Family Activities to Keep in Your Back Pocket this Summer

Family Activities to Keep in Your Back Pocket this Summer
(nullplus/Shutterstock)
Barbara Danza
6/12/2017
Updated:
10/8/2018

Ah, summer. It starts out so innocently, with all of its warmth and sunshine and long days with zero plans and no schedule… After a few days of a rhythm askew, however, things can start to break down.

No, worries. You’ve been down this road before and you know the key to sanity in the summer is having some easy, go-to, fun family activities in your back pocket for those time when boredom strikes, when you’ve just got to get out of the house, when plans are suddenly cancelled, when you need to shake things up, when the weather takes an unexpected turn, or when you just can’t think of what to do.

Activities like…

  • Enjoy a picnic in the park
  • Go to the movies
  • Go ice skating
  • Go roller skating
  • Go bowling
  • Paint your own pottery
  • Go on a nature walk
  • Go to the library
  • Rearrange a room
  • Blow bubbles
  • Play miniature golf
  • Make a sandcastle at the beach
  • Create with sidewalk chalk
  • Make your own ice cream
  • Set up a lemonade stand
  • Camp out in the backyard
  • Go stargazing
  • Go for a bike ride
  • Shop in town
  • Play tennis
  • Toss a frisbee
  • Collect seashells
  • Make a scrapbook
  • Play a board game
  • Jump rope
  • Tend to your garden
  • Paint
  • Make sock puppets
  • Make a movie starring your stuffed animals
  • Build with Legos
  • Make homemade play dough 
  • Make homemade pizza
  • Fly a kite
  • Go swimming
  • Run through the sprinkler
  • Visit a farmer’s market
  • Craft with cardboard boxes
  • Play at the playground
  • Play hide and seek
  • Have a living room dance party
  • Wash the car
  • Go to the museum
  • Go to the zoo
  • Go to the aquarium
  • Listen to an audiobook together
  • Read together
  • Play miniature golf
  • Go to garage sales or flea markets
  • Enjoy your family home movies
  • Have a water balloon toss
  • Organize neighborhood relay races
  • Do an outdoor science experiment
  • Make your own popsicles
  • Go bird watching
  • Visit the planetarium
  • Visit a farm
  • Play bean bag toss
  • See some fireworks
  • Go to a sporting event
  • Go to an outdoor concert
  • Tour a factory
  • Shoot some hoops
  • Visit the arcade
  • Play tic tac toe
  • Go for a drive
  • Send letters to loved ones
  • Organize a neighborhood bike wash
  • Visit an historical landmark
  • Donate unused toys
  • Build a fort
  • Let the kids cook dinner
Barbara Danza is a mom of two, an MBA, a beach lover, and a kid at heart. Here, diving into the challenges and opportunities of parenting in the modern age. Particularly interested in the many educational options available to families today, the renewed appreciation of simplicity in kids’ lives, the benefits of family travel, and the importance of family life in today’s society.
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