10 Easy and Fun Activities to Enjoy with Your Kids this Summer
Are you looking for fun and easy activities to do with your kids this summer? We have you covered! There are plenty of enjoyable ways to connect with your child or keep your little ones engaged in play. In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 of our favorite activities that are simple to organize, fun for kids and parents, and promote independent play.
Spray Bottle Chalk Paint Rocks
This activity is so fun for children and engaging because it involves multiple steps for your children to follow. Have your child draw with different colors of sidewalk chalk on the ground (they can just be scribbles or draw different shapes) and have them color them in. Then have them squirt the chalk drawing with water to make a paint paste. Hand them paintbrushes and they can paint rocks that they find outside.
Materials:
Spray bottle
Water
Sidewalk chalk
Rocks
Paint brushes
2. Ice Escape
Place small toys in a container with water and freeze overnight. Your child will have a blast trying to help the toys “escape” from the ice. You can get creative by giving your child salt, warm water, or a small hammer (which works well outside).
Materials:
Plastic container
Small toys
Salt cups
Small hammer
Safety goggles
3. Paint Frozen Ice
Keep this activity simple by adding ice cubes into a large plastic container or add a giant ice cube by freezing water into larger containers so your child can explore ice in different sizes. Provide paint and brushes and have fun making your painting ice cubes of all sizes.
Materials:
Ice cubes
Paint
Bin
Paint brushes
4. Toy Wash
This simple activity is so engaging because children can get into imaginative play and get all their sensory needs met. Bring some dirty outdoor toys or let your child get them dirty. Then create a cleaning station where your child can clean up their toys. They will have a blast cleaning and cooling off in the hot sun.
Materials:
Outdoor toys that you don’t mind getting dirty (trucks, cars, anything that your child would have fun cleaning)
Bins and C
ontainers
Soap
Old rags or sponges
5. Outdoor Baking Soda Science Experiment
Grab your turkey baster from the kitchen along with the jug of distilled white vinegar and baking soda. Here’s a fun take on the classic baking soda vinegar volcano. Bring out different kitchen containers and with a spoon, have your little one fill each container with a little baking soda (homemade popsicle containers are fun to throw in there because there are so many different compartments). Pour some vinegar into a separate container and show your child how to squeeze the turkey baster to fill it with vinegar. Once they have put baking soda in the containers, you can ask them to squeeze some vinegar into the baking soda containers and “see what happens!”. You can add some drops of food coloring for even more chemistry fun.
Materials:
Turkey baster
Distilled white vinegar
Assortment of containers (one container for squeezing the white vinegar in turkey baster, one scooping container for baking soda, and different size containers for the “experiments”)
Food coloring
6. Water Spray Bottle Play
This is our second activity using spray bottles because children love them! They are simple and so much fun! Did you know that spray bottles also help strengthen fine motor skills that will help them with writing skills as they grow? Fill a water bottle with water and ask them to water plants, trees, or the garden. Your child can water plants, trees, leaves and pinecones.
Materials:
Spray bottle
Water
Nature
7. Bubble Foam Water Table
Fill an outdoor water table (or large container) with water, bubble bath, and food coloring. Your child can use kitchen items such as spoons, trays, and cups and have a blast with the foam. Make sure to use tear-free bubble bath
Materials:
Water table or large bin
Water
Bubble Bath
Food Coloring
Tear-free Bubble Bath
8. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Encourage your kids to explore nature while in the yard, on a walk, or at a park. Download this free worksheet HERE to help your guide your in their scavenger hunt and get them excited for a nature walk in the yard or neighborhood. Kids love seeing familiar things in nature and searching for new things to discover. You never know what exciting things they will find.
9. Make Fun and Easy Healthy Snacks
Kids love cooking activities and there is actually a lot of learning that goes into it. Along with learning an important life skill, children practice math skills (measuring, counting, number sense), patience, and following directions. Finally, cooking can be a great way to connect with your child. It’s ok not always to want to play with your child. In fact, when you find an activity that you both can enjoy together, your child will feel your joy and that creates a strong connection between you and your child.
If you are looking for a fun summer recipe to make with your kids, we have partnered with one of our wellness partners, Kelley from Kelley Marie Wellness, to share this balanced summer treat! Her Pineapple Coconut Popsicle recipe is simple and quick - with only 3 ingredients and minimal prep time. The balance of the healthy fat from the canned coconut milk mixed with the sweet, nutrient-dense pineapple are ideal for beating the summer heat. You can find more recipes and health tips on her website www.kelleymariewellness.com or on Instagram @kelleymariewellness.
10. Picnic Adventure
Packing a picnic seems like such a simple activity but kids love it. Invite them to pick out some favorite snacks, lay out a big blanket, and head to your backyard or favorite park. Bike ride or drive to your destination, lay out a blanket and enjoy!
Keep your Kids Engaged All Summer Long With Our Favorite Teacher Tip!
Keep these activities in your back pocket to reuse them all summer long! You may have noticed that children love playing the same games often. That’s because children love repetition. Changing a small part of an activity is a quick and easy way to make a familiar activity very engaging for children. For example, use small cars for the toy wash one day and then use small plastic animals the next time. You might be surprised to see your child play in a new way. This keeps it easy for the parents and keeps kids engaged. Setting up simple activities this summer will help your child practice independent play so you can have a break!
Need some more ideas on how to incorporate independent play and give yourself a break? Reach out to us with any questions you have and schedule a FREE consultation HERE. We offer customized support to help each family’s individual needs and create tools and resources that support your family.
