42 days of summer can seem quite daunting, so here’s a few tips for having a wonderful summer of fun…
Plan
- Plan lots of activities and days out from craft, to outdoor play, to games , to picnics.
- Use pinterest, it is my personal biggest sanity saver!
- Write a summer bucket list of all the activities/places to visit you’d like to do/see. I love my bucket list as it means I always have ideas and inspiration up my sleeve, for all those rainy days and times when we are in desperate need of some boredom busters.
- You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good time, there are loads of free things to do.
Free Play
- Allow plenty of time for free play, both with the kids and where the children can play on their own, it is good for them and allows parents some breathing space.
- Have a few chill out days too.
- Try not to over plan, or it can seem like the kids are still at school.
Encourage Helpfulness
- Encourage the children to help out around the house, this assists you with the chores and also allows you, as a parent to spend more quality time with the kids.
- Examples: washing the car together, cooking dinner, hanging out the washing. These are all things my children have been enjoying this summer. I’m sure there are loads your kids could help with, whilst having fun at the same time, depending on their age.
42 Ideas for Free Summer Fun
- Walks
- Nature walks
- Scavenger hunts (use pinterest to print off a hunt before you go)
- Parks
- Water play
- Bubbles
- Ball games
- Cycling
- Scooters
- Building dens
- Bug hunts
- Picnics
- Cooking
- Making potions
- Making pictures with nature
- Chalking
- Paddling pool
- Painting
- Ice play
- Tree climbing
- Splash about on a boat
- Playdoh
- Dancing
- Practice handstands, cart wheels, roll polys
- Rolling down a hill
- Muddy puddle jumping
- Splash/swim in the sea
- Beach play
- Go geocaching
- Craft with nature
- Do a reading challenge
- Fly a kite
- Board games
- Have a water fight
- Invite friends to play
- Make a teepee
- Do some simple science experiments
- Make a your own sports day
- Try some messy play with shaving foam
- Camp out for the night
- Stay up late one night for a spot of star gazing
- Keep a journal
This summer we have been having so much fun together as a family it’s difficult to include it all. We have been on the beach, splashing in the sea, splashing about in dinghy’s, crab fishing, making a waterfall wall, having paddling pool fun, riding bikes and scooters, going on walks, crafting, cooking and having many many picnics, just to name some of the fun!
See Also
I love your free summer fun list. Geocaching is something which we had a go at for the first time, last week, but we found it so hard! we only found 2 out of the 5 caches before the kids were deflated. Definitely going to try to find a new route because I absolutely love the concept of it, getting outdoors and its free! x
Great list’ think we’ve covered quite a few activities on there as well.
We’ve actually had a pretty laid back summer without too much organised for the boys and no proper holiday away. I was worried that the dreaded “B” word would loom upon us but to be honest it just hasn’t happened. But we are so lucky to have so much open space for the boys to explore and a regular supply of children staying in the gite to play with. Looks like you have fun though and a good balance of activities!
Some fab ideas in here – plenty to keep the wee ones entertained during the summer! #letkidsbekids