50+ Summer Fun Activities for Families

Our children will be out of school for the summer before we know it!  You know what that means, don’t you? We’re only weeks, or even days, away from hearing the words Mom, I’m bored on a daily basis. Which means you need some summer fun activities ASAP.  Even if this summer is a little different, it is still possible to have lots of family fun!

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Summer Fun Activities for Families

Some of the things on this list are totally free and others are almost free. Some are outdoor activities and others are inside (because great summer weather is not a guarantee).

Some can be done at home and others involve going somewhere else. Several of them could actually be done any time of year.

You have probably done at least a few of them before and I’m sure there are many, MANY more activities that I didn’t think to include. I hope you find something fun to do with your family this summer!

Any activity followed by a * is one that may be on hold for now!

Summer Fun Activities Out and About

Find something fun to do for each letter of the alphabet.

Participate in the Summer Reading Program at your local library.

Make fun crafts at your local Lakeshore Learning store.*

Take a nature walk.

Enjoy the bargain kids movies and a KidsPack at the AMC Summer Movie Camp.*

Go on a bike ride.

Take a walk around the neighborhood.

Take your kids bowling at a participating Kids Bowl Free center.*

Visit different playgrounds all over town.

Take your kids roller skating at a participating Kids Skate Free center.*

While you’re at the library, head over to the DVDs and introduce your kids to movies and TV shows from your childhood!

Pick an interesting book series and see how many books you can read.

Go get snowballs or ice cream and try a new flavor.

Watch the 4th of July fireworks.

Visit a beach (if you have one close by), collect seashells, and build sand castles.

If you have a membership to the local zoo, aquarium, science center, museum, etc., take advantage of it and go!

Visit a museum you’ve never been to before. Have you tried the Turkey Hill Experience?*

Go fishing.

Visit an art museum.

Fly a kite.

Take a scenic drive.

Visit a farmer’s market and try a new fruit or vegetable.

Feed the ducks at a nearby lake.

Go roller skating.

Just go someplace you’ve never been before!

Summer Fun Activities At Home

Play in the sprinkler.

Build something together at the home with ideas and materials from Home Depot. The in-store workshops are on hold, but there is a lot you can do at home.

Draw with sidewalk chalk.

Have a picnic in your yard.

Have a water balloon fight.

Blow bubbles.

Get creative with paper bags, paper towel rolls, craft sticks, paper, boxes, and other things you can find around the house.

Have a board game night and try a new one or an old favorite.

Enjoy a family movie night.

Tie dye a t-shirt.

Have a backyard camp-out.

Make a craft by participating in a Michaels Kids Club online event.

Make homemade lemonade.

Play outside in the rain.

Make your own popsicles.

Play memory games.

Drop everything and read, inside or outside.

Play classic outdoor activities, like jump rope, hula hoop, and hop scotch.

Plant a garden.

Paint with water.

Catch lightning bugs.

Celebrate Christmas in July by making an ornament to save for December.

Build an indoor fort.

Write a letter to a friend or relative…not an e-mail.

Eat dessert for dinner one night.

Have a yard sale.

Sit outside at night and gaze at the stars.

Have a water gun battle.

Take a nap!

Did I forget anything? What free or almost free summer family fun do you have planned?