"Summers with young kids are pretty amazing—one of the many gifts of parenting is seeing your kids fall in love with the things you love, and who doesn’t love summer? Summer is a season of presence. The days are longer and the nights are warmer. You can feel the warmth from the sun on your face and cool breezes from the ocean (or the lake) in your hair. Everything feels brighter and lighter in summer, and the sweet smell of dirt on your kids is almost intoxicating.
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The best part of summer is that most of your time is spent outdoors, and there are endless opportunities for fun and learning when you’re surrounded by the elements. Even rainy days and time spent indoors feels a little freer with everyone more at ease. We put together a list of summer family activities to spark ideas to get back to nature, be present with your family, spend time outside every day, and find new ways to connect with your community this summer. Plus, we couldn’t forget some summertime staples—hello popsicles and summer cocktails. Read on for The Everymom’s Summer Bucket List of family activities.
1. Build a family-sized fort
The perfect summer (and rainy-day activity) is building a family-sized fort with the kids. Besides getting creative architecturally, once you’re done, everyone can cozy up with a favorite book, play a family-friendly board game, and more.
2. Make tie-dye shirts
Making brightly colored tie-dye shirts is a craft activity, but they’re also perfect to wear when you’re around town. Easily spot your littles in a big crowd with their DIY summer fashion statement.
3. Check out a local art installation
Check local venues for art exhibitions this summer. If it’s outdoors, all the better! For something even more extravagant, find and immersive exhibit like the Van Gogh exhibit—featured on Season 1 of Emily in Paris—or the eclectic Meow Wolf in some major cities.
4. Have a craft day
If your kids love crafts, make a whole day out of it. Make DIY summer-inspired window clings or a seashell collage to commemorate the beach trip you just went on. Display summer artwork in the house all summer long.
5. Practice mindfulness on a nature hike
Set out on a new trail or an old favorite. Point out different things to help your kids explore what’s around them with their senses. Play eye spy, talk about how different parts of the trail feels under your feet, ask them what they hear, and what they smell. Tuning into their senses can help ground them (and you) in the present moment and gain a greater appreciation for the world around them.
6. Dine under the stars
Since it gets darker later in the summer, you can have a special night with a late dinner and desserts outside. Snuggle under a blanket or near a backyard fire, look up, and enjoy the uninterrupted time together. You can even download an app on your phone to point out different constellations and notable stars.
7. Visit an amusement park
Visiting a zoo or the closest amusement park is a fun way to get out of the house for a summer adventure. Pack lunches and snacks (if the park allows it), and spend the whole day on rides and getting those steps in as a family.
8. Have a movie night and stay up late
Lazy summer days that turn into lazy summer nights are especially sweet when your little loves are cuddled against you peacefully. Whether you enjoy a movie at an outdoor park, drive-in, theater, or right at home, remember to take in your kids while they sit sleepily beside you—their scent, their touch, their sweet little fingers and toes, and the way their bodies feel against yours.
9. Join a book club at your local library
Local libraries are jam-packed with amazing summer activities—outdoor yoga, classes, movie nights, afternoon meet-and-greets with community helpers, and of course, book clubs. Most public libraries have summer book clubs for kids anywhere from babies to teenagers and these are a great way to encourage reading and exploration of literature even when school is out. Make a point to take out some books on subjects you’re unfamiliar with and have the whole family learn together.
10. Collect seashells and sort them
Collecting seashells is a tried-and-true childhood tradition, and if you’re heading to the beach this summer, this is the perfect activity for you. Collecting seashells not only gives little ones a bit of focus on an otherwise carefree day, but examining the shells also opens up a conversation about wildlife, specific creatures, and environmental conservation. Sorting these shells or even painting them on future rainy days can bring those topics to light once again.
11. Go on a scavenger hunt
Whether you’re visiting an amusement park for the day, going on a summer road trip, or trekking through an outdoor hike, make whatever you’re doing into a scavenger hunt. In fact, it can be as simple as making a list or printing out pictures of common things the whole family will see.
12. Host a lemonade stand for charity
Lemonade stands are an awesome way to get kids involved in giving back to the community while introducing them to social concepts like business and customer service. Host a lemonade stand (or bake sale) for a local charity important to your family, or contribute to a larger cause.
13. Make your own popsicles
What kid (or adult) doesn’t love popsicles? Collect fresh fruit from the farmers’ market and experiment with textures and flavors. This is an experiment that is messy, sticky, and delicious—AKA, perfect for summer. Parents, we won’t tell if you make your pops out of frosé.
14. Have a backyard balloon fight
Nothing says summertime more than involving anything that has to do with water. Why not have a balloon fight in the backyard? When you just don’t want it to end, consider using reusable water balloons to keep the fun going all afternoon long.
15. Deck out the kiddie pool
When you need to cool down, dip your toes in a backyard or balcony kiddie pool. Add a slide, put the sprinkler nearby to simulate a splash pad, add new toys, or pretend to go fishing. If you’re feeling really inspired, hop on the stock tank pool trend. Consider getting in on the fun too, because what kid doesn’t love splashing their parents?
16. Celebrate Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a very meaningful day in our nation’s history—but it’s not one that been often talked about. If you haven’t celebrated Juneteeth in the past, it’s not too late to learn about the day when, two full years after the Emancipation Proclamation, word reached the last people enslaved in the United States that they were free. Celebrating Juneteenth can be another way to continue important conversations about race with your kids.
17. Have a take-out picnic
Help support your favorite local restaurant and have a take-out picnic. Pack a blanket, pick up your curbside order, and head to a nearby park (or back home) to enjoy a meal outside.
18. Make a sidewalk chalk mural
The start of summer calls for a new set of sidewalk chalk. The best thing about chalk is that once the rain comes, you have a clean slate for endless sidewalk masterpieces. Have everyone draw their favorite thing about the season, what they’re excited for, or simply just create!
19. Plant bee-friendly flowers
We all know the bee population is at risk, but what you may not know is that you can do your part in helping to bring them back. There are many common flowers you can plant in your garden (or windowsill planters) to help encourage bee life, including herbs like oregano, rosemary, and mint you can use for summer dinners. Plus, explaining why bees are important to our environment and food growth will help your little ones learn to not be afraid of bees and how to stay safe around them.
20. Make a summer recipe with ingredients from your garden (or the farmer’s market)
As if you can’t get enough, summer berry dishes are a must-have throughout the season. But there are plenty of other summer recipe ideas, like homemade salsa, tomato caprese, or a fresh pasta salad. You could even make yourself a summer cocktail or mocktail with seasonal ingredients like strawberries or watermelon muddled with mint.
21. Go fruit picking
Round out your summer bucket list with a seasonal staple. Depending on which area of the country you’re in, there are a variety of fruit farms that are open for picking during the warmer months. Little ones love picking (and eating while picking) the fresh summer fruit, and you’ll have plenty left over to make some delicious jam for the rest of the year.
22. Go to an outdoor concert
Grab a few folding chairs, a picnic blanket, and head to an outdoor concert this season. If it’s a kid-friendly show, it’ll be so fun to watch the kiddos dance and enjoy the music. If not, enjoy a date night with your partner or get together a group of friends.
23. Camp in the backyard
Planning an extravagant camping trip can be fun, but you don’t have to go camping in the middle of the forest for it to be great. Because the great outdoors can be right in your own backyard. Pitch tents, roll out the sleeping bags, and tell campfire stories while making s’mores.
24. Find a new outdoor park
Because who doesn’t love a new park? Go on an adventure and visit a new park with the kids. Adding a new jungle gym or a new splash pad to the list of your summer go-to spots is always a plus. Something new and fresh will have the fam wanting to go back time and time again.
25. Make a summer time capsule
Commemorate the summer by putting together a family summer time capsule. Grab a favorite photo from the season, a theme park ticket, or a summer art piece, and place it into a box. If everyone is up for it, take some time to have each family member reflect on what makes that summer relic special. Then you can open the capsule up at the start of the next summer and remember all the fun you had as a family.
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
Kathy Sisson has been a key contributor in the editorial parenting space for eight years, not only as a full-time editor at The Everymom but previously as a freelance writer for top parenting sites, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Parent Co., and more. As an editor at The Everymom, she has produced hundreds of articles on a range of parenting topics, reviewed dozens of family-focused products, interviewed leading experts in the children and parenting world, and created viral parenting social media content. A mom of two, she is committed to sharing the honest, helpful, and often humorous stories of motherhood.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.