30 Easy Summer Activities for the Kids

Now that summer has finally arrived it's time to relax and enjoy a nice cool beverage in the sun - unless you have children. Every parent knows how hard it is to constantly entertain their kids, even more so now that play dates and summer camps are not as prominent.

Let's keep our kids busy (and happy) with easy-to-prep summer activities; you can keep them occupied with DIY crafts, and get their creativity flowing or you can try staging some backyard games and lawn games, and see if you can coax out their natural competitive natures. You can put out some outdoor toys and hope they play long enough for them to get their vitamin D fixes. And you can try these fun, warm-weather activities that combine a little bit of all of the above.

Below I have listed 30 easy summer activities to keep our young ones active and off their electronic devices.

1. Cactus Rock Garden - paint some rocks green with white thorns then gluing on some googly eyes can be quite entertaining to create. Plus, scouting for rocks gives you an excuse to go on an outdoor adventure.
2. Squirt Gun Painting - this art project may turn into an epic water gun fight, but that's why washable paint exists. It's perfect for the kidos who don't think regular painting is interesting enough.
3. Colour Coded Scavenger Hunt - a scavenger hunt that only requires scribbling in differed colours on a piece of paper? Sign me up!
4. Critter Crudités - is it just me or do you find your kid constantly needs snacks in the summer? Combining snack time with a cute craft kills two birds with one stone, keeping them entertained and fed.
5. Crepe Paper Gardens - it's amazing what a simple pattern, some double-sided crepe paper and floral wire can do - summer blooms come and go but these paper bouquets are forever.
6. Pool Noodle Obstacle Course - you don't even need a pool to have fun with pool noodles. The little ones can crawl through, jump over, and slide under their own obstical course at home.
7. Ice Cream in a Bag - toss a few ingredients in a Ziploc bag, make sire it's totally sealed, and hand it over to the kids. They can shake it for about 10 minutes and then *voila* ice cream for everyone. It tastes better if you make them work for it. (Get the recipe here)
8. Cotton Ball Painting - if you hate rinsing off brushes with endless layers of caked on paint, this cotton ball and clothespin project is perfect for your kids' summer play time. Just toss when they're done! (Get the tutorial here)
9. Spiky Sponge - when the weather gets hot, make "spiky sponges", fill them with water and let them fly! They are a little less messy to clean up than water balloons (and they're reusable too). (Get the tutorial here)
10. Sidewalk Splat Painting - the driveway is simply a canvas for neon artwork (and a playground for the little ones). The secret: you full the balloons with sidewalk chalk. (Get the tutorial here)
11. Moon Sand - this three-ingredient "sand" - made with corn starch, coconut oil, and food colouring - is super soft, moldable, and long-lasting. Just be sure to put down a plastic sheet (it's messy!) before you let the kids have it. (Get the recipe here)
12. Bubble Blower Painting - blowing bubbles and painting are two fun summer activities that kids already love. Why not combine them? (Get the tutorial here)
13. Watermelon Volcano - put a summertime twist on the classic baking-soda-and-vinegar volcano by using a water melon as the base! (Get the tutorial here)
14. Fruit & Yogurt Swirl Pops - who needs the ice cream truck? These so-sweet bars get their classic shape from popsical molds and their creaminess from vanilla yogurt. (Get the recipe here)
15. Fingerprint Painting Pineapple - for your young ones who haven't yet mastered their brush techniques, finger-painting crafts are the way to go. This cute thumb-print pineapple turns their hand prints into a summertime treat. (Get the tutorial here)
16. Star Crystals - these pipe-cleaner stars are sure to wow kids - just be sure to make it clear that they are not rock candy. And reminder: whenever working with Borax, do an allergy test and keep an eye on young kids. (Get the tutorial here)
17. Chalk Ice - this is a cool, fun project and a way to use up all the remnants of old pieces of sidewalk chalk. Tip: if you wet the sidewalk first, the ice chalk works better. (Get the tutorial here)
18. Beach Ball Bath Bombs - rinse off salt and sand with beach-inspired bath bombs, they just might help to get the kids in and out of the bath on those long summer nights. (Get the tutorial here)
19. Ice Painting - your toddler will be fascinated watching the colour and water mix. Looking for another twist on this idea? Put some food colouring in some of the cubes before you freeze them. (Get the tutorial here)
20. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches - skip the cookies and sandwich ice cream between two decadent layers of cookie dough (egg-free, of course) instead. (Get the tutorial here)
21. Dinosaur Track Flip-Flops - stage your own Jurassic Park and have your little dinos heave their footprints on a piece of butcher paper. Experiment with different shapes and colours. (Get the tutorial here)
22. Bird Feeder - recycle snack-time orange rinds with this bird feeder DIY. The birds will love the citrus just as much as the seeds. (Get the tutorial here)
23. Shrink Film Suncatchers - if you're an 80s kid, you might still think of shrink film as Shrinky Dinks: you colour them in, heat them up, and watch them shrink. Later, you can hang your colourful creating in your window to catch the light. (Get the tutorial here)
24. DIY Bouncy Balls - pro tip: after making your bouncy balls, let them sit 10-20 minutes before trying them out, they'll bounce higher. (Get the tutorial here)
25. Personal S'more Pots - no fire pit? No problem. Line terracotta planter pots with foil and charcoal and set up individual s'more roasting stations. Mix it up with different flavors of s'mores. (Get the tutorial here)
26. Watermelon Tie Due Beach Towel - chances are, you have some old towels lying around. Upcycle them into summertime beach towels with this tie-dye activity. (Get the tutorial here)
27. Treasure Rocks - this project is a two-in-one, kids have to scavenge for rocks before the painting phase. Then, they can keep some of the outdoors in their rooms.
28. Pool Noodle Car Wash - hoses, PVC pipes and pool noodles transform into a kiddie car wash that's endless summer fun on hot days. You may even want to run through to spray yourself. (Get the tutorial here)
29. Marshmallow Buildings - encourage budding architects to shoot for the skyscraper heights with only two materials - toothpicks and marshmallows. See where their natural engineering skills take them.
30. Ultimate Metallic Blue Slime - the slime trend is showing no signs of slowing down. You can switch up the colour - try yellow food dye and rainbow glitter! - some something a little more summery. (Get the tutorial here)

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