While He Was Napping

momma gets stuff done

  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
  • Do It Yourself
    • Crafts
      • No Sew
      • Painting
      • Paper Crafts
      • Repurpose Projects
      • Vinyl
      • Washi Tape
      • Kid’s Crafts
      • Fonts
    • Sewing
    • Decorate
      • Home Decor
      • Holiday Decor
    • Celebrate
      • DIY Gifts
      • DIY Your Party
  • Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Appetizer
      • Bread
      • Other Appetizers
    • Snacks
    • Main Dish
      • Meat
        • Chicken
        • Beef
        • Pork
        • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
      • Slow Cooker
      • 30 Minute Meals
    • Dips & Sauces
    • Salads
    • Pasta
    • Soup
    • Dessert
      • Cookies
      • Brownies
      • Cupcakes and Cake
      • Box Mix Recipes
      • Other Sweet Treats
    • Breakfast Food
      • Pancakes
      • Waffles
      • Muffins
      • Other Breakfast Food
  • Family
    • Babies
      • Pregnancy
      • Newborns
      • The 1st Year
    • Toddlers
    • Preschoolers
    • Kindergartners
    • 6-8 Year Olds
    • The Grown Ups
      • Date Night
      • Romantic Gifts
    • Self Care
  • For the Home
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
    • Emergency Preparedness
  • Travel
    • Travel Tricks & Tips
    • Traveling with Kids
  • Tech & Gadgets
    • Must-Have Apps
    • Techy Home Appliances
    • Gadgets & Electronics
    • Blogging Tips
  • Printables
    • Posters
      • Quote Printables
      • Subway Art Printables
    • Printable Organizers
    • Printable Journals
    • Learning Printables & Worksheets
    • LDS Printables
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • 4th of July
    • Back to School
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Holiday & Seasonal Printables

June 8, 2018 by Krista

168 Kids Activities that will Rock Your Summer

I love summer. Usually. Some times, it gets a little crazy, but that’s why I put together a fun Summer Boredom Buster Jar full of kids activities for my boys (and me!) to use when things were just a little too relaxed.

Or we’re a little too tired and it’s not quite nap or bed time yet. Or when things get a little too wrestle-y. Because… boys.

It saved my bacon more than once last summer.

I have plans this summer and our kids activities jar has a starring role in my attack on unruly boys. I divided the activities into seven categories.

If you’re looking for some fun things to do this summer, take a look at this huge list and then make your own Summer Boredom Buster Jar with the ideas.

168 KIDS ACTIVITIES TO TRY THIS SUMMER

168 Things to do This Summer

Affiliate Link Disclaimer

FUN WITH FOOD KIDS ACTIVITIES:

– Make popsicles.  Get as creative as you little heart desires.
– Banana Boats in the fire pit.  Don’t know what banana boats are, check out the link.
– Make ice cream in a bag
– Fruit Loop necklaces
– Make peanut butter play dough
– Make S’mores

DIY Monkey Cupcakes
– Decorate cupcakes
– Make colorful cookies
– Create a new smoothie flavor
– Make Jell-O
– Build with marshmallows
– Make popcorn necklaces
– Create the ultimate ice cream sundae!
– Edible finger painting

Strawberry Lime Slush
– Make slushies
– Make Jell-O play dough
– Roast hot dogs over a fire
– Make candy bars
– Make a banana split

 

QUIET TIME KIDS ACTIVITIES:

Creating Story Stones are a favorite on this HUGE list of fun Kids Activities

– Story stones or tiles
– Write letters
– Felt fishing game math practice
– Googly eye drawings
– Write in your story journal
– Movie Marathon!
– Illustrate a picture book
– Get a new ebook or learning app – Our favorite ABC apps, preschool apps

ABC Apps Alive Alphabet
– Play with blocks.  Creation Blocks, Tinkertoys, Cardboard Blocks and our Wooden Blocks are time-tested favorites.

– Do a practice worksheet.
– Play with Water Beads
– Do puzzles
– M&M math practice.  Add and subtract with the candies.  You can also practice colors.  Of course, you’re finished when you’ve eaten all the candies.
– Draw with the Window Markers
– Play learning games on the tablet
– Make a straw bead necklace
– Build with sponge building blocks – cut several sponges into strips and stack them
– Read stories with Mom
– ABC match game
– Practice with the lacing cards

 

 

OUTSIDE KIDS ACTIVITIES:

– Make a fun obstacle course with PVC pipe sprinklers
– Water gun tin can target practice
– Water balloon towel toss
– Garden for letters: dig & spell
– Target sponge toss
– Have a picnic on the swing
– Go on a walk
– Have a bike wash.  A car wash… for bikes.
– Make mud pies
– Create a water wall with plastic bottles
– Water balloon pinata
– Create a tin foil river.  Float paper boats in them.
– Water balloon fight!
– Blow bubbles
– Go on a nature scavenger hunt
– Ride bikes

Digging-for-Pirate-Treasure
– Sand box treasure hunt
– Create a chalk maze
– Ice boat races
– Sponge water fight
– Play in the pool
– Ice block toy rescue
– Play in the sprinklers
– Draw with chalk on the sidewalk

 

ENERGY BURNING KIDS ACTIVITIES:

– Glow balloon ping pong
– Paper plate ring toss

GoGo's Disc Toss
– Masking tape bean bag toss (or paper plate toss)
– Sing songs!
– Dinosaur fossil hunt
– Super chore race!
– Masking tape maze
– Paper plate frisbee

Create a fun Indoor DIY Mini Golf using things you already have! A fun afternoon activity
– Make a mini golf course
– Dance Party!
– Duck, duck, goose
– Go on a treasure hunt
– Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
– Build an obstacle course
– Put on a circus
– Nerf gun wars
– Glow in the dark bowling

 

THINGS TO MAKE KIDS ACTIVITIES:

– Make a wind chime
– Construct a city for your cars from cardboard boxes
– Paper Airplane Races
– Make Olliblocks

TP Roll Rain Stick Noise Makers
– Make a rain stick
– Make DIY paint with water pages
– Tin can telephones
– Make a musical instrument
– Make a lemonade stand
– Bow & Arrow practice.  Not a real bow an arrow.  There’s lots of fun ideas for DIY toys.
– Make sugar cube castles
– Q-tip painting.
– Make an I Love You chain
– Make a shoe box shape sorter for a baby
– Draw a treasure map!
– Make a marble maze
– Make pet rocks
– Masking tape city and roads
– Trace around your body and make a “Flat Me”
– Make toilet paper tube race cars

Recycle those old broken crayons into a fun and pretty project. DIY suncatchers are fun for everyone!
– Use old crayons and make sun catchers
– Make straw rockets
– Masking tape maze
– Macaroni noodle necklace
– Make constellation cans
– Make slime!
– Use popsicle sticks to make puppets.  Have a puppet show.
– Make shadow box piggy banks
– Make Gak

DIY Cardboard Box Cars
– Cardboard box cars
– Paint rocks for the garden
– Salt painting
– Make paper
– Build something with a box
– Corn syrup paintings
– Make paper dolls

 

THINGS TO DO KIDS ACTIVITIES:

– Go on a monster hunt
– Learn some words in a new language
– Mess-free finger painting
– Make “potions”
– Play with letter magnets (these are my favorite, though kinda pricey)
– Build a fort!
– Clean something

This simple and inexpensive felt fishing game is a great afternoon DIY project the kids will love. A fun kids activity DIY!
– Play with the felt fishing game
– Have a science day
– Dress Up!
– Bathtub fishing
– Balloon Rocket Races
– Shaving cream bath tub painting
– String maze
– Photo booth
– ABC scavenger hunt
– Play with the Gizmos
– Play with the Pattern Blocks
– Make a life-size board game.
– Pajama Day!
– Take photos for an ABC book

Kid's Science Experiment Kit
– Do a science experiment
– Ivory soap clouds
– Write invisible letters and mail them
– Stay/day-cation
– Play with Legos
– Make and play with a sensory bin
– Camp out in the family room
– Act out a story
– Play on the Wii
– Make shadow puppets
– Play a board game. Junior Suspend is one of our favorites!

 

FAMILY ACTIVITIES (this is great for weekends!):

Soft Pretzels

– Make pretzels
– Movie night on the big screen
– Go bowling!
– Launch rockets
– Have a fire and star gaze
– Go to the drive-in
– Go to the marina or river park.
– See a movie at the theater
– Go to the Discovery Museum

Big Hero 6 Party Popcorn Bar Hack - Keeping the Butter Melted
– Have a popcorn bar!
– Play in the fountains
– Fly a kite
– Star gazing
– Go to the library
– Camping
– Go to the beach
– Go to Sonic!
– Get ice cream
– Go to the splash pad

 

 

 

You can check out some of our favorite summer products on Amazon. These are all things we own and love and can’t live without when the days are long, the air is hot and the sky is sunny!

What’s your favorite summer time kids activities? I’m always looking to add to our collection.  Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm Krista. Ringleader here on While He Was Napping, wife to my handsome Mr. Right & momma to my THREE energetic boys, Big J (9), Little J (6) & Little N (4). We FINALLY added a beautiful little girl to our family last December.

I’m knee-deep in Tonka trucks & Thomas trains. I survive our crazy days with Vanilla Coke, Sonic slushies, sweet snuggles and little giggles. When I tuck them in tight & kiss them good night, I get a little time to create & just be me.


It all happened
while (s)he was napping
Want More of My Story?

Privacy Policy

While He Was Napping respects your privacy and is committed to keeping any personal information collected on this website confidential. To find out what information we collect and how it is used or what options you have regarding your information, see our full privacy policy here. Creative Commons License The website found at whilehewasnapping.com and all subdomainsauthored and published by Krista is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design