Summer vacation is the pinnacle time to be alive for a kid. With family trips, exploring new places, maybe visiting a zoo or aquarium, it’s the days spent at home that tend to boring. But this is prime time for making lasting memories. So if you struggle to find fun or creative ways to get your kids outside especially in the summer, here are some great ideas.

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Common ways to get kids outside in the summer

• Plant a garden
• Go in the pool
• Ride a bike
• Make chalk drawings
• Climb a tree
• Water balloon fight
• Trampoline or inflatable houses
• Go for a hike

Some of these things require you to have a pricey item like a pool or a trampoline. But most of these are the tried and true of summer vacations.

So if you need a little extra inspiration or just need to add more options to your list, let’s get creative.

1. Household product arts and crafts

Start saving paper towel rings, empty toilet paper rolls, newspapers, and boxes. Set up a crafting station with paint, pipe cleaners, glue, glitter, pom poms, ribbon, string, and buttons. You can always add more options obviously! And just let their imagination run wild.

You can even try planning a theme for the crafting time. What kind of animal or instrument can we make from these items?

PRO TIP: Watch episodes of the old 90’s kids show “Out of the Box“. Each episode they do an arts and crafts project with common household products. Watch an episode and take note of how to do the same craft with your littles!

2. Pop the balloon

This activity requires a bag of balloons and a pen. Inflate the balloons and tell your kids to run around and pop them with the pen.

You could set this up in a few different ways. You can:

• have them pop the balloons in order of the rainbow.
• shout out which color to pop.
• do a race against the clock to see how quickly they can pop them all.

If you’re trying to kill some time, make a dial similar to the game of Twister. Have them spin the dial and whatever color it lands on, they have to run and pop one of that color of balloon. Have them keep spinning until all the balloons are popped!

3. “Break the Ice”

For this activity you’ll need a large bowl, some of your kids favorite plastic toys, water, and your freezer.

Fill the bowl with water, put your kids toys in, and place in the freezer. The next day, give them a kid-safe hammer and let them break the ice to rescue their toys! I recommend this kid-safe hammer as it has rubber, finger-safe guards.

4. Outdoor movie nights

Outdoor movie nights might seem like an excuse for more screen time. But this is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with a family movie night. Plus it means that your kids can still run around, play with toys, and get some fresh air. It’s sure to be a classic way to get your kids outside after the true heat of the day is done.

I personally recommend getting an inflatable couch and some bug zappers. Along with the obvious essentials – a portable projector, a projector stand, and a movie screen.

5. Camping in the backyard

This activity is not only fun for the kids, but allows the parents to get some time alone in the house. And it’s a great follow-up activity to your outdoor movie night.

Get them a tent, a sleeping bag, and all the blankets they want. And don’t forget any bug zappers or night lights too. This was one of my favorite ways to spend my summers outside as a kid! I’d spend multiple nights back-to-back out there.

6. Activity sheets are great ways to get kids outside

Activity sheets are perfect for guided play with a little extra prep work on your part.

You can either make your own activity sheet or buy some on Etsy. The great thing about them is that they can work for multiple places outside the home. Take them to the zoo, beach, or amusement park as a way to get your child engaged throughout the whole day.

Some ideas for activity sheets are:

• The ABC game: Give them a sheet with lines next to each letter. Throughout their day, have them fill it out with things that they saw that started with each letter. Examples, “apple”, “birdbath”, “chalk”, “dog”, etc.
• The Rainbow Game: You can either give them a sheet with lines next to each color. Or I have seen people do this in an empty egg carton. Let your little find things in nature that match each color of the rainbow. Either write it down on a sheet, or have them bring you that colored item to put in your egg carton.
• Animal Scavenger Hunt: Works best for zoo and aquarium visits. This sheet will have a list of common animals at each spot. Let them check it off their list once they find it.
• What I’m Doing Today: A simple activity sheet for home days. Examples of what the sheet could say: “Today I am wearing a ___ shirt” for them to fill in the color. “The game I had the most fun playing today was ___.” “Today I got to hang out with ___.” “I want to draw a picture of a ___ today.”

Want to capture the memories in true 90’s style? Gift your kid a Camp Snap screenless digital camera! They look and feel like a disposable camera with a simple point-and-click function.

7. “Keepy Uppy”

For any Bluey fans out there, you know exactly what this game is already. And it is a kid classic! The rules are simple, keep the balloon off the ground! Who can keep it off the ground the longest?

8. Create an obstacle course for your kids outside

Obstacle courses are such a fun way to get your kids outside in the summer. You will have to get a little creative on how you use what you have at home to create it. But here are some ideas to get you started:

• Open a box from both ends to create a tunnel to crawl through.
• Lay a jump rope flat as a “tightrope”.
• Make them jump on one leg, crab walk, or walk backwards.
• Use the Nuby StepPebble stones to jump and balance on.
• Have them climb a tree to capture a flag.
• Set up cones to weave between or slalom through.
• Use another box to have them hurdle over.

Need more inspiration? Check out these fun kids obstacle course items on Amazon to spark some creativity for ways to get your kids outside!

9. “The Ground is Lava”

Use cardboard or towels for “safe” spots. Place these items apart for your kids to hop and maneuver around. Let them get creative on how they get from point A to point B! Make sure using trees or safe walls or railings are in play as well.

Personally I think the Nuby StepPebble stepping stones are a great options too. They are sturdy, outdoor-friendly, and promote balance. Plus you can save 20% off with my Nuby discount code DONNAF.

10. “Red Light, Green Light”

You may remember this activity from your childhood. Set up a starting point and an ending point for your kids to run to and from. Once they start running, yell “red light” for them to stop moving. Any kid that moves or falls over after a “red light” is out. Yell “green light” for them to start running again.

Want to up the ante? Get some cornhole bean bags for kids and throw them at the kids during “red light”. They will have to dodge the throw without moving their feet. If they get hit or fall over trying to evade the throw, they’re out.

11. Easter egg hunt

Easter egg hunts are so fun. But with the almighty power of free will, we can do this any time of the year!

Hide Easter eggs throughout your yard (or the house on rainy days) to have your kids go find them. Make sure you right down how many of each color that you put out. That way you can tell them if they found them all. And if not, which color they still need to look for.

12. Pool games are a classic way to get your kids outside

If you are lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard, you have the perfect way to get with your kids outside.

Play the most tried and true pool games:

• Marco, Polo
• Who can hold their breathe the longest
• Who can do the best whale breach
• Mermaids
• Cannonball Content
• Most Unique Jump Contest

And if those don’t work, get some diving toys.

Don’t forget to clean your pool before you actually want to use it. That being said, consider hiring a swimming pool cleaning service to take care of this essential maintenance task for you. It’ll give you back some time and ensure that the pool is ready when the kids are.