60 Easy Ways to Make Summer Special with Kids!

Reading Time: 5 minutes

I laid out four spoons on the counter, pulled four small cartons from the freezer. “You have to close your eyes.”

In thanks for my efforts on a project, my client for freelancing had sent four pints of gourmet ice cream of my choosing (Cold Brew and Coconut Cream! Wildberry and Lavender!). My kids wouldn’t be enjoying the entire pint, believe you me.

But now, I popped to top of Goat Cheese and Tart Cherry. “It says it’s like scoopable cheesecake!”

My daughter accepted a spoonful and dutifully closed her eyes. I took one, too. We both moaned a little at the goodness melting on our tongues. It was the second day of summer, and now, it was in our mouths.

I took a turn with each of my kids that afternoon, just us in the galley kitchen. And I realized that to make summer special with kids didn’t often involve big efforts or even big cash: Just being a little intentional, sprinkling a little fairy dust over the everyday.

And that’s what I want these ideas to be. Don’t feel like you need to work harder; a little “working smarter” can go a long way to make summer special for kids.

Make summer special: Quick-start guide

Focus your efforts on what your kids find special.

Do a brain-dump together. Sometimes I’m surprised at what does/doesn’t light my kids’ fire.

Remember what’s more important than what you do.

Maybe you recall this post, when I was all geared up for Christmas memories and sibling rivalry and a moody teenager nearly took the whole thing under.

Think of family activities as having two levels: the outer/activity level, and the inner/heart level. If you take the kids to the water park (big fun! big money!) but you’re not present (hint: leave your phone behind) and everyone is irritated with each other, it’s not necessarily a great memory.

But if, like this past Memorial Day for our family, you keep showing up at places that are closed and it rains–but everyone is laughing and making fun of how many times we strike out–you’ve made a memory. And some lemonade.

Set doable goals.

My husband and I are working this summer. But if my oldest does go into active duty with the Marines, this is his last summer with us.

[Author pauses typing.]

Read: If I miss the moments this summer, there’s not a lot of do-overs to be had.

So I’m hoping to make a couple of small moments each day: pausing work to be with each of my kids when they wake up. Reading a chapter book in the evenings with my youngest. Hitting “stop” on my work timer when my oldest wants to talk cars.

But I’m also hoping to be strategic with a couple of larger moments each week–something doable, like having a picnic dinner at the park or a cookout on the patio.

I may also date my kids once a week, just to have some time one-on-one (often some of my best moments).

I’m motivated by goals, so this works for me.

The Ideas: Ways to Make Summer Special with Kids

1. go for ice cream or froyo
2. leave a note in their bag for summer camp
3. grab coffee or a treat after camp, to hear about all the things
4. devise a family scavenger hunt (photo versions are fun!); consider dividing into teams
5. make easy homemade ice cream without a machine or easy sorbet
6. find a ropes course
7. go on a hike
8. go berry picking, or try another local pick-your-own farm or orchard
9. wade in a creek
10. visit a farmer’s market (one of my favorite ways to make summer special!)
11. plant something
12. build something in the garage
13. tie-dye
14. do a STEM project (Pinterest has tons–or I like to grab books from the library)
15. join a summer reading program
16. invite kids to build a fort outside
17. have a water fight
18. have a bike wash/car wash
19. paint their faces
20. enroll kids in an online summer STEM camp like one of these
21. be a kid again: have a Nerf war, blow bubbles (make your own solution for huge bubbles; we used water bottles with the bottoms cut off!), make murals with sidewalk chalk
22. have a picnic in the park
23. make popsicles
24. make dinner together
25. have a cookout; invite some friends!
26. quit work early
27. have a Scripture memory competition
28. set up a projector and a hanging sheet for a movie night on the lawn. Don’t forget the popcorn!
29. play a strategy game
30. work a jigsaw puzzle
31. watch a meteor shower; find one near you here
32. roast marshmallows
33. play catch
34. have a watermelon-seed spitting competition
35. go on a walk or family bike ride
36. go cloud-watching; what shapes do your kids see?
37. make simple T-shirts or bags using iron-ons or stencils and fabric paint. Or check out Pinterest’s vast ideas to retool old T’s
38. read a chapter-book series together
39. decide on a service project. (Helping with VBS, perhaps?)
40. pack care bags for the homeless, using lists like this. In your vehicles, keep a stock of the care bags ready to go
41. camp in the backyard
42. make no-sew fleece blankets for Project Linus
43. play “minute to win it” competitions 
44. challenge each other to outdoor hide & seek or Sardines
45. play classic outdoor twilight games, like Kick the Can or Ghost in the Graveyard
46. use sparklers after dark
47. catch fireflies
48. schedule some time at the grandparents’
49. paint outdoors
50. buy a kids’ bird book and bird feeder; identify what kinds come to your yard
51. have a sandcastle contest (even in a sandbox)
52. make root beer- or Coke floats
53. make a bug habitat
54. take a nap in a hammock
55. play a lawn game, like croquet, lawn darts, bocce ball
56. find a summer festival in your area
57. go garage-saling, giving your kids a small amount to spend
58. together, make a character goal for the summer (less explosive temper? more patience?). Set some measurable goals and think of a fun reward for motivation
59. let them make a parade with their bikes, wagons, etc., decorating them; invite neighbor kids and pets!
60. learn the constellations over your backyard using a kids’ constellation book

Want more ways to make summer special with kids? There’s more where that came from!

10 Fun Ideas for Kids this Summer!

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