Hey parents! Looking for ways to keep kids busy this summer? We’ve got 77 awesome summer activities for kids at home that will make “I’m bored” disappear! This summer guide is packed with fun ideas that don’t need fancy supplies or lots of planning. We tested them all, and kids love them!

You’ll find quick 10-minute projects for busy days and bigger missions for when you have more time. Everything can be done right at home or in your backyard.

From making slime to building forts to backyard scavenger hunts, there’s something here for every kid, no matter what they like.

With this list in your pocket, you can turn regular summer days into days your kids will remember forever. Ready to have the best summer ever? Let’s jump in!

Why Summer Activities for Kids at Home Matter

Summer break is super important for kids, but not just for having fun! When children have exciting things to do at home, they grow in many amazing ways.

First, home activities keep their brains working! Without school, kids can lose some of what they learned.

Kids who stay busy at home also feel happier. Boredom can make them cranky, but fun activities give them something to look forward to each day.

Having a mix of quiet time and active play helps children learn to manage their own time. This is a skill they’ll use their whole lives! Summer activities for kids at home are an easy way to induce energy in kids during hot summers.

Home activities can bring families closer together. When parents and kids cook, build, or play together, they make memories that last forever. The best part? You don’t need expensive trips or fancy camps to give kids a great summer. Simple, creative activities right at home can be the highlight of their year!

Best Fun Summer Activities for Kids to Enjoy at Home

Summer activities for kids at home are exciting, creative ideas that keep kids entertained and active all summer long.

From outdoor missions to indoor crafts, these activities are perfect for making lasting memories with family. Now we will discuss the best 77 summer activities for kids that they can easily do at home.

1. Backyard Obstacle Course

Turn your backyard into an action-packed mission by building your own obstacle course. You can run, jump, crawl, or zigzag around fun challenges using stuff you already have at home.

It’s a great way to stay active, play outside, and even compete with siblings or friends.

• How to Play: Set up stations like hopping through hoops or crawling under chairs, then take turns racing through the course.
• What You’ll Need: Hula hoops, cones, jump ropes, chairs, pool noodles

2. DIY Water Balloon Toss

Cool down with a water balloon toss game that’s part silly fun and part challenge. The goal is to throw and catch without popping your balloon. As you take more steps back, the splashes and laughs get bigger!

• How to Play: Fill balloons with water, pair up, and toss gently. Step back after each round until the balloon bursts.
• What You’ll Need: Water balloons, water source, bucket or tub

3. Make Homemade Popsicles

Beat the heat by making your own popsicles with tasty juices, yogurt, or fruit blends. You can mix flavors, add fruit chunks, and freeze them into colorful, healthy treats that are fun to make and yummy to eat.

• How to Play: Pour your mixture into molds or cups, insert sticks, freeze for a few hours, and enjoy!
• What You’ll Need: Popsicle molds or small cups, juice or yogurt, fruit, sticks, freezer

4. Build a Blanket Fort

Make your own cozy clubhouse indoors using blankets, pillows, and furniture. It’s the perfect place to hang out, read, play games, or even have a snack. You can decorate it with fairy lights or signs too!

• How to Play: Use chairs or tables as the base, drape blankets for walls and ceilings, and add cushions inside.
• What You’ll Need: Blankets, pillows, chairs or tables, flashlight, books

5. Host a Family Talent Show

Put on a show at home and let each family member perform something fun like singing, magic tricks, or jokes. It’s a great way to build confidence, be creative, and laugh together. Everyone’s a star!

• How to Play: Pick your talent, practice your act, and perform while the rest of the family cheers and claps.
• What You’ll Need: Open space, costumes or props (optional), music or sound effects

6. Sidewalk Chalk Art Gallery

Take your artistic skills outside and turn your driveway or sidewalk into a colorful art show. You can draw flowers, superheroes, animals, or even create a chalk maze or message wall.

• How to Play: Use colorful chalk to draw or write fun messages and invite your family to tour your sidewalk “gallery.”
• What You’ll Need: Sidewalk chalk, a safe paved surface, water spray bottle (optional for blending)

7. Create a Mini Garden

Start your own mini garden and grow flowers, veggies, or herbs in pots or containers. It’s exciting to care for your plants and watch them sprout, bloom, and grow over time. Plus, gardening is calming and fun.

• How to Play: Fill a pot with soil, plant seeds, water daily, and keep your garden in a sunny spot.
• What You’ll Need: Containers or small pots, potting soil, seeds, water

8. Make Slime or Putty

Create your own stretchy, squishy slime at home using safe and easy ingredients. You can make it sparkle, change color, or feel super gooey. It’s awesome for sensory play and science fun.

• How to Play: Mix glue, baking soda, and contact solution in a bowl, stir well, then knead until stretchy.
• What You’ll Need: White glue, baking soda, contact solution, food coloring, mixing bowl

9. Ice Cube Painting

Freeze colored water with sticks to make icy paintbrushes, then create cool artwork as the cubes melt and glide across paper. It’s cold, colorful, and a little bit magical.

• How to Play: Paint on white paper using colored ice cubes, then let your art dry as the colors melt together.
• What You’ll Need: Ice cube tray, water, food coloring, white paper, craft sticks

10. Kitchen Science Experiments

Turn your kitchen into a mini science lab with awesome experiments like volcanoes, fizzing potions, or color-changing milk. It’s hands-on learning that feels more like fun than school.

• How to Play: Follow the steps for each experiment and safely observe the results with a grown-up nearby.
• What You’ll Need: Baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, dish soap, cups, trays

11. Backyard Scavenger Hunt

Turn your backyard into an outdoor mission by searching for items like leaves, rocks, feathers, or something red. You can play solo or race with a sibling to see who finds everything first!

• How to Play: Create a checklist of things to find, then search around the yard and check them off one by one.
• What You’ll Need: Scavenger hunt list, pencil, small bag or basket

12. Water Gun Painting

Use water guns filled with washable paint to spray art onto big sheets of paper. It’s creative, colorful, and super fun on warm days when it’s okay to get a little messy.

• How to Play: Fill water guns with paint and water, hang paper on a fence or easel, and spray away to create wild splashes.
• What You’ll Need: Water guns, washable paint, water, paper, tape or clips

13. DIY Bird Feeder

Invite birds to your backyard by making a simple bird feeder using a toilet paper roll, peanut butter, and birdseed. Then sit back and watch who comes to visit!

• How to Play: Spread peanut butter on the roll, roll it in birdseed, then hang it on a tree branch.
• What You’ll Need: A Toilet paper roll, peanut butter, birdseed, and string

14. Set Up a Toy Wash Station

Grab your favorite plastic toys and give them a good wash outside. It’s like a mini car wash for dolls, trucks, or animals and it’s surprisingly satisfying.

• How to Play: Fill bins with soapy water and scrub toys clean, then rinse and dry them in the sun.
• What You’ll Need: Plastic bins, water, dish soap, toys, towels

15. Backyard Camping Night

Set up a tent or make a blanket fort outside and enjoy a night under the stars. Bring flashlights, tell stories, and roast marshmallows (real or pretend).

• How to Play: Pitch a tent or build one with blankets, then bring snacks, flashlights, and sleeping bags for outdoor fun.
• What You’ll Need: Tent or blankets, pillows, flashlight, snacks, bug spray

16. Lemonade Stand

Make your own lemonade and set up a stand in the yard or driveway. You can sell it to family and neighbors or just play pretend and enjoy your own drinks.

• How to Play: Mix up lemonade, decorate your stand, and serve with a smile—real sales or just for fun!
• What You’ll Need: Lemonade mix or lemons, pitcher, cups, table, sign

17. DIY Tie-Dye Shirts

Transform plain white shirts into bright, colorful clothes using tie-dye. Every shirt comes out different, and it’s like making wearable art.

• How to Play: Twist and tie the shirt with rubber bands, apply dye to each section, then let it sit before rinsing.
• What You’ll Need: White shirts, rubber bands, tie-dye kit or food coloring, plastic bags

18. Make a Nature Journal

Take your notebook outside and draw or write about the plants, animals, or bugs you see. You’ll feel like a real explorer and learn about the world around you.

• How to Play: Bring your journal on walks or in the yard, observe your surroundings, and write or draw what you notice.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook or sketchbook, pencil, colored pencils or markers

19. Create a Cardboard Maze

Use big boxes to build a crawling maze or race track for toy cars. You can decorate the walls and design cool twists and turns.

• How to Play: Cut and tape boxes into tunnels or walls, then crawl through or drive toy cars inside your maze.
• What You’ll Need: Large cardboard boxes, scissors, tape, markers

20. Indoor Picnic

Bring the fun of a picnic inside on a rainy day! Lay out a blanket, grab your favorite snacks, and enjoy a pretend outdoor lunch.

• How to Play: Set up a picnic area with a blanket and favorite snacks, play music, and even invite stuffed animals.
• What You’ll Need: Blanket, finger foods or sandwiches, napkins, plates

21. Make a Puppet Show

Create your own puppets using socks, paper bags, or even spoons and put on a fun performance. You can write a script or just make it up as you go!

• How to Play: Make puppets, set up a small stage using a table or couch, and act out a story with voices and drama.
• What You’ll Need: Socks or paper bags, markers, glue, craft supplies

22. DIY Wind Chimes

Use old keys, beads, and string to create a wind chime that makes music when the wind blows. It’s fun to make and even better to listen to!

• How to Play: Tie different objects to a string, attach them to a base like a stick or hanger, and hang them outside.
• What You’ll Need: String, sticks or a hanger, beads, keys, glue

23. Create Your Own Board Game

Design a brand-new board game with rules, spaces, and cool challenges. You can play it with family and change the rules anytime!

• How to Play: Draw your board on cardboard or paper, add spaces, create cards or dice, and start playing.
• What You’ll Need: Cardboard or poster board, markers, dice, small objects as game pieces

24. Build with Marshmallows and Toothpicks

Use mini marshmallows and toothpicks to build towers, bridges, or shapes. It’s a fun way to test your engineering skills—and you can snack a little too!

• How to Play: Stick toothpicks into marshmallows and connect them to form shapes or tall towers.
• What You’ll Need: Mini marshmallows, toothpicks, a plate or tray

25. Make Shadow Art

Use toys or your hands to create cool shadow shapes on paper, then trace and color them. It’s a fun mix of light, drawing, and creativity.

• How to Play: Place a toy in sunlight so it casts a shadow, trace the shape onto paper, and decorate it.
• What You’ll Need: Toys or objects, paper, pencil, crayons or markers

26. Glow Stick Dance Party

Turn off the lights, grab some glow sticks, and dance like crazy! This nighttime dance party will make you feel like you’re at a glowing rave.

• How to Play: Crack glow sticks, turn up the music, and dance in a dark room—bonus points for silly moves!
• What You’ll Need: Glow sticks, music player, dark room

27. Paper Airplane Contest

Fold paper airplanes and see whose flies the farthest or does the coolest tricks. Try different folding styles to test new designs.

• How to Play: Make several types of planes, throw them, and measure which one goes the farthest or loops the best.
• What You’ll Need: Paper, tape (optional), measuring tape

28. DIY Bubble Wands and Bubbles

Make your own bubble mix and use wire or pipe cleaners to shape custom bubble wands. The bubbles are bigger and the fun lasts longer!

• How to Play: Dip your homemade wand in the solution and blow big bubbles—try racing or popping them.
• What You’ll Need: Dish soap, water, sugar or corn syrup, pipe cleaners or string

29. Rock Painting

Collect smooth rocks and paint them with fun designs or positive words. You can keep them, gift them, or hide them for others to find.

• How to Play: Wash rocks, paint cool images or kind messages, and let them dry before displaying or hiding them.
• What You’ll Need: Smooth rocks, paint, paintbrushes, a cup of water

30. Set Up a Mini Golf Course

Create a fun mini golf course in your home or yard using boxes, cups, and toys. You can design crazy obstacles and name each hole!

• How to Play: Set up different “holes” using cups as targets and play by trying to get a ball in each one.
• What You’ll Need: Plastic or foam balls, a small golf club or stick, plastic cups, cardboard, tape

31. Make Sock Puppets

Grab old socks and turn them into funny characters with buttons, yarn, or markers. Then give them names and make up stories for them!

• How to Play: Decorate socks with faces and accessories, then act out silly scenes using your hands as puppets.
• What You’ll Need: Old socks, buttons, glue, yarn, markers

32. Create a Time Capsule

Pick special items and write notes about your favorite things, then bury or hide them in a box to open in the future. It’s like sending a message to your future self!

• How to Play: Collect keepsakes, write letters, put everything in a box, seal it, and pick a future date to open it.
• What You’ll Need: Shoebox or container, paper, pens, small items or photos, tape

33. Build a LEGO City

Use your LEGO sets or bricks to build an entire town, complete with cars, people, and buildings. Add stories and missions as you go!

• How to Play: Start with houses or roads and keep adding to your city each day—create your own LEGO world.
• What You’ll Need: LEGO bricks and sets, a flat surface, and imagination

34. Host a Backyard Movie Night

Set up a projector or tablet outside, grab some snacks, and enjoy a movie under the stars. It’s like going to the movies without leaving home!

• How to Play: Set up blankets or chairs, pick a favorite movie, and press play when it gets dark.
• What You’ll Need: Projector or screen, blankets or chairs, snacks, speakers

35. Make a Friendship Bracelet

Use colorful threads or beads to create bracelets for friends or family. You can give them away as gifts to show you care.

• How to Play: Braid or knot thread into patterns, measure to fit a wrist, and tie it off when you’re done.
• What You’ll Need: Embroidery thread, scissors, tape or safety pin, beads (optional)

36. Indoor Balloon Volleyball

Play volleyball inside using a balloon so nothing gets broken. It’s a fun way to move your body and challenge someone to a friendly match!

• How to Play: Hit the balloon over a string or couch and try not to let it touch the floor.
• What You’ll Need: Balloon, open space, string or furniture to use as a “net”

37. Write and Illustrate a Short Story

Let your imagination run wild by writing your own story, then draw images to go along with it. You’ll feel like a real author and illustrator!

• How to Play: Think of a story idea, write it out in your notebook or on paper, and add drawings for each scene.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook or paper, pencils, markers or crayons

38. DIY Sun Catchers

Create colorful sun catchers to hang in the window and watch them sparkle when the sun shines through. It’s a craft that brightens your room and your day!

• How to Play: Cut out shapes from plastic or contact paper, decorate with tissue paper, and hang it up with string.
• What You’ll Need: Clear plastic lids or contact paper, tissue paper, glue, scissors, string

39. Nature Collage Craft

Collect cool items from outside, like leaves, flowers, or twigs, and glue them onto paper to make nature-themed art. Each one is totally unique!

• How to Play: Arrange your items on paper in a fun design, then glue them down to make your nature collage.
• What You’ll Need: Paper, glue, leaves, twigs, flowers

40. Make Your Own Ice Cream

Mix a few simple ingredients and shake them in a bag until they turn into delicious homemade ice cream. It’s like magic—and you get to eat it!

• How to Play: Add cream, sugar, and vanilla to a small bag, place it inside a larger ice-filled bag, and shake until frozen.
• What You’ll Need: Milk or cream, sugar, vanilla, ice, salt, 2 ziplock bags

41. Backyard Bug Hunt

Go on a backyard mission to find bugs like ladybugs, ants, or butterflies. Use a magnifying glass and notebook to observe and learn about what you find.

• How to Play: Walk around your yard and gently search under leaves, rocks, or plants, then jot down what you see.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook, pencil, magnifying glass (optional), jar with holes (optional)

42. Do Yoga Together

Stretch, balance, and breathe with some fun, kid-friendly yoga poses. Yoga helps your body feel strong and your mind stay calm.

• How to Play: Follow a video or image guide and try each pose slowly while breathing deeply.
• What You’ll Need: Yoga mat or towel, quiet space, yoga guide or video

43. Create a Summer Scrapbook

Save all your summer memories by putting photos, drawings, and little keepsakes into a scrapbook. It’s like your own summer storybook!

• How to Play: Decorate pages with images, stickers, and captions about each fun activity or trip.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook or scrapbook, glue, photos, markers, stickers

44. Build a DIY Water Wall

Turn a fence or wall into a water maze using recycled bottles, funnels, and tubes. Kids will love watching water race through their homemade creation!

• How to Play: Attach bottles and funnels at different angles, pour water at the top, and watch it zigzag down through your wall.
• What You’ll Need: Plastic bottles, funnels, tubing, scissors, zip ties or tape, a fence or board

45. Build a Card Tower

Use a deck of playing cards to build the tallest tower you can without it falling over. It takes focus, patience, and steady hands!

• How to Play: Fold or balance cards into triangles or squares and stack carefully to build upward.
• What You’ll Need: A Deck of cards, a flat surface, a quiet space

46. Create a Kindness Jar

Fill a jar with kind ideas and pick one each day to complete. It could be smiling at someone, writing a thank-you note, or helping a sibling.

• How to Play: Write kind acts on slips of paper, place them in the jar, and pull one out daily to do.
• What You’ll Need: Jar or container, paper, pens, scissors

47. Make Edible Necklaces

String cereal or gummy candies onto yarn to make colorful, tasty necklaces you can wear and snack on.

• How to Play: Thread cereal pieces or gummies onto a string, tie the ends, and enjoy your edible jewelry.
• What You’ll Need: Cereal with holes (like O’s), yarn or string, scissors

48. DIY Dream Catchers

Make your own dream catcher using hoops, yarn, and beads to hang above your bed. They’re fun to create and look beautiful too.

• How to Play: Wrap yarn around a ring, plait it into patterns, and decorate with feathers or beads.
• What You’ll Need: Yarn, hoop (or paper plate with center cut out), beads, feathers, glue

49. Create a Dance Routine

Pick your favorite song and come up with cool dance moves to go with it. Then perform it like you’re on stage!

• How to Play: Listen to the beat, plan your steps, and practice until your routine flows—then show it off.
• What You’ll Need: Music player, open space, comfortable clothes

50. Build a Mini Boat and Float It

Design a little boat using sponges, straws, or recycled materials, and see if it floats in water. You can even race them!

• How to Play: Build your boat, place it in a tub or kiddie pool, and watch it sail—try blowing on it to make it move.
• What You’ll Need: Sponges, straws, paper, glue, a plastic tub of water

51. Nature Rubbings with Crayons

Use leaves, bark, or flowers to make cool rubbings on paper. It’s a creative way to turn textures into art and learn more about nature.

• How to Play: Place a leaf or textured item under paper, then rub crayons over the top to reveal its pattern.
• What You’ll Need: Leaves, paper, crayons (no wrappers), clipboard (optional)

52. Host a Pet Parade

Dress up your pet in a cute or silly costume and walk them in a backyard “parade.” Don’t have a pet? Use stuffed animals!

• How to Play: Create costumes, decorate a path, and take turns showing off pets while others clap or cheer.
• What You’ll Need: Pets or stuffed animals, costumes, decorations, treats

53. Do a Puzzle Race

Compete to see who can finish a puzzle first, or set a timer and try to beat your own best time. It’s a challenge that builds focus!

• How to Play: Pick small puzzles, start the timer, and race to finish before your opponent or the clock.
• What You’ll Need: Jigsaw puzzles,a timer or stopwatch, a flat surface

54. Make a Paper Plate Tambourine

Turn two paper plates into a tambourine using beads, bells, or rice. Then shake it and make your own music.

• How to Play: Place beads or rice between two plates, staple or glue them together, then decorate and shake.
• What You’ll Need: Paper plates, glue or staples, rice or bells, markers

55. Decorate Recycled Jars

Clean out old jars and turn them into vases, pencil holders, or lanterns using paint, stickers, or tissue paper.

• How to Play: Wash and dry jars, decorate with your chosen materials, and let them dry before using.
• What You’ll Need: Empty jars, glue, tissue paper, paint, stickers

56. DIY Lava Lamp

Create a bubbling lava lamp using oil, water, and food coloring. Add fizzing tablets and watch the magic happen!

• How to Play: Pour water and oil in a jar, add food coloring, then drop in a fizzy tablet and watch the bubbles.
• What You’ll Need: Clear jar, water, oil, food coloring, Alka-Seltzer or baking soda tablets

57. Set Up an Ice Excavation Activity

Freeze small toys in a container of water and “excavate” them using tools. It’s like being a real explorer or scientist!

• How to Play: Freeze toys in a container overnight, then use warm water or toy tools to dig them out slowly.
• What You’ll Need: Small toys, plastic container, water, eye dropper or spoon

58. Create a Family Recipe Book

Collect favorite recipes from family members and make your own recipe book. Add drawings or photos to make it special.

• How to Play: Write or print out recipes, decorate pages with notes and drawings, and bind them into a book.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook or binder, paper, pens, glue, photos (optional)

59. Set Up a Teddy Bear Picnic

Gather your stuffed animals and have a picnic with them outside or indoors. Pretend they’re your guests and serve them snacks or tea.

• How to Play: Set up a blanket and place stuffed animals around it, serve snacks, and enjoy pretend play.
• What You’ll Need: Blanket, snacks, toy dishes, stuffed animals

60. Make a Mini Weather Station

Build a simple weather station to track things like temperature, wind, and rain. It’s a fun way to learn and become your family’s “weather reporter!”

• How to Play: Use basic tools to check and record daily weather, then chart the changes throughout the week.
• What You’ll Need: Notebook, thermometer, plastic cup, ruler, straws, compass (optional)

61. Create Painted Pasta Jewelry

Dye pasta in bright colors and use it to make necklaces and bracelets. It’s a fun mix of art, fashion, and play!

• How to Play: Paint or dye pasta, let it dry, then string it into cool jewelry designs.
• What You’ll Need: Dry pasta (with holes), food coloring or paint, string, glue (optional), zip bags

62. Do a Water Relay Race

Race with cups, sponges, or water balloons to fill a bucket on the other side of the yard. It’s wet, silly, and perfect for teams!

• How to Play: Carry water using different objects, race to fill a container, and try not to spill too much!
• What You’ll Need: Buckets, water, cups or sponges, timer (optional)

63. Make Story Stones

Paint small stones with images of animals, objects, or actions and use them to create random stories. It sparks imagination and storytelling skills.

• How to Play: Mix up the stones, pick a few, and tell a story based on the images shown.
• What You’ll Need: Smooth stones, paint or markers, clear sealant (optional)

64. DIY Sensory Bin

Fill a bin with rice, beans, sand, or water beads and hide little toys inside for digging and figure out. It’s calming and fun for all ages.

• How to Play: Bury small toys in the bin and let kids dig, scoop, and explore with their hands or tools.
• What You’ll Need: Storage bin, filler material, scoops or spoons, small toys

65. Build a Fairy Garden

Make a magical mini garden using tiny houses, pebbles, and toy fairies. You can build it in a flower pot or corner of your yard.

• How to Play: Design the garden layout, decorate it with nature items, and add little fairy figures or gnomes.
• What You’ll Need: Pot or garden space, soil, pebbles, small plants, fairy toys or decorations

66. Create a Flipbook Animation

Draw a simple scene that changes slightly on each page, flip it fast, and watch it come to life! It’s like making your own cartoon.

• How to Play: Stack small papers, draw your images frame by frame, staple one edge, and flip it quickly.
• What You’ll Need: Sticky notes or small paper, pencil, stapler

67. Make Stained Glass with Tissue Paper

Cut colorful tissue paper into shapes and glue them to clear plastic to make “stained glass” for your windows. It lights up beautifully in the sun!

• How to Play: Glue tissue pieces onto clear sheets or contact paper, let it dry, and tape it to a sunny window.
• What You’ll Need: Tissue paper, glue, clear plastic or contact paper, scissors

68. Do a Color Hunt Around the House

Pick a color and find as many things as you can that match it. It’s a fun indoor scavenger hunt that sharpens observation skills.

• How to Play: Choose a color, set a timer, and search for matching objects throughout the house.
• What You’ll Need: Basket or bag, color list, timer (optional)

69. Host a Mini Olympics

Create your own Olympic games with events like spoon races, jumping jacks, or sock toss. Invite your family to play and give out medals!

• How to Play: Set up silly challenges, keep score, and cheer each other on—bonus points for costumes or flags.
• What You’ll Need: Outdoor space, stopwatch, household items for events, homemade medals

70. DIY Paper Bag Puppets

Turn lunch bags into characters with googly eyes, yarn hair, and big paper mouths. Use them to act out stories or jokes.

• How to Play: Decorate each bag to create silly or friendly characters, then put on a puppet show.
• What You’ll Need: Paper bags, markers, glue, googly eyes, yarn or paper scraps

71. Set Up a Reading Nook

Create a quiet, cozy space where you can curl up with your favorite books all summer long. Add pillows, soft lights, and a basket of stories.

• How to Play: Pick your favorite books, snuggle into your nook, and escape into amazing missions or funny tales.
• What You’ll Need: Blankets, pillows, fairy lights (optional), books, quiet corner

72. Create a Stop-Motion Video

Use toys or clay to make your own animated short film using stop-motion photography. It’s like being your own movie director!

• How to Play: Move objects slightly between photos and use a stop-motion app to turn them into a video.
• What You’ll Need: Smartphone or tablet, toys or clay, stop-motion app, small background setup

73. Decorate Your Bike or Scooter

Use streamers, stickers, and homemade signs to deck out your ride. Then show it off in a backyard parade or ride around the block!

• How to Play: Add decorations to the handles and wheels, then take it for a spin or enter your own style contest.
• What You’ll Need: Bike or scooter, tape, stickers, streamers, paper, markers

74. Make a Wacky Hat Parade

Design the craziest hat you can imagine using paper, tape, and anything around the house. Then strut your stuff on the “runway.”

• How to Play: Create a wacky hat, put on music, and march around to show off your silly creation.
• What You’ll Need: Construction paper, tape or glue, decorations like pom-poms, feathers, or recycled items

75. Build a Catapult with Craft Sticks

Make a small catapult using sticks and rubber bands, then launch mini pom-poms or marshmallows across the room. Test how far they can go!

• How to Play: Stack and bind craft sticks into a lever shape, load your item, and let it fly!
• What You’ll Need: Craft sticks, rubber bands, a plastic spoon, marshmallows or pom-poms

76. DIY Magazine Collage Art

Cut out cool images and words from old magazines and glue them into a big collage that shows your style or tells a story.

• How to Play: Cut out images or letters, arrange them on a sheet, and glue everything down to make a masterpiece.
• What You’ll Need: Old magazines, scissors, glue, paper or poster board

77. Set Up a Home Art Show

Pick your best drawings, paintings, or crafts and display them around your room like a real gallery. Invite your family to come see!

• How to Play: Hang up your artwork, give tours, and even make signs or “price tags” for your pieces.
• What You’ll Need: Your artwork, tape or string, paper for signs, snacks for your “guests” (optional)

Benefits of Doing Summer Activities for Kids at Home

Benefits of these activities include keeping kids active, creative, and engaged while strengthening family bonds. These fun activities help kids learn new skills and stay healthy, all from the comfort of home.

• Saves Money: Home activities cost way less than summer camps or trips to amusement parks. Most of need stuff you need is already around the house!
• Builds Creativity: When kids need to make their own fun, they become more creative thinkers. This helps them in school and life.
• Stronger Family Bonds: Playing games and doing projects together helps families connect and talk more. These special moments create memories that last forever.
• Comfortable Routine: Kids actually feel safer when they have some structure, even in summer. Home activities provide just enough routine without feeling like school.
• Weather-Proof Fun: You never have to cancel because of rain or extreme heat when you have indoor options ready.
• Screen Time Control: Fun at-home activities give kids better options than just watching TV or playing video games all summer.
• Independent Play Skills: Kids learn to entertain themselves, which is super important for growing up!

The Bottom Line

With these 77 summer activities for kids at home in your parenting toolkit, you’re all set for a summer filled with imagination, laughter, and growth.

The beauty lies in their simplicity – no expensive gadgets or elaborate plans required.

Remember, the goal isn’t to schedule every minute but to create opportunities to figure out. Some days, the best activity might be watching clouds drift by or having an impromptu dance party in the kitchen.

Which activity will your family try first? Maybe start with something that matches your child’s current interests, then branch out to introduce new skills and experiences.

Years from now, your children won’t remember every TV show they watched, but they’ll treasure the summer they built a blanket fort city, created sidewalk chalk masterpieces, or learned to bake cookies from scratch. Your amazing summer starts now!