Summer time is coming!  Are you looking for new, fresh ideas of things to do with your children this summer?

Then you are in the right place, Mama.  Here are nineteen summer time fun ideas for children and parents that are not your typical go to the park and splash pad, swim in the pool, go to the library, sign them up for camp, ideas even though all of those are fantastic. 

These summer time fun ideas you can do at home with little to no cost using what you already have in your house.  Let’s keep the fun, creativity, and peace in your summer time with your kids.

SUMMER TIME FUN IDEAS

Fort, Tepee, Tent Making

This is a classic idea but so much fun for rainy days, quiet reading or creative writing fun, or nap time in the afternoon.   

Scavenger Hunts

Make up scavenger hunts by writing up clues on paper.   Be detectives and hide a fun surprise for when they uncover the last clue.

In my Goodbye, Boring.  Hello, Homeschool Fun and Eager Learners Episode 50, there are general scavenger hunt clues already created for you that will work in your home.  Just print them off and away you go with your scavenger hunt. 

There are 25 activity and game ideas included in the this Goodbye, Boring. Hello, Homeschool Fun and Eager Learners video and free guide.  You can use these fun game time ideas with or without school workbook pages.  It is a print and play resource with no extra prep needed on your part.

Seek and Find

Seek and find is also a fun idea.  Hide items that they need to find or everyone hides and one person finds.

Family Story Time

We love family story time in our home.  Enjoy read aloud books snuggled on the couch or in a hammock or while the children are painting outside or playing with play dough. 

Be Authors Together

Write stories together as a family.  Act out the story, make up simple costumes, and put on a show.  Invite the cousins and grandparents to come watch the show.  You can even film the show.  Your children will learn how to make a video and how to edit it.  A bonus idea is to make up songs for the show.

Baking Fun

Learn to bake. Hold baking and cooking challenges. Assign lunch and dinner making responsibility to your children.  Put mystery food items into a box and give them the challenge of making something with those ingredients.  You and Dad and the neighbor kids can be the taste test judges.

Board Game Time

Each child can pick a favorite board game to play.  Enjoy lots of snacks, laughter, and fun.

Puzzle time

Puzzles are great for rainy days or too hot to be in the sun days.  I love reading books aloud to the kids while they work on the puzzle.

Crafts

Learn to sow.  Teach your children how to sow on buttons.  There are so many craft ideas you can explore.

Make Toys New Again

Keep toys fresh by putting some away in a box for a few weeks.  It’s funny how pulling them back out makes them feel new again after they have been “hidden” for a while.

Declutter the House

Get everyone involved in decluttering and purging.  Share the toys, clothing, and books you no longer want or need with neighbors and friends.  Or give them to the local thrift store or hold a garage sale.  A garage sale is always a great time for the children to have a lemonade stand!

Grow Vegetables

Plant a garden. There is something magical about planting, watering, waiting, and finally watching the seeds sprout and grow until you have fruits or veggies to eat.  If your garden is anything like mine, much of it gets eaten while the children are outside playing.  They just snack from the garden even the kale!

Quiet Time

Set aside quiet time each afternoon or when a younger child is napping.  Even you, Mama, and the older children can enjoy quiet time to do something by yourself and to rest.  It’s good for everyone.

Make Waffle and Pop Tart Houses

You know how at Christmas time, how it’s fun to make gingerbread houses?  Well, in the summer time, make and decorate waffle houses or pop tart houses.  It’s so fun!  And yummy.  You can also make scenes out of veggies. For example, use cucumbers, carrots, celery, and cherry tomatoes to make people or animals.

Get a Pen Pal

Write notes or cards to those in a local nursing home. 

Make pen pals with cousins and friends and write notes, draw pictures, make up jokes, play “Ask 20 Questions” by snail mail!  Children love getting mail with their name on it!

Mailbox Subscription for Kids

Your children can be pen pals with Austin the Hedgehog in Austin’s Kids Club.  He’d love to hear from them.  He promises to write back.  

Austin the Hedgehog has two year long mailbox subscription options where your children will receive postcards, stickers, book mark, pin, Happy Birthday card, crafts and gifts each month from Austin the Hedgehog.

There are free fun printable pages like coloring pages, word searches, crossword puzzles, a comic strip to get them writing also found at austinskidsclub.com.

Austin the Hedgehog has Activity Packs which are a smaller version or sample of Austin’s year long mailbox subscription.  There are nine activities in the pack including a balloon craft and markers. These are great to take camping or to Grandma’s house.

Activity Journals for Children

Keep your children busy journaling with the I Am Loved Journal from Speak Life Badges.  It has over 90 activity sheets such as word searches, crossword puzzles, teaching pages, declarations, doodle pages,

They can write about their favorite movies, what they want to be when they grow up, where they would like to travel, any fears they faced, and so much more. 

They will learn practical, positive mindset tools such as gratitude, overcoming fear, what to do when someone makes fun of them, ways to celebrate their wins and look for their strengths, and how to tell what is the truth and what is a lie. 

This keepsake journal is one they will come back to again and again. It’s for children ages 7-13.

If you purchase an I Am Loved Journal, your child can join the I Am Loved Journal club, like a book club.  I’ll send 17 emails that includes fun, short 2-3 minute videos my daughter and I did about the journal pages.  They can do the pages and challenges with us. 

Teach Your Children

I also encourage you to check out God’s Masterpiece: Identity Truths for Children written by Ben and Rachel Hilliker.  I had Rachel on the podcast last week.  Episode 69.  This is a two book series that leads you in ten identity truths for you and your children about what God says about them.  There are activity suggestions, craft and journal ideas to help your children understand the truths.  The illustrations in the books are beautifully done.  This would be a wonderful summer time Bible study for you and your children.

Special Teaching Video for Your Children

Also check out Tell Me No More Lies.  It is a twenty minute video I did to help children understand if they are thinking, speaking, and believing lies.  What does a lie sound like and what does the truth sound like?  We talk about these two lies:  “It’s too hard.  I can’t do this.” and “I don’t belong.”

Here’s what two moms had to say about the session:

Mandy said, “I think I just healed some inner child wounds as I think about the lies that hold me back to this day.”

Heather said, “Kimberly is a wonderful speaker. Upbeat and insightful when speaking regarding lies we believe that damage us.  She takes us to a place where we can recognize the lies and live in truth. Engaging and energetic, it is obvious she cares about her listeners. Thank you for this method of uncovering these hard to address topics.” 

There is a free activity fun sheet that you and your children can color and fill out while watching the video. 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Well, there you have it.  I hope that you can take these nineteen summer time fun ideas for children and parents and make some great memories with your children.  Your time spent together is golden. Let me know in the comment below which activities you and your children enjoyed the most. I’d love to hear from you.

Would you share this episode with three mamas you know who might be looking for some ideas for summer time fun?