All About Family and Health Blog: 76 Ways to Keep Kids From Being Bored in Summer!

No matter how hard we try to keep the kids occupied and content during summer, you’re bound to hear the infamous whine of “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”…well here’s a simple and fun solution.

Simply copy and paste or handwrite (if you’re up to it!) the list of activities below, put them in a cookie jar or Tupperware or whatever, and when the kids say they’re bored, simply have them pull from the container and do whatever’s on that slip!

These are fun and simple activities to keep them from being bored and let you and them have some summer fun!!!

Activity List:

1. Lay in the grass and watch the clouds (this works except for rainy days! LOL but seriously most kids now a days do not know the pure simplicity and fun of cloud watching!)

2. On rainy days, let them go a head and play in the rain, dance and enjoy, jump in mud puddles...provided there’s no lightening! I know you may not want to clean up their mess but they’ll have a blast!!!

3. If it’s in the evening, catch lightening bugs, fireflies, whichever you call them…but please let them go and not keep them locked up in a jar to die shortly after

4. Plant some flowers, let the kids help even if they’re not planting exactly how you’d like them to…make it their special ‘garden’

5. Blow bubbles, remember when you would see who could blow the biggest one!

6. Take a bike ride (don’t forget the helmets!)

7. Run through the sprinklers or have a water hose battle (NOT on full force!)

8. Jump rope (singles or w/more!)

9. Make homemade play dough (can find all kinds of recipes online)

10. Have an ‘art contest’ and have the kids paint their masterpieces

11. Read a book, then act it out

12. Rollerblade (again don’t forget helmet and pads)

13. Play a good ole’ fashion board game

14. Play softball, basketball, kickball

15. Play freeze tag

16. Collect rocks and paint faces on them for Rock Pets

17. Collect flowers and/or leaves, then either press or use for projects

18. Go swimming (obviously only if the kids know how to! If not, perhaps take them to swimming lessons)

19. Turn on the radio and just let yourself free and dance!

20. Turn up the creative juices and have the kids write a journal of what all they do over the summer break

21. Watch a movie together as a family, don’t forget the popcorn

22. Bird watch, or if you don’t have birds around you, go to the mall and people watch!

23. Plant a butterfly garden, complete w/butterflies (you can buy caterpillars and/or eggs online to make it complete)

24. Build a tent out of blankets

25. Play Frisbee

26. Play hopscotch!

27. Draw with sidewalk chalk

28. Perform a circus (if you have pets they can be the animals but be NICE to them unlike in real circuses)

29. Study how ants act, pick one out of a group and ‘follow’ and see what all ants really do

30. Play card game

31. Play store

32. Let the children make lunch for you (see what kind of creation they’ll come up with and eat it no matter how odd it may be!)

33. Play dress up, make up

34. Play store

35. Build a town or fort out of boxes

36. Have a tea party, if you have boys have a ‘lunch’ party

37. Do something nice for a neighbor

38. Search for four leaf clovers, or plant your own clover patch if you don’t have any wild clovers

39. Go on a picnic

40. Go to the beach (if there’s one near you- if not, then make your own beach, with a little sand, a kiddie pool and some umbrellas!)

41. Play with matchbox cars

42. Play dolls

43. Put on a magic show

44. Make sock puppets and put on puppet show
45. Wash the cars
46. Make cookies or brownies and decorate
47. Decorate a box for summer memories and treasures
48. Have relay races
49. Make something out of clay

50. Play marbles
51. Finger paint
52. At night, stargaze, see who can find the most constellations
53. At night, play flashlight tag
54. Play hide n seek
55. Have a bike parade with others in the neighborhood
56. Make noodle necklaces
57. Have a treasure hunt and actually hide ‘something’ and draw a map to find it or give clues where to find it
58. Make a terrarium
59. Collect tadpoles, let them go free when they’re frogs
60. Take a nap outside in the fresh air
61. Take a pretend trip to another planet
62. Take a pretend trip back in time
63. Make a club house or hide away
64. Take a special family outing
65. Go to the park and play (and that means you parents too!)
66. Make animals out of origami
67. Make a sundial (can learn how online)
68. Do something crazy with your hair (not permanently though!)

Some not so ‘fun’ activities:

These will not be your children’s favorites, but you can turn them into games or time them and turn this normally hated chore into some fun!

1. Clean bedroom
2. Clean bathroom
3. Sort and/or do laundry
4. Vacuum
5. wash the dog (obviously wont work if you don’t have a dog-and if you don’t have a dog, maybe you’ll want to adopt one from a shelter)
6. Pull weeds (make it a contest, reward the child w/the most weeds pulled)
7. Clean under the bed (make it into a contest)
8. Vacuum the sofas and whoever finds anything gets to keep it (change, pens, whatever you may find)

Have an AWESOME Summer!!!

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This article was written by Tara Burner.

Tara is a Work At Home Mom to Nick and Christa.

You can visit the her sites by going to: