50 (Mostly Free) Summer Activities for Kids of All Ages
73In the movie The Interpreter, Nicole Kidman’s character, Silvia Brown, is having a drink with Tobin Keller, played by Sean Penn. She tells him that “farm kids will do anything” to keep from being bored.
“Mostly they fight. I read. My brother was into lists. How many times our mother said the ‘F’ word. Countries with the most advantageous ratio of males to females. Odd animal facts.”
I tend to be a list maker myself. Here is my list of fun activities for the summer, many of which are FREE!
(A word of advice: Don’t ruin your summer fun. Drink lots of water, apply frequently a sunscreen with a high SPF number and spend the hottest hours of the day inside.)
Lawn and court games
There are lots of different types of outdoor games. You can arrange pick-up games and play for fun or set up a tournament and play for kitschy trophies.
1. croquet
2. bocce ball
3. badminton
4. tennis
5. volleyball
6. softball
7. whiffle ball
8. horseshoes
9. washers
Water activities
Sometimes you can find several of the following activities all in one place (can you say “Lucky me?”)
1. swimming – in a pond, pool, creek, ocean – whatever gets you wet and keeps you cool!
2. Sunbathing (don’t forget the sunscreen!)
3. waterskiing
4. rafting
5. kayaking
6. canoeing
7. wading in a creek or pond
8. looking for tadpoles
9. fishing
10. piloting bumper boats
11. running under a sprinkler
12. snorkeling
Outside fun
Summer is a time to be outside to enjoy the feel of warm breezes blowing and the sun on your face. Try one of these fun activities.
1. play tag
2. play mumbly peg
3. play hide-n-seek
4. go to a drive-in (yes, there are still some around)
5. build a tree house
6. build a fort
7. catch fireflies
8. play miniature golf
9. go for a walk
10. ride a bike
11. have a picnic with friends and family
12. plan a family reunion
13. go camping
14. go to the state or county fair
15. go to the zoo and make faces at the monkeys
16. go to a water park
17. rappel off the side of a cliff
18. bungee jump
19. take a hike
Inside fun
When it’s just too darn hot to be outside for longer than it takes to walk from the air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned car, try the following activities.
1. play “Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?”
2. play I Spy
3. snuggle with your child and read a book
4. have a movie marathon night (or afternoon), replete with snacks, intermission and a cartoon to start it all off
5. play board and card games
6. visit Mall of America, the world's largest indoor shopping mall
7. visit a museum
8. bake cookies or cupcakes
9. play video or computer games
10. go to the library and participate in one of its summer programs
BONUS!
But the very best thing to do in summer is.……..NOTHING!!
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Yeah, that's probably a grown-up thing, most kids don't nap until they're so tuckered out they crash. Thanks for stopping by to read.
Great list and my favorite was the last photo of the little boy doing "nothing" in a hammock! Love the fact that a lot of these things are free. Also liked the opening paragraphs. Voted up, useful and awesome and interesting.
This is a great list, Danette! Thanks for sharing your ideas. You've also introduced me to some new games - I've never heard of whiffle ball, washers or mumbly peg before! Voted useful.
Thanks HBN and AliciaC. That little boy is actually Denise's grandson. He's been featured in some of the pictures in her hubs. He is quite a doll!
AliciaC - mumbly peg is actually a knife game and I loved playing it as a kid. Still remember the whole sequence. People think we're crazy to play it but it isn't dangerous, really and lots of fun.
Danette, I LOVE this list and want to do more, more, more! LOL Hey, I'll take you on with a game of mumbly peg right now, heehee. Or, horseshoes, (love those) or bocci ball-I know YOU love that.
Great hub-voted up and across. I love the photos btw. Nice display of the family.
Denise, if you were here right now or I there, I would definitely challenge you. And probably win! (so there, LOL)
Hey Dannette I'm gonna see if I can do 10 of the 50 this summer, I'm still a kid at heart.
Voted up and awesome just like you
Great list! I think that we've already done a lot of those this summer but I'll have to see what else we can check off that list. It's a rare moment to see Marco doing "nothing!"
Manthy, if you do manage to do 10 of the items listed here, you'll have to come and let me know what they were and how you liked them. Or better yet, write a hub on it!
Cara -- That pic of Marco is cute, isn't it. It's so easy to do many of these when you have little ones around, that's for sure!
50 is a long list and you made it! Interesting and useful hub!
Thanks Lyricallor, it was fun coming up with the list. I hope you'll try some of these activities if you haven't already!
Great list, Danette! I especially like number 15 "go to the zoo and make faces at the monkeys". ;) By the way, that's not just for kids to do. lol.
J Yoder - it's good to act like a kid sometimes though - keeps us young and stress free! Glad you liked the list.
Phil Plasma 10 months ago
This is an amazing list, the only thing missing is nap.
Or maybe napping is more something an adult would want to do.