Summer Vacation Activities
As a parent who works from home part-time, I’m a bit apprehensive about summer vacation. My kids will attend a few sessions of day camp and though that will keep them busy for a few hours per day, there are still a lot of hours to be filled between now and September. I decided I needed to have some ideas in my pocket for the long days ahead, so I compiled a list of 60 fun activities to try in the coming months. Some are easy, some require more advanced planning, but even if you only get to a handful of them they should make for a pretty entertaining summer break!
Excursions
- Visit an amusement Park
- Look at art at an art museum.
- Play on a beach
- Take in a concert in a local park
- Go letterboxing
- Take a hike in a nature area or around your neighborhood
- On a really hot day visit a big store — book store, IKEA, Target — and wander the air-conditioned aisles.
- Learn about a program your library offers that you’ve never tried — a summer reading program, eBooks, or maybe a family sing-along.
- Cool off at a local splash park
- Take a dip at your neighborhood pool
- Get close to animals at a petting zoo
- Visit a farm where you can pick fruit
- Learn something new at a science museum
- Check out a local street festival; eat foods on sticks
- Visit a parent who works outside the home for lunch
- Try out a playground you’ve never been to before
- Spend a day at the zoo
Crafts
- Make LEGO minifigs (or other sculptures) with salt dough
- Cook up a batch of homemade playdough
- Create marshmallow catapults from shoe boxes and rubberbands
- Freeze food coloring and water and paint a picture with ice
- Paint with watercolors
- Construct a real life Angry Birds game
- Print, cut and assemble a paper toy such as R2-D2, Wonder Woman or Snoopy
- Assemble a terrarium with plants and small toys
- Tie dye a t-shirt
- Decorate a window with tie-dye art
- Make a tiny bow and arrows
Backyard
- Build something cool out of cardboard boxes
- Camp in the backyard
- Mix up a batch of cornstarch sidewalk paint and decorate the driveway
- Crank up some tunes and have a dance party
- Make a little money with a lemonade stand
- Freeze toys into a large block of ice; provide kids with hammers and squirt bottles and challenge them to get them out
- Make giant bubbles
- Go on a bug hunt
- Hold a garage sale
- Invite friends over to play tag
- Play in the pool and/or the sprinkler
- Play with squirt guns
- Ride bikes or scooters
- Set up a treasure hunt for friends or siblings
- Set up an obstacle course and race with friends or time yourself
- Smack balloons around the yard with a pool noodle
- Have a water balloon battle
Cooking
- Let your child choose ingredients for a smoothie by herself, then blend it with a grown-up’s help
- Make homemade butter with a mixer or by shaking cream in a jar
- Whip out a batch of homemade ice cream
- If ice cream seems like too much work, make homemade popsicles instead
- Have your child plan and make dinner for the family
- Make lunch using foods of every color of the rainbow
- Roast marshmallows over the grill or a fire
Any Time
- Build with LEGO bricks — If your child is stuck, issue a challenge!
- Do a puzzle
- Learn some new jokes
- Make a movie with a video camera
- Read a book
- Take photos of your favorite toys
- Write a letter
- Write or draw pictures in a journal
What fun activities are you planning for the summer?
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Wendy Copley writes about cooking, crafts, parenting and her obsession with lunch boxes at Wendolonia.
