade for $.75 or $1 a cup.
Your kids will get to know some of the neighbors and wile away a hot afternoon. Plus, they may just make a little arcade money.
3. Send them on a treasure hunt
My friend Marianne shared a brilliant idea that she’s used to curb her kids’ boredom. It will take a little crafting on your behalf, but it will delight your kids and buy you an afternoon without hearing the words “I’m bored.” Plus, you may just get some homemade cookies for your efforts.
First, decide where to hide your clues. And remember, the goal here is to keep your kids busy. Try these wonderful ideas, from Marianne:
- Hide a clue in a book they have to read to find it.
- Hide a clue in a garden they have to explore.
- Hide a clue among instruments they have to play.
- Hide a clue in a card game they have to play before turning the card over.
- Hide a clue in a tree they have to climb.
- Make the final clue a bag of chocolate chips and a recipe.
Next, write the clues. Rhyming clues set a fun tone, and don’t worry, you don’t need to be a poet laureate. These examples may get your creative juices flowing.
- To figure out your next plan, read chapter one of a book about a dragon clan.
- To see what you need to see, climb to the top of the cherry tree.
- While playing a game of Speed, search for the loving queen.
- Your next clue is not inside a toy. To find it, you must play Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
You get the idea! When you’re done, hide your clues, sit back, and watch the fun ensue.
4. Create duct-tape crafts
If you have a pair of scissors and a few rolls of duct tape around the house, you have all the tools you need to keep your kids busy for hours. Meanwhile, you may encourage a love of crafting.
Here are a few of the fun crafts your kids can make with duct tape:
5. Film movies
Lights! Camera! Action! Inspire your kids to become mini writers, directors, and actors. All they need is a smartphone, and a tripod will improve the end result if you have one. Apps like iMotion, the Lego Movie Maker, iMovie, Magisto, and Telestory can help your kids create and edit their video stories.
If your kids aren’t sure where to start, here are some ideas to inspire them.
- Recreate a favorite movie scene with toys or Legos.
- Make a music video by playing a favorite song and lip-syncing and dancing.
- Film a sports video with commentary and slow-motion replays.
- Recreate a journalistic interview show.
- Do a stand-up comedy skit.
More Ideas
If those ideas don’t sound fun, there’s plenty more to keep your kids busy this summer. When you hear, “I’m bored,” be ready with these ideas:
- Create a sidewalk chalk mural
- Paint rocks
- Run in the sprinkler
- Make popsicles
- Have a paper airplane contest
- Invent your own board games
- Build bird feeders
- Learn a musical instrument
- Learn to sew
- Go geocacheing
- Go letterboxing
- Fly a kite
Buck Boredom This Summer!
It’s amazing how quickly kids go from celebrating summer to complaining about being bored. Use these fun ideas to help your kids get creative and enjoy some screen-free summertime fun.
[Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a post, originally published July 2, 2019]