If you’re struggling to keep the little ones busy at home while you work or complete tasks around the house, here are thirty of our top summer ideas for (mostly) outdoor play.
1. Set up an obstacle course in the garden.
2. Draw on the sidewalk with chalk.
3. Go on a nature walk.
4. Make a playhouse from a cardboard box (stop at your local home improvement store and ask for one).
5. Use mini marshmallows and toothpicks to create 3D structures.
6. Make lemonade and organize a lemonade stand.
7. Fold paper airplanes and race them.
8. Make and fly a kite.
9. Collect flowers (ask permission) and press them to make cards.
10. Collect leaves and make rubbings.
11. Write a letter to a friend.
12. Go on a scavenger hunt.
13. Make bubble solution.
14. Do yoga on the lawn.
15. Make ice pops.
16. Have a picnic in the park.
17. Collect moss, leaves, bark, and flowers and make a fairy house.
18. Make a marble run with Magna Tiles, Legos, or cardboard.
19. Make and play with Oobleck.
20. Create a bath station in the garden for dolls, cars, or dinosaurs.
21. Make ‘garden soup’ with flowers, leaves, and water.
22. Make a sculpture with cereal boxes, egg cartons, and toilet paper rolls.
23. Make homemade pizza and cook it on the grill.
24. Paint ice cubes before they melt.
25. Collect stones and paint them.
26. Make homemade butter. Fill a jar with cream and shake!
27. Decoupage jam jars with tissue paper to create vases or candle holders for the garden.
28. Sort through toys, books, and clothes for donation.
29. Tie-dye a white T-shirt.
30. Fill up a splash pool and make boats from nature or items around the house.
If your children want to set up an account, visit one of our branches in Springfield, New Berlin, Palmyra, or Modesto.