As we near the end of May, we parents will be in full summer mode. Summertime opens up more opportunities and activities for our kids. And most kids see summer as a magical time. With all that it offers, summer can sometimes be a bit challenging for parents. If you have kids in preschool, it can be quite a job to keep them busy at home every day. And if your kids are home all the time, summer still brings a different rhythm. So, as we approach summertime, let’s have a few easy, fun and free summer activities ready to keep our little ones busy.
While summer does have so many opportunities, there are plenty of options that your kids will love and that won’t break the bank. Here are some ideas for activities, both indoor and outdoor, that are age appropriate and budget-friendly.
Let’s start with learning the ASL sign for summer!
And then let’s dive into some ideas!
Backyard Fun & Nature Play
The easiest way to have fun and free summer activities for our little ones is to play in our own yards. And many kids love to go outside to play. At the same time, it’s always fun to do something a little bit extra. So here are some free ways to make our outside play time a little more special.
Water and mud play stations
Try making a water play station with cups, buckets, and old kitchen tools. Really, anything you have around that can hold water, scoop water, squirt water…you get the idea. Then let your kids play around with the water. They are likely to scoop and pour and mix for a long time.
Or how about making a mud kitchen? Again, we could use any old containers, or even kitchen toys to mix our dirt, flowers, rocks and sticks. What creative dishes can your kids come up with? And really, it’s quite possible that the water station will become a mud kitchen, and so your kids will have double the fun!
Hunt for bugs
Hand your kids a magnifying glass and send them out to explore their yard close up. They will find so much that they normally wouldn’t see. And maybe challenge them to see how many different types of bugs they can find with their new close-up vision.
Make your own outside games
We often use sidewalk chalk for creative drawings, but we can also use it to make our own outdoor games. Of course, we know we can draw a hopscotch game with sidewalk chalk. But what about making a maze to find our way through? We could use chalk to play a big game of tic-tac-toe. How about drawing big numbers 1-5 or 1-10 for our child to jump between in order? Or how about another type of obstacle course? What other outside games could we make with sidewalk chalk for some fun and free summer activities?
Backyard campout
For the ultimate fun and free summer activity, find a way to camp in your own backyard. If you have a tent, great! But even if you don’t have a tent, you could use a tarp or some blankets or sheets to pitch a tent in your yard. And hey, if it doesn’t work out, you’re right by your house. You can always head inside anytime you feel like you’ve all had enough. Even a late night hang out in a backyard tent can be super fun. And then everyone can head inside to their beds.
Free Local Adventures
You can also get out of your own backyard for some fun and free summer activities. Most libraries have story times or craft times. And many museums have free days or community events.
Most of us parents know where all the splash pads are, because that’s a great fun and free summer activity. But if you haven’t mapped out all the splash pads in your area, now is the time to do that!
Of course we can head out to a local trail for a fun nature walk, but look for kids groups in your area that might coordinate events like this too.
And what about Farmers Markets? While they are free to walk around and explore, they could end up not being free because of all the fun stuff you may discover. So it might be good to set an amount your child can spend for an even more adventurous day! Whether you end up spending or just looking around, it will be an educational and sensory filled time.
Indoor play
Pillow forts
All kids love to use the available cushions, pillows, and blankets to build a pillow fort or obstacle course. We parents might need to get ourselves excited about this one, but it’s a fun and free summer activity that your kids will love. Add a story time inside the fort, and it will be a great summer memory.
Music and dancing
A rainy day is a great time for a dance party or a dress up parade with homemade instruments and music. And both of these fun and free summer activities will take up a good amount of time for your kids.
Games and sensory toys
If there has been a lot of outdoor play, your kids may be ready for a day indoors with building blocks, legos, magnet tiles, and whatever indoor games and toys they have left alone for a while. And if you feel like getting creative, you could make a sensory bin with rice or pasta, or look online for all kinds of sensory bin ideas.
Crafts and creativity
Indoor time is a great time to break out the craft supplies and let our kids create. They can color, finger paint, cut and glue, use clay or play-dough. Really, they can do whatever you have on hand.
My Signing Time
Screens really should be our last resort, but sometimes we might really need to let our kids watch something. So let’s make this time both fun and educational for our kids. All our shows at My Signing Time are completely ad-free. Check out our Watch Free section, or try it out with a 14-day free trial!
Calm and Quiet Times
Even in a time of fun and adventure, it’s important to include peaceful times. This includes things like story times, blankets to rest on in the shade, listening to audiobooks, or even alone time for everyone for a little while.
So as we head into this summer, tuck away a few ideas for fun and free summer activities to do with your little ones. Remember that what may feel really small to us adults can be a really big deal to our kids. These are the kinds of things that build the best summer memories!