25 Summer Fun Ideas

Here are 25 Summer Fun Ideas that are affordable and will keep the kids entertained all summer long!

School is almost out and if you’re not traveling over the summer, and you don’t have a pool, I know that finding affordable summer activities are a must! It usually takes us about two weeks for the novelty of school being out to wear off, then the boredom sets in! “Mom! What can I do?” “Mom! I’m bored!” “Mom! I have nothing to do!” Here are a list of reasonably prices, or FREE, activities to do this summer!

1. Make giant bubbles! I have seen a few different recipes to make them. One of the more popular recipes call for corn syrup, but I will not try this one because we are prone to ants. Here are 3 over versions:

Recipe 1 : 2/3 cup Joy Dish Soap, 1 gallon water, 2-3 tablespoons of glycerin

Recipe 2 : 12 cups water, 1 cup dish soap, 1 cup corn starch, 2 Tbsp baking powder. Stir gently. Let sit 1 hour before use.

Recipe 3 : 2 Cups Regular Dawn Dish Soap (not Ultra) per 1 Gallon of Water. Gently mix and allow to sit overnight.

2. Make a water blob! I saw this last week on Facebook and we are making one for sure! My kids have been asking since the day we saw it!

3. Play water limbo! I bought this last year for my daughter’s birthday party and it was a big hit. They used it once a week or more the whole summer! (Affiliate Link)

4. Cool off with a water balloon fight! I always see the balloons at the dollar store or in the Dollar Spot at Target.

5. Play sponge toss! Gather a few large car wash sponges, get them soaking wet and play catch with them!

6. Wash the car in your swimsuits! Who says you can’t turn a chore into a fun activity! There can be lots of splashing around during the “wash cycle”. Super soakers and water pistols can add to the fun!

7. Set up a lemonade stand! Fun, refreshing and maybe they’ll earn a few dollars!

8. Have a backyard camp out! All the fun of camping and the conveniences of home!

9. Go berry picking! Then when you get home, eat them with some whipped cream! YUM!

10. Make homemade popsicles! Use fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juices, lemonade or even pudding to create your own favorite treat!

11. Make slushies! Here is the best way I know to make them without watering them down. Example: Make ice cubes out of lemonade (or your favorite beverage). Add them to your blender, along with more of the lemonade and blend until the consistency is slushy. Serve immediately.

12. Make tie-dye t-shirts! I saw an inexpensive kit at Wal-Mart recently using squirt bottles. So much easier then mixing dye in buckets and dipping them! You can make them in red, white and blue to wear for Independence Day!

13. Join the Summer Reading Program at your local library. Read books and win prizes along the way. Many offer restaurant coupons, free meals and even baseball tickets!

14. Go bowling! Register your kiddos at www.kidsbowlfree.com and receive 2 free games of bowling daily! (some restrictions apply) We did this last year and the kids loved it! We only had to pay for shoe rental.

15. Go to the movies! Several large cinema chains offer discount movies each week during the summer. I know that Regal and Harkins offer them out west. When we lived in Arizona, we used to buy tickets, which offered 10 movies for $7. Check your local theater for details.

16. Concerts in the park! Many cities offer free concerts each week at a local park. You bring the blanket and picnic and they provide the music. Fun for the whole family!

17. Explore tide pools at the beach! What a fun learning experience this can be. We’ve found so many natural rock formations, sea creatures and really unique shells.

18. Take a walk on the beach and collect seashells! Keep them in a collection, add them to your garden or find a fun craft to use them in.

19. Create fun sand sculptures at the beach! Think beyond sand castles. What can you make out of sand? Have a contest! See if other beach-goers will get involved!

20. Stay a night at a local hotel/resort! Some offer deals for locals. Stay on a weeknight when rates are usually much lower. Find one with a fun water slide or lazy river. The kids will feel like they are on vacation!

21. Make an A-Z Photo scrapbook of your summer fun! Keep an A-Z list and take pictures as you do fun activities or go to fun places. Look for creative ways to take a photo for each letter of the alphabet. Try to complete the whole alphabet by the end of summer. Print the photos and make a scrapbook of your fun summer memories!

22. Create a fun sidewalk/patio mural with sidewalk chalk! Do it together as a family. We use to draw our own cities and connect them with roads. Then the kids would use small toy cars to drive along the roads we drew. Afterwards, we’d hose it down and do it again later in the week.

23. Go for a night time walk all decked out in glow bracelets and necklaces! You can get tubes of bracelets at Michaels for $1. I grab a few every summer!

24. Play flashlight tag! It can be like a home version of laser tag.

25. Create fairies in a jar! We don’t have fireflies here and this is the next best thing! The kids LOVED bringing these outside at night like lanterns, then used them in their rooms as night lights. It was so fun! So easy to make!

What is your favorite summer fun activity?