We love summer and know searching for family and kid-friendly ideas can be difficult. Here’s an awesome list of indoor and outdoor crafts, activities and games to keep your creative kiddos active and entertained all summer long.
Amusing Indoor Antics—Little ones can’t be outside all of the time; here are some ideas to ward of boredom when they are stuck indoors.
Inside Crafts
- Make a birdhouse out of popsicle sticks. Decorate the house then get some birdseed and watch the birds play, feed and nest right outside your window.
- String beads or shells into jewelry. You can also paint shells or use beads and shells in a collage.
- Make an ice cream sundae bar (or frozen yogurt) in the kitchen. Sprinkles, gummy worms, fruit, cookies and candy make excellent toppings. Share your ice cream treats inside or outside whilst reading or talking as a family.
Interior Activities
- Make a Summer Bucket List. It can be serious or silly – meet new friends, have an epic game of neighborhood tag or read 5 books. Planning and writing a list keeps those creative juices flowing and teaches time-management skills in the midst of all that fun. Of course, completing the list is the next step!
- Decorate cookies. Don’t wait for a holiday, have a family-friendly cookie baking and decorating day. Make a mess while creating laughs and yummy cookies! Hint: Those decorated cookies can easily be turned into summer ice cream sandwiches.
- Make a fort out of cardboard boxes. Not just any fort. The ultimate castle of summertime fun. Get out markers, crayons, construction paper and all things creative and go to it.
Rainy-Day Games
- Pretend to be pirates for the day: dress up in costumes, plan a treasure hunt and talk like a pirate. The first one who breaks character has to walk the plank (or do a chore).
- Have a family game night with charades, Pictionary and bingo. Team games are the ultimate, fun family rivalry.
- Laundry Basket Skee Ball. Fun to make and more fun to play.
Fun Outdoor Playfulness—Let’s face it: summer is made for being out-of-doors as often as possible. Try these activity boosting ideas for outdoor play.
Open-Air Crafts
- Sidewalk Chalk is a great way to get your creative kiddos creating. It’s also a fun way to draw giant game boards like tic-tac-toe and Sudoku. For more inspiration, why not make some chalk spray for painting. You just need a spray bottle and this recipe:
Spray Chalk Ingredients:
1 tsp. washable tempura paint
1 c. hot water
½ c. cornstarch
A squirt of dishwashing liquid
Spray Chalk Directions: Add cornstarch to water and whisk together. Add tempura paint and dishwashing liquid. Mix well. Pour into a spray bottle and shake. TIP: Spray down the sidewalk and driveway when you’re done playing. If there are any leftovers, just shake well before using again.
- Make an outdoor sand or garden sensory bin.
- Make a fairy garden. There are 1,001 different ways to make a fairy garden. It can be big or little and should contain everything your tiny tot can think up.
Outside Activities
- Enjoy the outdoors and sunshine as a family—go for a hike. Journal or collect nature items to discuss along the way.
- Outdoor Science Lab—let your kiddos get as messy as they want and learn science while learning science at the same time. The internet is full of science experiments and labs that are better outside where spills are easily soaked up by the ground. Learn, mix and spill away!
- Have a campfire – hot dogs, s’mores, veggies, pop popcorn–you need access to a fire pit and some adult supervision. Tiny tots can tell stories, share jokes and pretend they are camping whilst being in the backyard.
Backyard Games
- Water Olympics. Yep, turn on the sprinklers, fill up the water guns and make a giant batch of water balloons. Get everyone in their swimsuits with plenty of sunscreen and towels on hand, then have at it! Tiny kiddo laughs will ensue.
- Make a giant Kerplunk game from tomato cages. Fill with play balls from the dollar store or water balloons.
- Turn the backyard into a carnival—set up face painting areas, funky hairdo spots and games like ring toss, a piñata or bean bags.
Have an amazing, fun and safe summer. Spending time outside in the sun and water will take a toll on your tiny tot’s tresses this season. Stop by your local Snip-its and talk to a kid’s hair expert about kid-friendly ways to cure summertime hair. Pick up the Swimmer’s Duo this month for only $20. Swimmer’s Solution Clarifying Shampoo and No Yellin’ Melon Crème Conditioner are the perfect prescription to keep those locks moisturized all summer long. Why not leave the haircare up to us so you and your little ones can concentrate on all of the fun stuff!
