When your children complain that they are bored, it can be challenging to come up with fun activities to help them break out of their funk. Whether you work from home, are a stay-at-home parent, or work outside the house, you need practical ideas to keep your kids busy, particularly during the summer months. Otherwise, they may get too much screen time, which is not good for their health (mental or physical).
Check out this list of 85 things you and your kids can do to keep the boredom at bay this summer. Don’t let your children have all the fun—many of these activities are enjoyable for the entire family. So get involved!
- Ride bikes on a bike trail
- Fly a kite.
- Visit the library.
- Play mini-golf.
- Have a backyard dance party.
- Play horseshoes or ring toss.
- Go camping (even if it’s just in the backyard).
- Visit a splash park.
- Go swimming in a lake.
- Go bowling.
- Skip rocks.
- Catch fireflies.
- Spend the day at the zoo
- Have a water balloon fight.
- Build sandcastles.
- Have a hula-hoop or jump rope contest.
- Attend a local farmer’s market.
- Pick berries.
- Host a backyard game Olympics.
- Explore a state park.
- Blow bubbles.
- Go puddle jumping (and maybe sing in the rain).
- Run through a sprinkler.
- Visit the local tourist attractions in your hometown.
- Collect rocks and paint them.
- Explore wildlife on a nature walk.
- Create an obstacle course.
- Create your own garden.
- Play freeze tag.
- Go on a scavenger hunt.
- Walk-in a parade.
- Play sponge bullseye on your driveway.
- Visit a Children’s Museum or Science Museum.
- Play beanbags (aka corn hole).
- Visit multiple new parks or playgrounds.
- Roll down a hill.
- Go to the beach.
- Build a fort.
- Learn to canoe.
- Try paddle boarding.
- Take out a paddleboat.
- Create sidewalk art with chalk.
- Go to an amusement park.
- Go to a county fair.
- Film a movie.
- Tie-dye t-shirts.
- Play bouche ball.
- Jump in a bounce house.
- Put on a play.
- Feed ducks.
- Participate in a race/fun run.
- Play catch.
- Hike a trail.
- Have a relay race.
- Play hide and seek.
- Jump on a trampoline.
- Go to a waterpark.
- Climb a tree.
- Have a pillow fight.
- Build a marshmallow shooter.
- Have a potato sack race.
- Play frisbee.
- Wash a car.
- Do yard work for an elderly neighbor.
- Go geocaching.
- Play basketball.
- Play soccer.
- Birdwatching.
- Volunteer at an animal shelter.
- Tour a cave or mine.
- Build a Lego castle.
- Experiment with new hairdos.
- Get an origami book and fun paper.
- Build a fort.
- Hold marble races.
- Make a time capsule.
- Make paper airplanes.
- Play charades.
- Play a card game.
- Find a free concert new you.
- Pack a picnic.
- Make ice cream.
- Create a science experiment.
- Water balloon basketball
- Make a DIY bird feeder.