15 Things to Do With Your Kids This Summer

I've been a stay-at-home mom for five years now and one of the hardest things I've had to do is figure out things to do with my kids over the summer.

When they were younger, it was a little easier because we could just roam the backyard and they'd be fine.

Now that they're older, they want to rot their brains out with constant tablet time or watching tv. It can be so easy to let them do JUST that and there have been days when I allow it and then there are days when I'm bored or they're bored and things can get heated up and it's up to me to figure out different things to let my kids do because "Read a book" and "Do some chores" doesn't fill up their entertainment meter as long as we'd like for it to.

I've tried to make a schedule for my kids, but that really wasn't my thing. I'm not a very organized person, so I didn't follow through with it like I should have. However, just because I'm bad at it, it doesn't mean that you are. You can get an example of my schedule and a template to make your own at this link, here---> Make A Summer Schedule

Things You Can Do This Summer

1. Prepare Ahead Meals

This isn't your typical summer outdoor thing, but for parents who work during the summer or for moms wanting to fill in some time or just give themselves extra time, I think this is a great starter.

If your kids are old enough, let them help you prepare these ahead of time. It will teach them some great life skills and many, if not all prepare ahead of time meals can be made in a slow cooker, so this will also take the heat out of the kitchen. 

Related- 7 Prepare Ahead of Time Meals

2. Go For a Walk

I don't know what it's like around you, but around me, there are many different forest preserves that have trails to walk on. It's my goal walk at least one new one each week. 

This will be great for exercise and also wearing the kids out. 

If you're looking for a good fitness tracker, I've always loved my Fitbit Flex2 and I can track my meals, sleep, water intake, and so much more on it. 

3. Explore New Hiking Trails

I know, this is/sounds so much like #2, but what I mean with this is to go out and do something more adventurous with different terrain and scenery. 

I live in Illinois, by Lake Michigan. There are many beach trails where we can walk through sand and climb sand dunes. We can walk through forest trails.

I'm actually very excited to take my kids to the west side of Illinois where we will take them to hike the trails at Starved Rock and Matthiessen state parks. Each has it's own history, caves, and waterfalls to walk through. It's beautiful and the terrain is different. It'll be different from anything they've done before.

Related- Starved Rock vs. Matthiessen

4. Go to the Zoo or a Museum

I'm lucky enough to live next to several zoos and museums. We really like to go to Milwaukee Zoo or Brookfield Zoo. 

We're also close enough to Chicago that we can visit the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum or the Museum of Science and Industry. We're also close enough that we can visit some smaller museums in Wisconsin like the Dinosaur museum. 

Related- Milwaukee Zoo

5. Go to a Water Park or a Park with a Splash Pad

We have a few parks next to us that have free splash pads, which is great on really hot days. There are also many hotels that now feature water parks that are included in your stay.

Related- The Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee

6. Slip-n-Slide or Kiddie Pool

For when you don't want to travel or spend a lot of money, a water slide or a kiddie pool are great alternatives to water parks and splash pads. It's also nice because you'll have them until they break and you can use them anytime the weather is great and you have time.

I picked up one of these slip-n-slides just this week. It's nice because it's cheap enough that if it breaks, I'm not out of a lot of money, but it also has water that comes directly from the slide and I won't have to stand over the slide, holding the hose the hole time.

7. Do Some Gardening

Every year, I plant a vegetable garden. My kids love to help me water it and find the new produce that grows and carry it inside the house and eat it. Unfortunately, they don't like to help me weed, and well, neither do I, but when it's time to weed the garden, they'll go and explore the backyard. 

They really like to find bugs and worms and whenever they do find worms, they get super excited because they want to put them in the garden, so that these little ecosystem marvels can help our garden soil. 

8. Play With Chalk

Playing with chalk is a great way to get your kids to do art work, be creative, and even learn. The best thing about playing with chalk, is that it washes off, easily.

My kids actually like to draw on our side of our backyard fence. Sometimes my daughter likes to be their "teacher" and will write her ABCs or maybe my kids will draw a target on it and practice their aim by throwing a ball or kicking one at the target. 

9. Go to the Park

Take your kids to a nearby park and let them run their energy out. Pay attention to the times of day when there are fewer kids vs. when there are are many. 

I know that one park near me always has a full summer camp of kids who walk to the park around one. While it's great social interaction for my kids to see some old classmates, it's also a very hectic time for me because it's not as easy to keep my eye on all three kids, however, my youngest is no longer a baby, so it may not be so bad.

10. Outdoor Movie

This is something that I REALLY want to do with my family. If you have a projector, set it up outside and use the side of the house or garage door to show movies.

Our favorite movies that just came out are:

How to Train Your Dragon- The Hidden World

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

11. Go On a Picnic

This is something that my kids really enjoy. We'll pack up the wagon with a blanket and pack some lunches and walk to the park or sometimes, we'll eat in the back yard. 

12. Go on a Bike Ride, Rollerskate/blade, Scooter, or Wagon Ride

I used to LOVE riding my bike and rollerblading. I actually wouldn't mind getting myself a pair of roller blades and ride/walk with the kids to the school and just roll around on the blacktop, there. It would be great exercise and a lot of fun!

13. Just Play

I spent the majority of my childhood outside playing and when the weather was bad, I played inside. I believe this is why I'm creative and probably also why I stayed so slim until I was married, with kids, and became less active.

With birthdays and every gift giving holiday that has come and gone, I'm sure your kids got some toys or coloring books. There's no reason why they can't just enjoy them.

Grab some Legos or Duplos and create something magical.

Storm a castle with some figurines.

Dress up, doll up, do whatever it takes to get those creative juices flowing.

14. Do Science Experiments

There are many experiments that you can do at home already because chances are, you have baking soda and vinegar or dish soap and pepper.

If you have a magnifying glass, have your child/ren study bugs or leaves.

If you want to get fancy, buy them a science kit.

15. Do Some Crafts

I've mentioned it before and I'll say it again... Construction paper is my favorite craft material. It's easy for kids to use, cut, and glue. If you mess up, oh well! Here's some more.

There are a TON of learning crafts out there in this world to do. You can make baskets, hats, potholders, and so much more as long as you are creative, can read instructions, or have access to YouTube.

Related- 10 Learning Crafts to Do With Kids

Conclusion

Summer vacation doesn't have to be a long blob of boring. There are so many different things that you can do with your kids to keep them and yourself entertained without spending the whole summer just watching television.

We were meant to be active, so let's be active!

I hope that these were ideas that you'd enjoy and I also wish you a happy, fun filled summer!

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