75 Big, Awesome Things to Do with the Kids This Summer

1. Take a family bike ride.

2. Have a yes day. 

3. Learn a new magic trick. Here are seven easy tricks just for kids.

4. Build a LEGO City.

5. Read a chapter book as a family.

6. Sign up for a fun summer program and do it together! 

7. Fly a kite in your neighborhood park. 

8. Paint rocks and hide them for others to find.

9. Watch the planes at your local airport.

10. Organize a scavenger/treasure hunt. We’ve got printables here! 

11. Go stargazing. Check out our top tips here.

12. Explore a new park with the right social distancing tools.

13. Learn how to make friendship bracelets.

14. Learn about a different culture (and make a meal to match!)

15. Make a dry creek and go fishing!

16. Make and eat popsicles. 

17. Make a fairy garden.

18. Get a paper map of your city and push pins. Plan out the places you want to visit in the future. 

19. Get a new LEGO set and put it together. 

20. Spend an afternoon writing a story with your kids.

21. Run through the sprinkler.

22. Arrange an afternoon with just your son or just your daughter.

23. Create an obstacle course for kids.

24. Play hide and seek.

25. Play board games for a whole afternoon.

26. Go backyard camping. We’ve got 10 great ideas to help you get started.

27. Take a picture a day and print out an end-of-summer photo album.

28. Be a scientist for a day with one of these cool experiments. 

29. Plant flowers.

30. Have a toy car wash. Or better yet, have a real carwash. Nothing thrills a kid like an afternoon spent with a shop vac and a spray bottle.

31. Pick a “Summer 2021” song and play it till everyone can sing all the words.

32. Make root beer floats.

33. Find a business that’s raising funds for a local cause and donate. 

34. Create a secret handshake.

35. Make a clover necklace. And a headband. And a bracelet. And a ring. And a pageant sash. And …

36. Make lemonade at least once. For a little variation, try these fun recipes.

37. Call or FaceTime with out-of-town family.

38. Go to a baseball game.

39. Make fluffy slime.

40. Craft something out of your TP rolls.

41. Visit your community library and pick out some new reads. 

42. Stay up late and play flashlight tag.

43. Go to a drive-in movie.

44. Set up an ice cream sundae bar.

45. Pack a picnic, and take a deck of playing cards with you.

46. Lie in the grass and look for pictures in the clouds.

47. Paint rock pets. And then find out how you can care for them by clicking here.

48. Make pickles. Here’s an easy-to-follow recipe using cucumbers from your new garden or from the grocery store!

49. Play games with Dixie cups (that isn’t beer pong).

50. Make a wind chime.

51. Create an ice cream bracket and work your way through the summer.

52. TP your kids’ rooms.

53. Break a Guinness Book of World Records. Peruse the titles up for grab on the official site here.

54. Learn about rainbows.

55. Make a bird feeder.

56. Play Marco Polo at the pool, or try one of these classic pool games.

57. Prank someone.

58. Make potato stamps. See how The Postman’s Knock does it here.

59. Make something out of a cardboard box.

60. Have a potions party.

61. Make s’mores. You can go gourmet with one of these unconventional twists.

62. Learn about a wild animal.

63. Have a shaving cream war.

64. Bond with your kids over ’80s TV shows that are still cool.

65. Learn about a few amazing kids, and talk about how your own can change the world.

66. Bob for donuts at breakfast.

67. Have a tea party outside.

68. Make tie-dye crafts. Here are 11 easy ideas! 

69. Support a small business or order a new read from your local indie bookstore.

70. Use ice for more than a cool beverage.

71. Turn your backyard into a water park.

72. Have an outdoor art afternoon. Here are our favorite ideas.

73. Write and act out a play.

74. Jump into a lake.

75. Surprise the postman with a thank you gift.