Fun summer activities

Whether your child is at summer camp, child care, or at home during these hot summer days, it’s always good to have some inspiration for activities to keep them busy! There are so many great ideas on the internet to take inspiration from, but the following activities involve things you can find in your house (for the most part, anyway).

Water balloon hunt/fight

This one is going to have to take place outside, so I hope that you have the facilities to do this or don’t mind your home getting flooded!

A quick disclaimer: I know that water balloons aren’t good for the environment, but why not talk to your little ones about this and make sure that all the balloons are collected once your activity is finished? It’s a good “cool down” activity and teaches children the importance of looking after the environment and being responsible.

Don’t fear, my environmentally-conscious friends! There are other ways to counter this too. I have seen a lot of biodegradable water balloons on sale which don’t need to be collected once the water fun has finished. You could also use water pistols or sponges rather than balloons. For example: firing, scrunching, and soaking sponges is also a great activity to strengthen those fine motor skills.

Active games are always a lot of fun but not always a great idea when the weather is super-hot. To combat the heat, just add some water! I’ve rarely met a child who didn’t love games with water and getting messy 😊

Educational games

Sensory obstacle courses might need a little more planning, but they can provide a lot of fun for children of all ages. 

What is a sensory obstacle course, you ask? This is a trail where children walk over/on different materials barefoot. This is more fun to do outside and when children are barefoot so they can experience the different textures and feelings of each sensory item.

Some ideas of things to use are; ice (again, let’s be careful), warm water, cold water, water with bubbles, grass, pebbles, scrunched up paper, and more! There can be areas where children have to walk or where they need to use their hands to feel the different materials.

This is a fun activity for all children and helps teach them to follow instructions, but it is especially good for children who have sensory difficulties as this can help them to experience textures in a fun way.

Melting ice

Melting ice is always a favourite amongst children, in my experience. Experimenting, making a mess, trial and error, all these factors make this a fun and educational activity for preschoolers.

It’s necessary to pre-freeze your water into shapes and colours that you want and then prepare – or not – the different materials you’re going to use to melt the ice. If the children are older or more independent, you may not need to provide the materials for them as they can decide what to use themselves. 

Some good things to have on hand are warm water, salt, or a fan. I once had a child who insisted on blowing on their ice to see how long it took it to melt (it took a long time).

Making homemade boats

Making homemade boats is a good activity for children to understand the concept of float vs sink. In the home or child care facility, numerous items can be used to make boats. For the creative among us; toilet roll tubes, empty boxes, and a lick of paint can make great – albeit perishable – boats. Otherwise, why not use a yoghurt pot or a milk carton, or maybe a plastic bottle? Inspiration below:

Not only does this activity pass time and entertain our young friends at home, outside, or at preschool, it also is a great creative outlet and problem-solving activities stem from it (what floats v what doesn’t).

Bingo

Bingo is quite possibly my favourite outdoor educational game and it is really easy to make yourself. Our small friends can even help with the preparation. All you need is a square of paper or card to make a grid on and an idea of the environment you’d like to use. I’ve made bingo cards for indoor and outdoor activities and have always had a lot of fun with them.

If you’re inside (depending on the age of the child/children that you’re with) you could put hard to find items on the bingo card which adds a “hide and seek” element to the activity.

Depending on your outside environment, it’s important to make sure that the items on the bingo card aren’t too difficult to find and you can even have rewards ready when all the items have been ticked off.

I always make one each for the children, but they often work together to find different items.

Summer science

Magic milk experiments are really easy to do and children can get fully involved as there are no harmful materials. All you need for this one is some food colouring, milk, and dish soap.

More summer science

Skittles Is another fun and simple summer science activity for all ages. This one just requires a packet of skittles, warm water, and a container to pour water from.

I actually tried this one with Smarties/Lentilky as well but the results weren’t quite as pleasing for the eyes:

Fun summer activities

What did you think of these summer activities? Let me know if you tried them out and what success you had. I’d love to hear your results and if you’ve any other fun and easy summer activities!