Are your children complaining that they’re bored? Tired of the same old boring activities? Well, you’re in luck! I have some great ideas that are fun and will keep your kids busy!
These activities will have your kids jumping for joy…well, at least I hope they do!
So school’s out…now what?!
Your kids are out for the Summer. You are trying to rack your brain to find activities that are fun and engaging to break up the endless hours of down time you and your children have in between extra-curricular activities or other lessons. Maybe you’re looking for activities that can be added to your ongoing home school curriculum and lessons; or maybe you’re just looking for new and exciting things to add to your day. No matter your circumstance, I have a few activities that your children are sure to enjoy and have fun doing!
Each of the activities have been tried and tested in my classroom at some point in my teaching career. They are all easy for children of all ages to help with and participate in. Remember when choosing activities to do with your child to take into consideration their individual skill level, age, and abilities.
Related post: Summer of fun: 75 boredom busting activities
5 fun & easy activities to keep your children busy this Summer
1. Ice cream in a bag
Who loves ice cream!?!? I sure do, and most ids do as well. This is such a fun and easy way to make ice cream without the fancy ice cream maker! I found this great recipe from Delish.com
Ingredients:
1 cup of half and half
2 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
3 cups of ice
1/3 cup of kosher salt
toppings of your choice
sandwich ziploc bag and gallon ziploc bag
Directions:
In the sandwich ziploc bag, combine half and half, vanilla and sugar. Squeeze out the excess air, seal and set aside.
In the gallon ziploc bag, combine the ice and salt.
Place the small bag inside the larger bag and shake. Shake until the ice cream forms and hardens.
If ice cream is too soft, place in the freezer for half an hour.
Remove from freezer, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
My girl’s used to make this EVERY Summer when they were younger, it’s so fun and easy!
2. Making bread
I don’t know about you, but fresh bread is so much better than store bought bread! This bread is so easy to make, and no special appliance needed! The kids had so much fun making fresh bread.
Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
3 tbsp. of sugar
1 package of quick rise yeast
1 cup of warm water
3 tbsp. of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. of salt
Directions:
First, mix 1 cup of flour, 3 tbsp. of sugar, the yeast packet and 1 cup of warm water. Let sit for ten minutes.
Next, mix 1 cup of flour, 3 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 1/2 tsp. of salt.
Finally, add the last cup of flour and mix.
Put the dough in a bread pan. Cover it and let it sit for half and hour.
Bake at 375 degrees for twenty five to thirty minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool for about five to ten minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
This was a huge hit when we made this in my classroom, the kids wen6 around bragging to the other teachers that they made yummy bread!
Related post: 12 fun family outdoor games you must try
3. Making Butter
Why not have some homemade butter to go along with your freshly made bread? I made butter with my first ever Montessori classroom over 20 years ago! This brings back such great memories, and is one of my favorites. Here’s a great recipe from happyhooligans.com
Ingredients:
heavy cream (35% whipping cream)
glass jar with a lid
2 to 3 marbles
Directions:
Fill your jar halfway with heavy whipping cream
Put the marbles in and close the lid tightly
Shake the jar until the butter starts to form
Remove the lid, and enjoy!
We used to do this daily in my Montessori classroom and it was always requested!
4. Making flubber
Slime, ooop, goo, putty, flubber…it has many names but it is the same fun, ooey gooey ball of fun! The kids absolutely love this; different from playdough and lasts a little longer too! You can use rolling pins, cookie cutters and scissors to enhance your flubber fun!
Materials:
1 cup of Elmers school glue
1 cup of Purex Sta-Flo Liquid Starch
2 tsp. of liquid tempera paint in any color
Gallon ziploc bag
Directions:
Put equal parts Elmers glue and liquid starch into a bowl
Add the 2 tsp. of tempera paint
Mix thoroughly until all the glue, liquid starch and paint are mixed together
Store in a gallon ziploc bag for about half an hour
Remove and enjoy your flubber!
This is sticky, so be careful not to get this on clothes or in hair!
5. Making tie dye t-shirts
Tie dye t-shirts never go out of style! These are fun to make, and even more fun to wear! Just beware, these can get a LITTLE messy while making. Just an FYI! Find more on making tie dye t-shirts at Instructables.com.
Materials:
White t-shirt (old or new)
Tie dye kit
Rubber bands
Gloves
Directions:
Put on your gloves and follow the directions in the tie dye kit for mixing the dye
Wring the shirt as if it is wet, and put rubber bands around it about two to three inches apart
Using the tie dye bottles, squeeze a generous amount of dye on a section of the shirt
Continue doing so with the same color or various colors
Once you are done applying the dye, let it sit for 24 hours
After 24 hours has passed , either rinse the shirt our in a sink or put it in the washing machine
Dry the shirt as you would any other shirt.
Wear and enjoy!
Related post: Make super easy DIY Rainbow Crayons
In the end…have fun!
The most important thing to take from this is to have fun! If there is an activity that your child or children do not feel as excited or happy about doing or trying, give them the option of coming up with something else that they want to do instead. You want them to have fun, you in turn want to have fun, and of course, you want to create fun, Summer memories with them! Not the, “remember that time Mom made us do (fill in the blank).” You get my point, right?
I am not a mom yet but these are sure fun things to do with kids! I particularly liked making bread. Messy, goofing and thoroughly enjoyable. Great post!
Such cool ideas, thanks for sharing, fellow educator. I will have my kids explore them this week, as all of us are doing remote leaning.
Fun ideas! The butter beings me back to elementary school. I remember making butter as a project and shaking that jar so long! But well worth it!
These are so much fun, thank you for sharing! We’ve been doing crafts and baking a lot with my six year old over the last several weeks, I’m going to try some of these for a different twist!
With my four kids in the house, I am sure these are great and fun activities we can have as a family. Thanks for sharing.
Great list, personally I love the t-shirt dye most. I am sure my daughter will love it too. Soon will try this.
These are some fun ideas! I think we will be making ice cream in a bag this summer!
I love these ideas. I’m terrible at coming up with things to do inside, so I’ll definitely be trying some of these
All of these are such good ideas. I need to try to make ice cream in a bag with my toddler.
Tie Dye is back in!
Love it! I have 3 young kids 🙂
I am always looking for ideas like this for summertime! Thank you!
[…] She has an entire post on keeping kids occupied through the summer that are easy. Yes, we need easy. I think the recipe for flubber might be my favorite one. That will definitely keep them occupied for a while. You can check out the rest of her recommendations: 5 Fun Easy Activities to Keep Your Children Busy all Summer. […]
All of these activities sound like a lot of fun! We will have to try ice cream in a bag soon, and tie dye looks interesting too!
My son loves making homemade bread with me! Lol have to try these other ones.
Okay, definitely trying ice cream in a bag and baking bread! Such a good list!
I can’t wait to try the ice cream and the butter with my kiddos!