Summer Outdoor

Summer Outdoor

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It’s a challenge for parents to keep their children entertained over the long summer break. To reduce the times you hear, “I’m bored,” you need to plan ahead. Check out these 60 outdoor activities and choose the ones that will keep your children smiling all summer long.
Organize a summer play group with an online sign up. View an Example
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Great memories are made during the summer months , so start checking off this list today!
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It’s a challenge for parents to keep their children entertained over the long summer break. To reduce the times you hear, “I’m bored,” you need to plan ahead. Check out these 60 outdoor activities and choose the ones that will keep your children smiling all summer long.
Organize a summer play group with an online sign up. View an Example
Organize a hiking trip with an online sign up. View an Example
Schedule summer outdoor activities with an online sign up. View an Example

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Welcome to summer! My kids have been out of school for a few weeks now and the novelty of long hot lazy days is starting to wear off. We’ve made our bucket lists for the big things we want to accomplish, but in the meantime, there’s still a lot of downtime around the house. We’re always looking for fun new things to do to keep us active, outdoors and having fun! Collectively, with our contributors and community, we’ve put together this HUGE comprehensive ultimate list of 100+ outdoor summer activities for kids!
While this post will give you all the details and variations for all 100+ outdoor summer activities for kids, if you want a printable checklist version, CLICK HERE and get a free printable PDF of the list!
These fun activities are guaranteed to keep your kids (and you) entertained, learning, and active while outside this summer! These activities have been tried, tested and kid-approved by our followers, editors, writers, and contributors! Plus, all of the photos in the post of kids outside having fun are from our absolutely amazing Instagram community ! A very special thanks to all the mamas that let us feature their beautiful images.
Everyone loves a good water balloon fight! For extra fun, get the whole neighborhood involved. Or make it a game – when you get hit you’re out, until there’s one champion! Or throw them high and practice catching pop flies! Split up into teams and each team is a certain color balloon. We like these balloons that are super easy to fill! Just remember to clean up all your plastic trash afterward!
This outdoor summer activity was inspired by watching the drummers at an outdoor music festival last summer. My kids were absolutely mesmerized by the guys playing the drums on buckets, just using sticks and their hands. Find all the buckets (pails, boxes, bowls, pots, etc.) you can, give them a stick and have them create their own beats! (outside, of course, because it’s LOUD!)
Freeze some plastic dinosaurs or other small toys or treasures in a giant block of ice. Give the kids tools to help them chip away at the ice to get to the treasure. This is a great way to stay cool on a hot day!
Get out the hose, buckets and soap and ready for some fun! Use towels or sponges to clean all your family vehicles outside and get your cars nice and shiny! Or wash the kids bikes, wagons or Cozy Coupes ! You could even have a dog wash if you run out of vehicles!
Create a family tradition of playing a game outdoors! Whether it’s a traditional board game (like Monopoly or Life), a fun family card game (like Uno or Go Fish) or something a bit more interactive (charades or Pictionary), games are great outdoor summer activities and the perfect way to enjoy an evening outside. This is my personal favorite family game . And if you want extra competition, invite another family over and battle each other!
Summer is the peak time to visit a local orchard. Lots of places let kids pick-your-own fruits, veggies and flowers. Our summertime favorite picks are strawberries , blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, herbs, blueberries , zucchini, watermelons and sunflowers.
Visit a local zoo to learn more about the animals and how they handle the summer heat. Do they have adaptions that help them stay cool? When are they the most active? Or get more interactive and visit a petting zoo, farm, nature center or animal safari center. Here are some great reasons why summer on the farm with animals is so much fun!
Summer is ripe with fun local carnivals and state/county fairs. Attend one and try out some of the traditional foods (funnel cake and lemon shake-ups) or the crazy food (fried Snickers bars?!). Play some games, ride the rides and have a great day of fun!
Don’t leave your local neighborhood fairies to fend for themselves in this heat. Create magical tiny homes for your fairies out of stones, sticks and other found and recycled materials. Here’s a great tutorial for making fairy houses out of natural materials in your own backyard that will keep your kids entertained for hours. For a little extra magic, add some sparkly gemstones, glitter or twinkle lights. These little paint-your-own fairy doors are adorable!
Playing Frisbee is a great alternative to traditional pitch and catch. The flat disc is usually much easier for kids to toss and catch. Throw one around at your local park and see who can throw it the farthest or with the most accuracy. Once you’ve gotten the hang on it, try your luck at disc golf! So much fun for the whole family!
Summer rain showers are perfect for playing in! Light summer drizzles are usually warm and perfect for making fun puddles to splash in! Grab an umbrella or go out in your bathing suit! Here’s a great post filled with fun and creative ways to play OUTSIDE in the rain !
Summer is a great time to get to know the local wildlife and continue your nature study. Help your kids identify the neighborhood birds in your area, by color, size, and song. You can also research what they like to eat, where they live, where they migrate and what kind of nest they build. If you want to get extra crafty, set up a nature window for bird watching .
Get a headstart on winter by building a protective shelter for your garden bugs. Bug hotels are not only part garden art, but they also provide much-needed protection for bugs and beneficial insects throughout the winter. Set up different protected areas in your hotel with a variety of sticks, pine cones, seed heads, bamboo shoots, and wood shavings.
Played at night, flashlight tag is a fun game that mixes hide and seek with tag. The person who is “it” waits at home base counting to a high number while everyone else hides. Then, armed with a flashlight, this person searches for the others who may be switching hiding spots. The flashlight must remain on at all times and may not be covered. When “it ” spots someone, s/he must use the flashlight to get a close enough look at the person to identify him or her and call out that person’s name (who then becomes “it”)!
Check your local listing for outdoor concerts, movies or shows. Many local venues such as county parks, museums, pools, and libraries host free events for families in the evenings during summer. Pack a blanket and some snacks and enjoy an evening outdoors enjoying the show!
Nothing says childhood like having a lemonade stand. It’s practically a rite of passage! Help your kids make some homemade lemonade, a couple of signs and set up a table for their booth. Not into lemonade? Try homemade popsicles, iced tea, kool-aid or bake cookies/cupcakes and have a bake sale! Your kids will be so excited to see their hard work turn into a few dollars! Who knows, you may even spark a future entrepreneur!
Biking with kids is a fun summertime adventure and a great way to get outdoors, explore new areas/trails, create family memories and get in shape. Riding a bike not only improves physical fitness, but it also benefits your child’s learning development and mental health. Plus, biking reduces carbon emissions, eases traffic congestion and eliminates parking problems. If you’re just getting started, we’ve got a great post with lots of tips for biking with kids .
Childhood jump rope games seem to have become a lost art. I remember playing all kinds of variations of jump ropes games such as helicopter, double-dutch, French skipping, and cat and mouse when I was a kid (a million years ago!). Most jumping games were also set to fun rhymes and songs. Break out the rope jumps this summer, and let’s bring these fun games back! Jumping rope is not only fantastic exercise, but it’s for great hand-eye coordination.
Next time you’re out exploring your favorite local trail (or even going for a walk around your neighborhood), take along a garbage bag and make an effort to clean up any trash or rubbish you find along the way. Chances are, you’ll be (unpleasantly) surprised at just how much trash has been discarded. Set a good example for your kids by cleaning up and explaining to them the importance of taking care of our surroundings and the environment.
Whether you’ve got the room in your backyard for an entire garden or just a spot for a pot, plant a few vegetables this summer with the kids. Depending on your zone, you can start with seeds or transplant sprouts. Have the kids help choose a few vegetable plants from a local garden center that they’ll actually enjoy eating. Some of our favorites are sugar snap peas, beets, cherry tomatoes, mint, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, and pumpkins! Here’s a great post with 5 easy vegetables to grow with kids !
Flowers are everywhere you look during the summer! Take advantage of the abundance and preserve some for a cold rainy day. Collect flowers on a sunny day when they’re not wet or damp. Place the flowers between sheets of parchment or wax paper and lay a heavy book on top. Let the flowers dry for 7-10 days. Use the flowers for art decorations, cards, journals, luminaries or anything your heart desires! We’ve tried this flower press kit and made beautiful art! And here’s a great post on how to make a pressed wildflower bookmark .
If you’re looking for a peaceful way to spend some time outside with your kids, try watching a sunrise or sunset together. This is a great way to have a quiet conversation, tell stories or just enjoy some silence while taking in the beauty of the scene.
Flying a kite is one of those quintessential childhood activities that everyone should try at least once! Grab a kite from a store or try your hand at making your own! Choose a location with a wide open space, like a football field, park or the beach. See how high you can get the kite and who can make it do acrobatic tricks! If you need more inspiration or instruction, here’s a post all about kite flying with kids !
If you’ve never tried to make your own pizza on the BBQ grill, what are you waiting for?! Buy some premade pizza dough (or make your own – it’s easy!) and your favorite pizza toppings. Have everything ready to go, then slide the crust on the grill for a few minutes. Flip the whole thing over and then add your pizza toppings while it cooks. Your grill can get much hotter than your oven, so it’ll make your crust extra crispy and delicious! Let the kids help, but definitely with adult supervision. Or try your hand at using an outdoor pizza oven – here’s some info on how to use an outdoor pizza oven, our favorite recipes and tips for cooking pizza outside !
Making nature art using sun print paper is a great way to teach kids about the sun and shadows. It also encourages them to be observant of shapes, patterns and sizes of leaves, plants and natural objects. Plus, you get some really gorgeous art prints out of it that would look so pretty framed or turned into wrapping paper or greeting cards. See our full post on sun prints for more details.
Catching fireflies (or lightning bugs, as we call them) is one of my (and my kids’) favorite things to do in the summer. Once the temperature gets warm enough, twilight is the perfect time to chase after these slow flying bugs. They’re easy enough to catch with your hands, just be careful not to injure them and let them go gently. Check out this post for more information on fireflies, fun facts, firefly jokes, and info on how to save them .
Golf is such a fun outdoor activity for the entire family. My kids are really into golf these days and they can’t seem to get enough. We love going out and playing nine holes as a family at a public course or spending an hour hitting balls at the driving range. If you haven’t tried Top Golf, it’s also been a huge hit! Or mix it up and try your hand at putt putt golf – winner gets to pick dinner! Here’s a great post on everything you need to know to get started playing golf with kids .
Turn your evening stroll or afternoon hike into a rainbow walk, where kids are tasked with finding one item of every color of the rainbow. Either have them write down the item and corresponding color or take a photo of it with your phone/camera.
Most kids love performing, so have them put on a show! Help them come up with a story (maybe reenact their favorite movie/book or make something up entirely!), cast the characters, find costumes, rehearse their lines and even create background scenery! Have them set up a theater, advertise the show and sell tickets and popcorn. If you’re lucky, this could take ALL DAY (or longer)! Have them perform their show for the family (or the neighborhood) and be sure to give them a standing ovation!
Whether you’re on the beach or just playing in a sandbox, building a sand castle is so much fun! You don’t need any fancy equipment to make an amazing sand creation. Just some sand, add water and a few cups and buckets of various sizes. Feel free to add shells, sticks, grass or leaves for decorations. Put those future architectural skills to work! Take your sandcastle building to the next level with these sandcastle building tips for kids from a professional !
Climbing trees is a great way for kids to experience “risky” play, with great rewards. One of my favorite writers, Linda McGurk wrote: “Tree climbing has real benefits for kids – physically, mentally, cognitively and socially. Just think about it. As your child scales the tree he’s building muscle strength, practicing gross motor skills such as balance and improving spatial awareness and proprioception. When he decides which branches are safe to stand on and how high to go, he’s learning how to judge risk and developing critical thinking skills. As he plans his path up through the limbs, he’s gaining decision-making and problem-solving skills, and if things don’t go according to plan, he gains emotional strength and resilience by trying again. When he successfully negotiates the branches, he feels a sense of accomplishment, which in turn boosts his self-confidence.”
Sometimes the smallest things (like a change of scenery) can make all the difference. Try packing a picnic and eating a meal in a whole new location. Choose a park with a fun playground, a picnic table by a lake or the edge of a babbling brook. Spread out a blanket with all the food and let the kids eat as they play with no rushing or nagging at them to sit down and eat. The kids will graze during the time you’re there as they play and explore. And chances are, they’ll eat ALL the food in the car on the way home!
Summer’s a great time to clean out some of the clutter in your home and get rid of some things that you and the kids no longer need or enjoy. Make it a family project to clean out their bedrooms and playroom with them and choose items to contribute to the family yard sale. Give them a percentage of the earnings or let them have the proceeds from particular items they sell. Be sure to have them help with labeling, advertising, and marketing! And let them help with selling, answering customer questions and making change.
Not sure I have to say anything else about this one. If the thought of napping in a hammock on a warm summer day doesn’t thrill you to the bone, I’m not sure this is the website for you.
Like jumping rope, hula hooping seems to be another lost art of childhood. Make sure your kids get the chance to experience the thrills and fun of a hula hoop. Watching kids learn how to hula hoop is absolutely adorable and worth the nominal price of a hoop. Play games, like who can keep it going the longest, who can make it go up and down their body or who can jump through it as it rolls down the sidewalk!
In the summer, local farmer’s markets are teeming with the most amazing produce around. Take your kids and introduce them to the vendors. Let them ask questions about where and how the food was grown. Let them taste free samples of fruits, veggies, and baked goods. And then pick out a few items to take home for dinner! They’ll be more likely to eat the food if they had a say in choosing it. Here are some fun things to do at a farmer’s market and ways for kids to learn and explore while there !
Summertime is the best time for finding and picking wildflowers. Bring a pair of scissors on your walk and snip a few flowers for a bouquet. Wildflowers make beautiful and colorful arrangements. But only take a few and make sure to leave plenty for the bees!
It doesn’t have to be an Olympic year for your kids to enjoy the games. Create your own version of the Olympics by having them compete for the gold in their favorite events. Set up the ping pong table outside, host a diving competition at the pool, try some rhymic gymnastics with ribbons and hoops. Whatever their sport, find a way to recreate it!
Decorate your garden or walkway with beautiful concrete stepping stones. All you need is a mold, some concrete mix and any decorations you want to use. Try colored stones, shells, glass or beads
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