100+ EPIC Summer Activities for Kids

Summer Activities for Kids

The key to having a fun, memory-filled summer is to intentionally plan it! If you don’t make time for and and plan for some summer activities for kids, it will slip by and before you know it, its back to school time already! Here are over 107 fun summer activites to try with your toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, and elementary age students to make childhood memories of summer fun that will last a lifetime! Now, I’m not talking about planning every minute or over scheduling kids. What I mean is take a peak at these summer buket list ideas and add them to your Summer Bucket List by using our  printable summer activity list at the bottom of the post if you like and start penciling them in on your calendar. These preschool summer activities are sure to be fun not only for the kids, but the whole family!

Summer Activities for Toddlers

Toddlers (and older kids!) will love all these fun, memorable, summer  activities. Keep little ones busy or find activities for the whole family to do together, including your toddler, this summer.

• Make some giant bubbles.
  Use this homemade bubble solution for making GIANT bubbles from 123 Homeschool 4 me
• Make a backyard obstacle course.
  This pool noodle obstacle course from Learn Play Imagine is perfect for getting little ones moving.
• Draw with fizzy frozen sidewalk chalk!
  Toddlers will love this EASY, Vibrant Sidewalk Chalk Paint for Kids
• Set up some sand play.
  Try this taste safe play sand recipe from Fun A Day, or this beach themed sensory play from Buggy and Buddy.
• Try some frozen painting.
  This frozen paint summer activity from 123 Homeschool 4 me is a great summer sensory and art activity for toddlers and older kids.
• Make a bubble snake.
  Kids will be amazed at the l-o-n-g colorful bubble snakes they can make with this easy activity
• Make some ice cream playdough.
  This Ice Cream Edible Playdough from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is perfect for little ones!
• Get out some water play.
  Try one of these easy water play ideas from  Picklebums, they are sure to be a hit with toddlers and older kids.
• Make some Kool Aid playdough.
  This simple Kool Aid playdough recipe from 123 Homeschool 4 Me works great for lots of fun playdough activities and it smells lovely too.
• Make a summer themed sensory bag.
  Sensory bags are such a great, low-mess, activity. Try this ocean sensory bag from Homeschool Preschool, or this Squish Bag Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers

Watermelon Activities

Looking for more watermelon activity ideas or two to make a week long watermelon theme or dive into the letter w is for watermelon? You will love these fun activities and free printables:

• Count playdough “seeds” with these adorable, Free Watermelon Printables
• Fluffy Slime Watermelon Activities for Preschoolers
• Cute Suncatcher Watermelon Craft
• Scented, Watermelon Kool Aid Play Dough Recipe for summer
• Slime Watermelon Activities for Kids
• Watermelon Volcano Experiment – Summer Activity for Preschoolers
• Hands-on Alphabet practice with this Watermelon Activity

Summer bucket list ideas

Keep your preschooler busy all summer long with these awesome summer  ideas and activities for preschoolers. Big brothers and sisters will also love these simple summery ideas for kids.

• Draw with glow in the dark chalks.
  Follow these instructions to make glow in the dark chalk from Growing a Jeweled Rose.
• Play with some construction slime.
  Preschools will love this cool construction slime from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Make ice-cream in a bag.
  This recipe to make ice cream in a bag from 123 Homeschool 4 me is easy enough for preschools to make.
• Get moving with some gross motor dice.
  This beach themed gross motor dice activity from 3 Dinosaurs is a great summer activity to get kids moving.
• Water an alphabet garden.
  This fun watering an alphabet garden activity from Toddler Approved is a fun way to learn letters this summer.
• Play balloon tennis.
  Try one of these fun balloon tennis games from Kids’ Craft Room.
• Play with some amazing color change playdough.
  This magical color change playdough from 123 Homeschool 4 Me will wow your preschooler!
• Try some mermaid activities.
  Preschoolers will love this mermaid playdough mat from picklebums, and this mermaid tail sensory bottle from Rhythms of Play.
• Do some sidewalk art.
  Make this homemade sidewalk chalk from 123 Homeschool 4 Me and create a masterpiece on your sidewalk
• Make a summer days hat.
  These super cute summer hat printables from Preschool Play and Learn are a fun crafty learning activity for preschoolers.
• Build with Ice Cubes.
  This building with ice cubes activity from Learn Play Imagine is a great way to keep cool.
• Make a summer sensory bin.
  Try this ice cream sensory bin from Fantastic Fun and Learning, or this frozen fish sensory bin from Messy Little Monster, or this I spy sun sensory bin from ABCs of Literacy.

Fun summer activities

• Sand Volcano is such a fun, simple summer science expeirment
• Kids will go NUTS over this Ice Cream Volcano Summer Experiment
• Ocean Density Tower Summer Experiment
• Super EASY-to-Make Balloon Hovercraft
• Explore with this Magnet Experiments for Kids

Summer bucket list

These awesome activities to do during summer vacation are perfect for kids of all ages. There are enough ideas for June, July and August to make you wish you didn’t have to go back to school!

• Play Capture the Flag.
  Try these capture the flag rules from Master The Yard.
• Listen to an audio book.
  Try one of these fantastic books on CD from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Join a Summer Reading Program.
  Try one of these summer reading book lists, and Printables from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Have a shaving cream balloon fight!
  Follow these instructions to make shaving cream balloons from Totally the Bomb
• Wash the car, or your bikes!
  Make this outrageously fun kid wash from 123 Homeschool 4 Me to wash your bikes, or your kids!
• Make a marshmallow shooter.
  The kids will love making these Marshmallow Shooters go over 30 feet!
• Make sponge bombs for a water fight.
  Follow these simple instructions from Inner Child Fun to make sponge bombs.
• Make homemade ice cream.
  Follow this recipe for delicious homemade ice cream from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Build an outdoor marble run.
  Try one of these fun homemade marble run ideas from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Make glow in the dark bubbles!
  Follow these instructions to make glowing bubbles from Growing a Jeweled Rose.
• Make some slime!
  Try this two ingredient slime recipe from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Make a growing egg head.
  These egg shell grass heads from 123 Homeschool 4 Me are so much to make!
• Go on a scavenger hunt.
  Try one of these 75 scavenger hunts for kids from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Make a Lego zip line!
  This Lego zipline activity from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is a super fun outside activity.
• Make friendship bracelets.
  Follow these instructions to make friendship bracelets from Crafts by Amanda and make gifts for all your friends this summer.
• Do some summer coloring.
  Everyone will have fun coloring these ice cream colouring pages from 123 Homeschool 4 Me, and these summer coloring pages from Little Ladoo.

For even more summer activities for kids, check out these awesome June activities for kids.

Fun summer activities for kids

Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:

• Lemon Volcano is a fun Summer Experiment for kids of all ages
• How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
• Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
• Leak Proof Bag – Amazing Science Experiment with Everyday Materials
• Mind-Blowing Magnetic Slime for Kids
• Grow Your Own Crystals

Summer crafts for Kids

There are so many awesome summer crafts to choose from, you won’t know which one to try first! Add your favourite summer crafts to your bucket list so you don’t miss doing any of these awesome summer themed art and craft ideas.

• Paint with flowers.
  Try this fun painting with summer flowers activity from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Try some fly swatter painting.
  This fly swatter painting activity from Reading Confetti looks like so much fun.
• Make a stained glass pasta craft.
  This EASY Stained Glass Pasta Art for Kids is a fun summer craft to try.
• Try this tissue paper fireworks craft.
  This bleeding tissue paper fireworks craft
  from 1234 Homeschool 4 Me is the perfect 4th of July craft to try.
• Make a summer flower suncatcher.
  These gorgeous flower suncatchers from 123 Homeschool 4 Me would look lovely displayed on your windows.
• Make some backyard stepping stones.
  These DIY mosaic stepping stones from Mom Always Finds Out are easy to make and would look great in the garden.
• Make an animal craft.
  Pick your favourite summer animal from this list of 100 animal crafts from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Design your own T-shirt!
  Try making these sandpaper print t-shirts from Alpha Mom.
• Make a popsicle stick bracelet.
  These popsicle stick bracelets from 123 Homeschool 4 Me are a perfect summer camp at home activity to try.
• Do some bubble painting.
  This oOutrageously FUN Bubble Painting Activity from 123 Homeschool 4 Me will be a hit with kids of all ages.
• Paint a watermelon.
  This watermelon puffy paint craft from Crafty Morning is the perfect summer craft to do with your kids.
• Paint with a squirt gun!
  Kids of all ages will love doing this Epic Squirt Gun Painting
• Do some rock painting.
  Try this melted crayon rock painting idea from Red Ted Art.
• Build a birdhouse
  These milk carton birdhouses from Art Bar would look adorable hung outside.
• Make some pony bead suncatchers.
  Try this cool melted pony bead craft from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Do some sand art.
  Follow these sand art tips and instructions from Busy Kids Happy Mom to make awesome keepsakes.
• Paint with fizzy sidewalk foam.
  Try this fun recipe for making fizzy sidewalk foam paint from The Tiptoe Fairy.
• Make a pet rock.
  These pet cactus rocks from The Best Ideas for Kids are adorable!
• Make a firefly night light.
  This glow in the dark firefly night light from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is easy to make and so much fun to use!
• Make a handprint strawberry.
  This handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is great for kids of all ages.
• Do some bubble art.
  This fun bubble art activity from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is a great outside summer art activity.

Summer Science

• Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
• Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
• Simple Flower Mason Jar Lid Crafts
• Chromatography Butterflies – EASY Butterfly Craft for Kids
• Bleeding Tissue Paper Fireworks Craft
• Beautiful Flower Suncatcher Craft
• Find activities by month with our June Crafts for kids or our June Activities for Kids!
• Blood for Kids – Activity to learn about the Human Body
• Amazing Tin Foil Art Project for Kids of all Ages
• Vinegar and Baking Soda Rocket Science Experiment for Kids
• EPIC Mentos and Soda Experiment
• Try one of these fun Animal I Spy Printables
• Create this gorgeous stained glass art for kids

Summer Learning

The kids won’t even know they are learning with these super fun summer science, summer math, and summer language activities. Beat the summer slide with these fun learning activities.

• Grow a Grass Friend.
  Growing these silly grass heads from 123 Homeschool 4 Me is a fun summer science activity.
• Make some sand slime!
  Learn about polymers while making this super simple Sand Slime from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
• Go on a Scavenger Hunt!
  Try this awesome summer scavenger hunt from 123 Homeschool for me, or try one of these epic scavenger hunts for kids.
• Make some aqua sand.
  Follow these instructions to make your own epic Aqua Sand from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Do an ice letter hunt.
  This ice letter hunt from Reading Confetti is a great way to practice letter recognition.
• Make some magical color changing flowers.
  This fun flower science experiment from Kindergarten Worksheets and Games is a must do for summer learning.
• Do some science with water balloons!
  Try this cool water balloon science experiment from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Grow plants from scraps.
  Follow these instructions to regrow celery from Housing a Forest and grow your own salad.
• Make exploding paint bombs!
  This exploding paint bombs activity from Kids Activities Blog combines science and art in a super fun way!
• Do some pop rocks science!
  The kids will go nuts over this cool pop rocks science experiment from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Grow your own crystals.
  Follow these instructions to grow your own crystals from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Practice patterning with ice cream cones!
  This fun free ice cream patterning printable from Preschool Play and Learn is a great way to work on math skills this summer.
• Try a word search puzzle.
  These summer word search printables from Organized 31 will keep the kids busy.

Plant Activities for Kindergarten

• Potato Maze – Summer STEM Activity for Kids
• Water Pollution for Kids Science Expeirment
• Simple Geranium Photosynthesis Experiment for Kids
• How to Regrow Celery in Water
• Food coloring flower experiment worksheet Science Experiment for kids
• Color Changing Flower Experiment learning about capillar action

Epic summer bucket list

These summer ideas and activities are perfect to add to your summer bucket list for kids. There are lots of traditional summer bucket list ideas that the whole family will love, as well as some super fun, summer activities to add some new ideas to your summer bucket list.

• Have a water balloon fight!
  Try playing thiswater balloon toss game from Love Play and Learn
• Catch Fireflies!
  Try these chasing fireflies tips from Fireflies and Mudpies.
• Have a Family Pillow Fight.
  This is a great activity for a rainy summer day, or for a summer sleepover!
• Build a fort.
  Build a for with sticks, pillows, or try these fort building ideas from Picklebums.
• Play waterblob twister!
  Turn regular twister into water blob twister like Paging Fun Mums for the perfect outdoor summer game!
• Do some stargazing.
  Use this free printable constellation mini book to learn all about the stars, or have fun making some pipe cleaner constellations from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Watch the sun rise.
  Get up super early and pack a breakfast picnic, you could even make this sunrise juice from Three Little Ferns as a special treat.
• Fly a Kite.
  if you don’t have a kite you could use these instructions to make a kite from Buggy and Buddy.
• Make root beer floats.
  You could even try making these root beer float popsicles from Happiness is Homemade.
• Explode a Watermelon!
  The kids will love this cool Exploding Watermelon Science Experiment  from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Set up a slip n slide!
  Or go one step further and make this ultimate slip n slide DIY water park from Pintsized Treasures.
• Watch some fireworks.
  Take the family to watch the 4th of July fireworks. You might like to try this fireworks craft from 123 Homeschool 4 Me too.
• Make popcorn and have a movie night.
  Try one of these easy flavored popcorn recipes from picklebums for a special summer movie treat.
• Go camping in your backyard!
  These backyard camping tips from Take Them Outside will help you make backyard, or inside, camping lots of fun.
• Do some random acts of kindness.
  Use this summer kindness bucket list from Coffee and Carpool to encourage your kids to be kind this summer.
• Make smores!
  Try one of these awesome smores recipes from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.

Summer bucket list kindergarten

There are so many fun ways to play and teach kids about chemical reactions using a baking soda and vinegar reaction. Here are some of our favorite baking soda and vinegar activities.

• Free Printable Camping Scavenger Hunt
• Rainbow Activities for Preschoolers
• 25 EPIC Water Balloon Games
• Pool Noodle Airplane Craft
• Fun-to-play-with Ocean Slime
• Simple Summer Science Sunscreen Experiment

Summer ideas for kids

These summer field trips and outings are the perfect family trips to add to your summer bucket list! From short, local field trips, to longer day trips and even road trips, there is a great summer outing that everyone  in the family will enjoy.

• Go swimming at a pool.
  While you are at the pool try one of these swimming pool games from Three Little Ferns.
• Play Mini Golf.
  The whole family will have fun playing mini golf together.
• Visit the zoo.
  These free printable zoo scavenger hunts from 123 Homeschool 4 Me will add some extra fun to your zoo trip.
• Visit a farm.
  For even more fun farm activities try some of these farm theme ideas from 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
• Take a Nature Walk.
  You can take a nature walk wherever you are, in your neighborhood, at the beach, or the park, and these nature work printable worksheets from 123 Homeschool 4 Me are a perfect match for this simple activity.
• Visit a new park.
  Pack a picnic and try one these fun things to do at the park from Edventures With Kids.
• Go Bowling, or join a bowling league!
  If you can’t get out to a bowling alley you could make this fruit themed bowling game from Glued to My Crafts.
• Go to Chuck E. Cheese
  Go out for a family meal, but don’t forget to get an online coupon first!
• Have a picnic.
  Try one of these fun picnic ideas from Kids Activities Blog.
• Go on a family road trip!
  Use these tips for 20+ Printable Roadtrip Games
• Go berry or fruit picking.
  These tips for a successful trip to a pick your own farm from Frugal Mom eh are really useful.
• Visit a farmers market.
  Visit your local farmers market and get the kids to help you plan a farmers market dinner like Kitchen Counter Chronicles did.
• Go fishing.
  If you don’t have a fishing spot near by you could try this paddling pool fishing game from Buggy and Buddy.
• Visit Disney World!
  These tips for planning a visit to Disney World from 123 Homeschool 4 Me are really helpful.
• Spend a day at a Children’s Museum
  Visiting a museum is a great for rainy days or for low crowds go on a sunny day!
• Visit a State Park.
  You could do this summer woodland scavenger hunt from Blissful Domestication while you are there.
• Take a trip to the beach!
  Try one of these nature related beach activities from Mother Natured.

This HUGE list of activities for kids has ideas for kids of all ages whether they like active ideas, cute crafts, educational learning activities, easy science experiments, or anything in between!

Summer activities for toddlers

• Painters Tape American Flag Craft
• Firework 4th of July Crafts for Preschoolers
• Bomb Pop Fourth of July Craft
• Fireworks in a Jar – 4th of July Oil and Water Science Experiment
• Magic Milk 4th of July Science Experiments
• Simple 4th of July Fireworks Crafts painted with TP roll
• 4th of July Firework Craft for Independence Day with free printable templates

Free Summer Bucket List Printable

To make sure you don’t miss out on doing your favorite summer activities, grab this free printable summer buckler list planner. Print the list of summer bucket list ideas so you and the kids can  choose your the activities you want to try this summer. Put a tick next  to your must do summer activities.

Then use the summer bucket list planner page to plan what activities you’ll done, when you’ll do them, and what you need to complete them. You can print of as many copies of the planner page as you need to plan an  awesome summer with your kids.

>> FREE Summer Bucket Planning Tools <<

What to do with kids in summer