120 Fun & Easy Summer Activities For Kids Near Me (To Beat Boredom)

Summer Fun Kid Activities to Banish Boredom

I love summer with the kids, but they repeat three little words so often that by July, I’ve got an involuntary eye twitch.

Summer activities for kids

Can you guess them? I wonder if they drive you nuts too.

“Mom, I’m bored” – said in a ridiculously whiny, nasal voice. 

I swear they use an entirely different set of vocal cords when saying these things! Ugh, my eye is twitching right now. Just thinking about it!

So what can we do to keep these terrible words at bay? Fun & easy summer activities for the kids of course!

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fun & easy summer activities for kids near me; things to do in the summer; oudoor

Whether it’s during the day, weeknights, or weekends we could all use some extra ideas to keep the screens away.

Additionally, all of these are cheap, easy to do, and easy to clean up. Because mama doesn’t have time to clean up lots of messes!

120 Fun & Easy Summer Activities Your Kids Will Love

And finally, the activities below are split up into 6 sections so that you can go to the list that feels right for what you need that day.

Out and About Summer Activities for Kids Near Me

boy feeding animals at zoo

Some days, we just NEED to get out of the house! But, I need it to be easy, and I usually don’t want to spend much money! These activities do the trick!

1. Visit a park. Bring a picnic!

2. Visit a splash park

3. Go camping

4. Go bowling

5. Play at Chik Fil A for lunch or snack

6. Have a reading picnic in a fun new place

7. Take a night walk or bike ride

8. Go to the library (Record books on a printable summer reading log)

9. Go fishing with dad

10. Visit a relative or friend

11. Go out to eat – meet a family member for lunch one day!

12. Run errands that need to be done anyways

13. Walk around the mall

14. Go to the pool

15. Try a discounted summer movie

16. Go to the free lunch that’s offered to families in the summer

17. Grab the free breakfast at Chik Fil A. We like to check it out and watch people that are dressed up!

18. Try some library classes. We’ve done cereal robots, book camping, and lego challenges there.

19. Schedule playdates with friends and neighbors

20. Visit the local farmstead

21. Go to a state park: camping, cabin, beach

(See: free kids camping packing checklist, and free beach scavenger hunts)

22. Visit the zoo

23. Visit a nature park

24. Go to the local drive-in movie theater

25. Stop at a garage sale and let the kids bring their money

26. Visit the fair. Our county fair takes place in August.

27. Go to the local arboretum

28. Walk a 5k together

29. Do a free craft at the local children’s learning store (Lakehouse Learning is wonderful!)

30. Spend a night in a hotel (not cheap, but if we have no vacations planned, the kids LOVE it!)

31. Go to a local sporting venue (baseball, soccer, etc)

32. Have a sunset picnic at a park (find more picnic date ideas for families)

33. Try a Whole Foods cooking class

34. Visit one of our local Scheels/Bass Pro/Cabellas to play and watch fish!

35. Go to a concert or movie in the park

36. Listen to storytime at the library

37. Go to the Farmers Market and play on the playground

38. Do a “Me and Mini Me” Swim at the local community center

39. Walk to our local coffee shop and play games

Outside Fun Things To Do At Home

painting kindness rocks

If the weather is decent, these easy summer activities for kids will take advantage of it! Often, these are my favorite because we’re out in the sunshine, yet it isn’t a commitment to pack up the whole crew.

40. Play in the backyard: catch bugs, etc.

41. Blow bubbles or do poppers

42. Draw a chalk picture on the driveway

43. Clean up the nearby trail/playground

44. Fly a kite

45. Do some garden work

46. Play a sport: soccer, frisbee, baseball outside

47. Get out the squirt guns

48. Take an evening or full moon walk

49. Do a firepit with friends

50. Have a family bike ride

51. Walk to the local elementary school playground

52. Have a water balloon fight

53. Look through the telescope

54. Collect things on a walk to turn into an art or craft project

55. Paint rocks

56. Pick wildflowers

57. Water the rocks and plants

58. Play in water! Get out the sprinkler, slip in slide, water table

59. Walk up to school and exchange a book in the library swap box

Activity-Based Summer Learning For Kids

fun summer activities for kids, learning; child with eggs

Summer is the BEST time to teach kids important skills because we all have a little extra time! So, don’t forget to utilize the extra moments!

What do you want to teach your kids this summer? Try out these fun learning activities!

60. Follow a simple recipe and have kids measure out ingredients

61. Do a craft project with random craft items: googly eyes, pipe cleaners, felt, etc. (find craft books for kids)

62. Color in stained glass coloring books for kids and put them up everywhere – We love THIS pack, (1 for each gender)

summer activities for kids: markers

63. Draw a city on a huge piece of paper

64. Create a unique recipe

65. Build something with dad

66. Count out money and talk about money management. Open a bank account or do some comparison shopping!

67. Make something out of recycling (Example: Can you make something that holds pencils and is also a musical instrument?)

68. Make something to give to someone: cards, muffins, gifts, etc.

69. Do some problem-solving – what would you do if ___? (you have mud on your shoes, you step in poop, you go to buy something but you don’t have enough money….) practice different scenarios and critical thinking.

70. Paint with objects (twigs, rocks, legos, etc)

71. Try super easy science experiments. We love baking soda and vinegar!

72. Do puzzles and mazes, or make a maze for someone to solve

73. Create a play or a story and act it out

74. Match alphabet spoons or locks. We received this as a gift several years ago, and it has kept ALL of my kids busy for HOURS (even the older one).

locks make great kids summer fun activities near me

75. Make bracelets or necklaces with beads

76. Make a scene with dinosaurs and rocks

77. Color or paint a new picture of something you see

78. Make a picture or words with magnets on the fridge

79. Do a simple sensory box or have crunchy time by smashing uncooked noodles in a tub

Related Post: 37 Ways to Become More Playful

Rainy Day Activities for Kids in Summer

On rainy days or as it gets hotter, I’m always looking for things to do in the summer while the kids are stuck inside. Truthfully, it becomes increasingly easy to let them spend time on screens!

fruit and vegetable riddles

Also, these are an extension of the activity-based learning activities above, but they can do more of them on their own.

80. Play with playdoh

81. Make jello – It’s on our summer fun bucket list!

82. Have an indoor storytime picnic

83. Read books in a fun new place or our reading corner (see books for 3 year olds to read)

84. Play a game: ex. Hide & seek, Uno, Old Maid, Pass The Message Game

85. Make a fort

86. Make an obstacle course

87. Have someone over for dinner

88. Do brain breaks or a dance party. We LOVE cosmic kids yoga!

89. Have a pillow fight or tickle fight

90. Find stuff to donate

91. Build a cardboard castle with appliance boxes

92. Learn some riddles to tell

93. Have a tea party with a friend

94. Invite others over for a playdate

95. Build paper airplanes

96. Learn some magic tricks

97. Build something: legos, Lincoln logs, etc.

98. Make noodle necklaces

99. Pour water into different types of containers (in the bathtub)

100. Make a marble run

101. Ask fun summer questions!

102. Have an open mic with funny jokes and puns (find a great joke book for your kids!)

103. Read a new book about summer

104. Listen to a new podcast (We love Curious Kid Podcast)

105. Complete a directed drawing

106. Play Battleship

107. Have a kids trivia challenge!

108. Create a kids vision board

109. Join a reading challenge! (Find more books for your child’s age to keep them entertained.)

Related Post: 75 Epic Activities for Kids at Home

Fun Summer Activities for Teens

Finally, get your teen out of their room and participate in some fun summer activities too. Let them invite a friend to make these summer activities more fun.

teens outside

110. Experiment with origami

111. Start a scrapbook or journal (or a fun reading journal)

112. Have an at-home spa day

113. Redecorate their bedroom (let them paint!)

114. Challenge your teen to trivia questions for their age

115. Use these fun questions to get your teen to talk more

116. Pick a debate topic to learn about and then hold a debate

117. Make a new playlist (and try introducing them to some music you love)

118. Try a new activity (frisbee golf, rock wall climbing or photography)

119. Invent a signature sandwich or pizza

120. Learn to play the ukulele (or some other instrument)

Try Bored Sticks

easy summer fun kid activities, sticks to beat boredom

Lastly, two out of my three kids are to the age where I should not be entertaining them all of the time.

So, I put many of these easy summer activities on craft sticks to pull out when they inevitably tell me they’re bored.

summer fun kid activities sticks

If they don’t want to do an activity from the jar, they can do a chore instead. That usually works!

fun summer activities for teens and kids near me; things to do in the summer

Watch The Video For How We Make a Summer Bucket List + Ideas

To Consider with Summer Fun Activities Near Me

I hope this list helps you as much as it does me. Keep it handy through July and August for a little boredom inspiration.

What would you add? What fun and easy summer activities for kids do you love to do?

Check out these other summer fun kid posts:

Things To Do In The Summer for Kids & Teens

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