What Are We Doing All Summer? 100 Easy Ideas for Kids + Free Printable

Trying to keep kids entertained all summer without turning it into a full-time job? Same.

Some days you’ve got energy and ideas. Other days it’s 10:07 a.m. and someone is already saying, “I’m bored.”

So here are 100 actually doable summer ideas, no overthinking required. Bookmark it, save it, grab the printable, and come back whenever summer starts feeling a little too long.

Need a few more easy wins?

• Browse our Summer Camp Guide
• Check this week’s Events Calendar
• Find out what businesses are offering report card freebies

⭐ Look for the starred ideas — those link to extra crafts, activities, printables, or inspiration to make summer even easier.

At-Home Fun

When you’re tired but still need a win.

1. Build a cozy blanket fort and stay in it as long as possible
2. ⭐ Make homemade fruit popsicles
3. Turn your living room into a DIY drive-in movie night
4. Put on a sock puppet show with the silliest voices possible
5. Have an upside-down day where everything feels a little backwards
6. Host a paper airplane contest — farthest flight wins
7. ⭐ Make ice cream in a bag
8. Try a mystery box challenge using only what’s inside
9. Turn cardboard boxes into robots, castles, cars, or whatever kids dream up
10. Create space-themed art
11. Paint with water on the sidewalk
12. Set up a family taste test challenge
13. Learn one simple magic trick and perform it after dinner
14. Invent a board game your whole family has to play
15. Put on a shadow puppet show
16. Make friendship bracelets
17. Write the world’s silliest family song
18. Learn one origami trick and teach it to someone else
19. Set a timer and build a LEGO masterpiece. sponsored Get inspired.
20. Let your kids plan one hour of the day

Backyard & Outdoor Fun

When everyone needs fresh air and maybe to burn off some energy.

21. Make a backyard “water park” with sprinklers, buckets, and whatever you have
22. Go on a backyard bug hunt — bonus points for the weirdest find
23. ⭐ Build a fairy house
24. Turn your driveway into a giant chalk mural
25. Have a backyard campout, even if everyone comes inside by bedtime
26. Create a mud kitchen and let them get messy
27. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
28. Build a stick raft and see if it actually floats
29. Create a nature art gallery
30. Host a fancy backyard tea party
31. Trace shadows with chalk and check how they change
32. ⭐ Build a homemade bird feeder
33. Paint kindness rocks and hide them around town
34. Create leaf crowns
35. Have a sponge water fight
36. Set up a “toy car wash” outside
37. Plant something and make it your summer project to keep alive
38. Make a bug hotel
39. Fly kites or try making your own
40. Watch the sunset together
41. Try a giant bubble experiment
42. ⭐ Go on a Color Hunt

Get Out of the House

When you just need to go somewhere without overthinking it.

43. Try a new playground and rate it like critics
44. Visit a LEGO store sponsored (Find one near you)
45. Pack a “whatever’s in the fridge” picnic and eat outside
46. Play at a splash pad
47. Browse books and let everyone pick a new read
48. ⭐ Join a summer reading challenge
49. Listen to live music outdoors
50. Watch a movie outside
51. Let your kids pick one thing to try at the farmer’s market
52. Do a photo scavenger hunt
53. Find and swap a book at a Little Free Library
54. ⭐ Try geocaching
55. Go on a nature hike and play “I Spy”
56. Volunteer as a family
57. Drive somewhere random and explore like tourists
58. Check out a community event
59. Spend a low-key day near water
60. Bring chalk somewhere and create surprise sidewalk art
61. Ride bikes somewhere new
62. ⭐ Do a random act of kindness
63. Visit a place in your town you always forget about

Memory-Making Moments

These are the little things that tend to stick.

64. Write and mail a handwritten letter
65. Create a summer scrapbook
66. Make a time capsule
67. Stay up late and stargaze, even if it’s just for 10 minutes
68. Lay in the grass and find shapes in the clouds
69. Pick wildflowers
70. Bring books outside and make it a quiet hour
71. Set up a lemonade stand
72. Have a family game night
73. Swap toys with friends
74. Host a backyard talent show
75. Make a “yes day” list — within reason
76. Take a sunset walk
77. Make DIY bubble wands
78. ⭐ Have a no-screens day
79. Create the official family summer playlist
80. Take the most ridiculous family photos you can
81. Make a “best day ever” checklist

Rainy Day Saves

Bookmark this section. You’ll need it when everything falls apart by 10 a.m.

82. ⭐ Clean a penny with a simple science experiment
83. Turn your house into an indoor obstacle course
84. Play balloon tennis — no furniture is safe
85. Make a “restaurant” at home and let kids be the chefs and servers
86. Blast music and have a freeze dance party
87. Do a cup stacking challenge
88. Play charades
89. Set up indoor bowling
90. Have an indoor snowball fight with socks or crumpled paper
91. Play “What’s in the bag?”
92. Create tape roads for toy cars
93. Put on a mini talent show
94. Pick a puzzle and don’t stop until it’s done
95. ⭐ Make an exploding “volcano”
96. Make slime or a sensory bin
97. Read aloud together
98. Have a themed movie day
99. Bake something simple and let kids do most of it
100. Create something from recyclables

One more thing: You don’t have to do all 100

Some days are big. Some days are just popsicles and a movie. Both count.

The goal isn’t to fill every minute. It’s just to make these summer days feel a little more fun ... for all of you. Get your free summer bucket list printable now→