This is the point in the summer that my kids are too hot to play, too hot to work, too hot to move, and too hot to care. Therefore, reaching for a device to play a game or zoning out to Netflix feels like the best option.
Knowing this is true for kids of all ages {Laura raises her hand while trying to cool down with a Coffee Milkshake} I asked my friend Kim to use her brilliance and creativity to come up with a list of ideas we can suggest to our kids, all of which do not involve a screen.
Sounds good? Here we go!
List of Screen Free Activities for Summer Fun
1. Read, of course…
We’ve already talked about all the good books to read! (Did you see this list?) First and foremost, cooling off under the fan with a good book is a perfect screen free option this summer. Look over our list of great book suggestions. Join our Summer Reading Party. Read, read, read!
2. Have a Board Games Tournament
Select any of the following, making adjustments depending on your kids’ ages. If your kids are old enough, enjoying any of these games in tournament form could be a blast! Even if your kids are “too old” for little kid games, sometimes it’s fun to pull them out and have a “Throw Back Game Day!”
3. Have Fun With Bubbles
- Have Bubble Races – Hold your bubble on your wand and see who can go the farthest.
- Set up a Bubble Obstacle Course – Create an obstacle course and try to get through it without your bubble popping.
- Hold a Bubble Contest – Compete for who has the biggest bubble, smallest bubble, one that flies the highest, one that lasts the longest…
- Make Big Bubbles – Use lids from different sized cottage cheese, yogurt, or sour cream containers to cut into fun bubble rings. Dip the the rings into the tubs of homemade bubbles, made as directed below. This makes great big bubbles!
Need a Homemade Bubble Recipe?
4. Use Sidewalk Chalk in a Fun New Way
- Use Water – Dip your sidewalk chalk in water and see how that changes the color and consistency of the art.
- Have Sidewalk Chalk Contests – Compete for who can draw the silliest, biggest, smallest, brightest, largest, most accurate, etc.
- Use Sidewalk Chalk to Decorate Rocks – It is like dyeing Easter eggs, only with chalk and rocks!
- Spread the Love – Write a message of love, encouragement or fun on a neighbor’s sidewalk. Leave a Welcome Home message on a vacationing family’s driveway. (Note from Laura: This is my favorite of all the ideas Kim came up with!!)
5. Enjoy Outdoor and Backyard Games
- Hopscotch
- Obstacle course / Outdoor Olympics
- Hold jump rope contests, hulahoop contests, or roller skating contests
- Leaf, bug and flower collections or tree identification game
- Cloud identification and imagination game
6. Set up Some Water Games
- Jump on the trampoline with sprinkler underneath
- Fill a kiddie pool with ice cubes and water
7. Set up Sand Box Fun
- Use the sand to draw pictures
- Bury small toys in the sand box and let the kids hunt for them
- Add water to build castles and other creations
8. Go on New Adventures
- Park Hop – Go from one park to another in your town and surrounding areas, take a friend, have a picnic
- Have a Progressive Dinner – Start with salad at one house, hors d’oeuvres at a second, main course at another and end up with dessert at a final house
- Go Geocaching – With a smart phone and some hiking shoes, you can make this happen. Don’t have a smart phone? Try a handheld GPS. You will have to scout your locations in advance and bring a list.
- Go on a Treasure Hunt or Scavenger Hunt – Create a series of clues and a treasure at the end.
- Go a New Way – Have a destination to which you like to bike or walk? Try taking a different route.
- Look Online – Use the internet to find new, fun, free things to do in your area
- Camp out in the backyard – If you can’t do over night, then pitch the tent in the yard for an instant playhouse/fort/hideaway
9. Set up Creative Indoor Play
- Sensory Bins with Rice, Beans, or Salt – Let kids play in containers of rice, beans or salt. They can draw letters, shapes and pictures.
- Play with and draw in Shaving Cream
- Make Homemade Playdough (Mix 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup cornstarch and 1.5 cups warm water. Stir all together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour into something to cool. Once it is cool, knead it and you can play away. If you want to add color, put food coloring in the water before boiling the mixture.
- Paint with Water Colors – Cover the dining room table with large sheets of paper and let the kids paint away
- Make a Selfie – Take a large sheet of paper and trace the child’s whole body. Let them decorate and draw the shape to resemble themselves.
- Hold a Talent Show – Do Mom and Dad have talent? What about the kids? Show it off! Don’t forget the video camera!
- Get out Simple Art Supplies – Use pine cones, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to create a miniature family
- Have a Lego Contest
- Hold a Coloring Contest
10. Cooking Together
- Hold a Chili Cook-Off
- Make a Picnic
- Hold a Cooking Contest (i.e. Who makes the best cookies?)
- Take advantage of this time to Teach Your Kids to Cook
Fun Kid Friendly Recipes
What are some of your favorite Screen Free Activities to suggest to your kids? Leave a comment to share!
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Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site
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