Take advantage of summer vacation and enjoy these family activities for summer weekends! Summer is a perfect time to take a trip, play outside, try a science experiment, or begin a new family tradition. Whether you have a pre-school kid or an elementary school child on summer break, these family fun activities will inspire creativity and feed curiosity. This children’s summer activity list has summer fun for all ages and won’t break your budget. Enjoy summer by spending quality time together and try some of these children’s activities.

Summer Activity List for Kids This Summer

Road trip to a new town and explore!

This summer activity is perfect for families with kids! Surprise your child with a trip and a gift to enjoy on the road, like My U.S.A. Road Trip personalized book! Your child will love reading a storybook featuring their name and photo, as they explore all fifty states. Personalized children’s books are perfect for road trip adventures because they can be read in the car or during breaks at a new place! Visit a city you’ve never been—maybe one or two hours away. Book a room at the hotel and explore! Small towns can offer diverse new restaurants, old buildings and monuments, scenic walks, and summer festivals. This little family adventure won’t take long but packs a ton of family fun!

Bring board games and a picnic lunch to the playground.

Combine game night with outdoor playtime. Summer fun is here! The sun is shining, and the days are longer. So it’s time to play all day! This summer children’s activity encourages kids to embrace the outdoors and spend time with the whole family. When playground time is over, kids can rest at a picnic bench and play a board game while munching on a packed lunch. Try bringing a puzzle, especially a custom puzzle, to put together. Personalized puzzles engage the whole family and help kids improve their problem-solving skills.

Read to shelter pets.

Many animal shelters offer programs where kids can read storybooks to the adoptable animals. Contact your local shelter to find out if they offer such a program or see if they allow kids to come in anytime and read. Make this visit extra special by surprising your child with a personalized storybook, with a story that’s all about them! Kids will love reading a book that features their name on the cover and throughout the story. With this summer activity, kids learn to read and have fun with animals!

Begin a tradition with pancake breakfast Sundays.

Start a new family tradition this summer and enjoy pancakes every Sunday! Kids can help make their own by adding toppings and eat them outside—on the deck, in the backyard, or on the front porch. Whether the kids are in preschool or on summer vacation, pancake Sundays bring the whole family together to make lasting memories.

Enjoy a beach day and go swimming.

Visit your local beach (lake or ocean) and bask in the sunny summer day! Kids can spend the whole day playing in the sand and swimming. If you are close enough, try bike riding to the beach—extra exercise and even more fun!

Try a summer science experiment for kids.

Help grow creative minds by trying a summer science activity for kids! There are so many awesome and easy science experiments that kids will love. Here are a couple water-based activities we recommend:

Bend Water

This summer activity is mind-bending and simple! Turn on your faucet to release a narrow stream of water. Then brush a comb through the child’s hair or rub a balloon against their hair to create static electricity. Slowly move the brush or balloon toward the water and see the water stream bend! Kids will think it’s magic—but even better, it’s science!

What is happening? The comb or balloon has extra negative electrons from the static electricity. Water is neutral, with both positive and negative particles. Positive and negative charges are attracted to each other. When you move the negatively charged object toward the water, it draws the water’s positive charge toward it—bending the water!

Freeze Water in Time

This science experiment for kids makes it look like water has frozen in place! Fill a balloon with water and tie off the end. Then cover part of the balloon with duct tape, leaving a small square of balloon uncovered. Pierce that small section of the balloon to release a jet stream of water. The water will look like it’s frozen in place coming out of the balloon!

What is happening? This optical illusion is called laminar flow. Laminar flow is when fluid layers slide in parallel, without disruption. This flow doesn’t have crossing streamlines. This is why the water appears to be perfectly still when it’s actually still moving.

DIY a toy car race track.

Simple yet creative, a race car track only requires chalk and toy cars! Kids can draw a race track down the driveway with chalk. Race your toy car and see who wins! Offer small prizes for the winners such as cookies, a bubble wand, a squishie, or a bouncy ball.

Tie-dye shirts and take family photos!

Tie-dye is a perfect way to celebrate summer. This activity lets you get messy, soak in the sun, and capture your family memories with matching shirts! Take some colorful family photos and use them for your next birthday invite or Christmas card.

Visit a farm and pet some animals!

Look for a local animal farm or petting zoo for kids that is open and following safety measures. Little ones will love feeding and touching different animals. This is great sensory play for young ones. Enjoy an engaging, interactive learning experience for kids this summer.

Resources:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/bendingwater.html

https://www.simscale.com/docs/content/simwiki/cfd/what-is-laminar-flow.html