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We only have 18 summers with our kids.
It may seem a lot at first but time goes by so fast! All we can do is make sure that we make the most of each of the summers that we get to spend with them!
During the pandemic, when our lives were changed in so many ways, we learned many lessons as a family.
We learned more than ever to enjoy what we had instead of focusing on the things we were missing, to be grateful for the little things that we used to take for granted, and to find ways to bring joy to our days even if life felt a lot different than before.
All those hard, challenging times made me realize more than ever how important it is to make the most of every day with our kids!
And this is exactly what we want for this summer as well!
Because the truth is that kids don’t need fancy plans to enjoy a happy summer!
Often the simplest activities like exploring nature, playing on the beach, or trying a new family game bring the most joy to our little ones! 💙
To help me be more intentional about making the most of this summer, I gathered a list of ideas to inspire us, and I’m happy to share it with you today. I hope you’ll find some great ideas to try with your kids on this list!
1. Try these simple ways to have fun at home
You can find many fun ideas to try at home on the bucket list above, but here are some additional things to try with your kids:
- Have a family pajama party. (A surprise pajama party after bedtime is a great way to add some fun to one of your evenings and I’m sure that the kids will love staying up late one night!)
- Watch 12 family movies together. (Here is a list of family movie ideas to inspire you.)
- Start a summer journal and invite the kids to include drawings, notes, and pictures to record their favorite summer fun moments.
- Make homemade gifts for family and friends (e.g, friendship bracelets, homemade cookies, drawings and crafts).
- Have a backyard movie night.
- Organize your own family olympic games at home. Plan a few easy games to try with the kids, design some medals, prepare little prizes for the winners, and have fun together.
- Surprise your kids with an over-night stay at a hotel close to your home.
- Plan a creative day for the whole family. (Invite the entire family to get creative! Each member can create a few artworks, and you can include all of them in a small exhibition in your living room.)
- Break the routine and plan a special day for your family: a pajama day when everyone stays in their pajamas all day long, a “lazy” day with no schedule or planned activities (you just enjoy each other and relax), or a technology-free day (for both parents and kids).
- Invite the kids to help you redecorate their room. This is the perfect opportunity to make clean up fun and also put their creativity to work.
2. Plan a summer camp at home for your kids
We tried this idea last year and it was such a huge success that we planned a new summer camp at home for this year!
➡️ You can plan a summer camp at home for just a few days or for several weeks, depending on your summer schedule, and there are many ways to prepare it!
If you want to create a fun summer camp at home experience for your kids without wasting time planning activities, check out our Summer Camp at Home activity pack!
It includes all the ideas you need for tons of summer fun at home, and all the activities are easy to prepare with just a few supplies!
⭐ Click here to download the Summer Camp at Home activity pack
➡️ Another way to prepare a summer camp at home for your kids is to enroll them in an online camp on Outschool.com.
You can choose from a variety of camps, but you can also select online classes you like and create your own schedule based on your kids’ interests.
My oldest son attended their classes many times, and he really enjoys them.
If you are trying Outschool for the first time, you can use this referral link to get a $20 credit towards your first class.
3. Try these easy ways to enjoy nature with your kids this summer
Summer offers plenty of opportunities for us to spend time outside with the kids, and there are some many ways to have fun outdoors together!
Here are some easy and fun ideas to try:
- Spend a day (or even a whole weekend) at a farm.
- Spend a day in nature in a natural preserve.
- Explore our favorite nature trails. (we use this book to make the walks more interesting: Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail: What Will You Find?)
- Discover new nature trails near your home.
- Explore a new place in nature together (e.g, a new beach, mountain trail, forest close to your home).
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt (here is a printable nature scavenger hunt to download and print).
- Go to a beach close to your home early in the morning (when they are almost empty and the kids have plenty of space to run and play)
- Start a nature journal to document your nature walks (and collect small items to add to a nature basket).
- Camp in the backyard and have a fun night under the stars.
- Have a picnic at the park early in the morning, and enjoy a breakfast surrounded by nature.
- Go on a day trip close to your home and invite the kids to take pictures during the trip to document the fun family adventures.
4. Create a summer bucket list with simple activities that will bring joy to the kids {printable}
One easy way to have fun ideas at hand any time you need them is to create a summer bucket list and display it on your fridge.
Invite the whole family to come up with ideas, and try to include them in your schedule as often as possible to add more fun to your summer days.
If you need some inspiration, you can download our summer bucket list for kids. It’s packed full with easy and fun ideas to try with your little ones!
⭐ Click here to download the printable summer bucket list (plus a blank template to create your own list)
5. Set a special time every day to connect with your kids (+ ideas)
During the summer you can add more fun to the daily “mommy and me” time, focusing on what your child likes to do the most.
Here are some easy ideas:
- a week-long card game championship – You play a card game every day and keep the score in a notebook. We like to play Rat-a-Tat Cat and Sleeping Queens because they are quick and fun games.
- art journals – Start one art journal for your child and one for you and draw / paint together, while talking about your artworks.
- fun walk – If you have a coffee shop or an ice-cream shop close to your home, go on a weekly walk to the shop and get your child’s favorite treat, then enjoy it while walking around the neighborhood.
- Lego time – Some time ago, we watched “Lego Masters” on Hulu and my son came up with the idea of creating our own special project and work on them as a team. You can work on a project for several days in a row and build something interesting together (a city, a farm, a space station, etc).
- a week-long project – Do a fun project together and work on every day for a week. Depending on your child’s interests, you can try different ideas like creating artworks to decorate their room, plant a small garden (in the back yard or on the balcony), create a photo project documenting your child’s favorite things, build a nice birdhouse and decorate it, etc.
Having this regular time just for you and your child will not only bring you closer, but it will also improve their mood and make parenting easier during the summer months.
Bonus: Resources to help you keep your kids busy and happy this summer
If you need more ideas to keep kids busy this summer, check out the printable Summer Fun Kit.
It includes easy and fun ideas to try with your kids this summer, printable games and activities, and more.
⭐ Download the printable Summer Fun Kit here
If you want to keep your kids busy this summer without wasting time and energy planning out activities, check out the Summer Camp at Home activity pack.
The pack includes 8 themes to explore with your kids during the summer, with step-by-step instructions, supply lists, and weekend fun ideas to try at home.
⭐ Download the Summer Camp at Home pack here
I hope that these ideas will help you fill your children’s days with fun, build memories together, and make the most of the summer time! Have a wonderful summer!
