101 Fun Things to Do This Summer
No ideas? No problem! Here are 101 ideas for your summer to keep kids from being bored and create memories they’ll have for a lifetime! The whole Family will enjoy it!
Bake cupcakes and fresh bread for all the summer picnics.
Volunteer at a nature center where kids can attend and help.
Make a photo journal or a family yearbook.
Have a ‘luau’ in the backyard.
Visit the beach and collect shells.
Make a fort out of cardboard boxes.
Visit a farmer’s market.
Stage an A to Z scavenger hunt, where you have to find something that starts with every letter. Here are 8 more scavenger hunt ideas.
Pick fresh fruits.
Have a picnic in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, or simply visit your local park with the kids.
Make natural fruit ice cream with the kids.
Go canoeing at a local lake (if kids are old enough for it!) or simply bring the children to observe nature.
Build a sandcastle.
Let the kids write and illustrate their own book, or simply create a picture book telling a story.
Forget cooking: set up a salad & sandwich bar buffet for dinner, including fresh homemade ice cream.
Help keep your town tidy! And bring the kids to help you!
Have a backyard campfire by using the grill! Roast veggies on sticks, sausages & marshmallows… the kids will love it!!!
Make homemade pizza.
Go for a walk with the kids and then make a collage from nature objects you find along the way.
Visit farms.
Set up a lemonade stand (just for the craic!)
Have a water balloon fight.
Practice your origami skills and make objects to hang from the ceiling.
Get the bikes out and about!
Get the kids to interview an older relative about what life was like when they were young.
Have a picnic in your backyard when the kids are bored.
Print out a list of children’s books. Visit the local library throughout the summer and try to read as many as you can.
Get creative with the Kids: Create a salad spinner art! Place circles of paper inside a cheap salad spinner, dab tempera paints on top, cover and spin away.
Practice making interesting shadow puppets and then put on a show with your characters.
Plant a garden of herbs and veggies.
Make a sidewalk chalk mural.
Get the kids to water the garden everyday!
Have an outdoor painting party using huge canvases or cardboard.
Visit an aquarium.
Plant a new garden with flowers.
Pretend to be pirates for a day: dress up in costumes, plan a treasure hunt and talk like a pirate.
Make an indoor sandbox using colored rice: simply mix rice with food coloring and let dry overnight.
Turn the backyard into a party: set up a face painting area and games like ring toss.
Make arts & crafts by using empty toilet rolls/kitchen rolls.
Bring the kids to different museums.
Get the kids to create traffic signs around the house and at the driveway.
String beads into jewelry.
Make a bird house out of Popsicle sticks.
Teach the kids about stars & the solar system: then let them get outside to observe the sky.
Create flowers arrangements with wildflowers.
Go fossil hunting near a lake.
Play ball!
Make paper boats and race them in a kiddie pool using straws to propel them.
Play mini-golf, or set up a course in your driveway by laying different size containers on their sides.
Make your own colored sand and create sand art.
Get a map of Ireland and mark off exciting places to visit: now tell the kids all about them and ask them to help you create the ultimate road trip!
Set up a net and play badminton.
Visit an amusement park or water park.
Wade through a stream and search for tadpoles.
Go zip-lining at Killiney Playground with the kids.
Have a tricycle race at the park.
Investigate an ethnic grocery store and make lunch using interesting spices and child-friendly international recipes.
Visit a fire station with the kids.
Collect rocks and paint them: they can then be used as paperweights or pet rocks.
Go roller skating or something similar.
Visit Dublin Zoo to learn and teach the kids about animals.
Run through the sprinklers.
Blend smoothies with the kids everyday.
Set up a bike wash and let the kids clean everything outside.
Get the kids to make birds’ swimming pools by using natural objects found in the garden.
Let kids paint the sidewalk or patio with plain old water and sponge brushes. When their creation dries, they can begin again.
Bake cupcakes in ice cream cones and then decorate them.
Assemble a family cookbook with all your the kids favorite chosen recipes.
Go horseback riding.
Make ice lollies with freshly squeezed fruit juices.
Catch flies in a jar, then let them go.
Stage your own Summer Olympics with races, hurdles and relays.
Create a backyard circus where kids can pretend to be animals and dress up as clowns.
Decorate the house with wild flowers.
Take a child-friendly sewing/crochet/knitting class.
Make paper flowers using different colored tissue paper.
Go to a flea market and teach kids about history.
Volunteer at an animal adoption organization.
Visit a retirement home and read stories to residents.
Attend a Family friendly outdoor festival or concert (like the Groove Festival)
Pick a nearby town to visit for the day.
Visit a cave.
Get a map of your area, mark off all the local parks, then visit them. Take pictures with the kids let them vote for their favorite.
Create ceiling decoration for the kids’ bedroom with them.
Make crafts with recyclable items like stickers using old photos, magazines and water based glue.
Make your own hard-to-pop bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of washing up liquid soap and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.
Paint old canvas sneakers with fabric paint pens or acrylic paint.
Create buildings using toothpicks and mini marshmallows.
Make bird feeders by covering pine cones with peanut butter and rolling in birdseed.
Paint with ice by freezing ice cube trays with washable tempera paint.
Create different recipes in the kitchen with the kids, using unusual ingredients.
Have a fancy tea party.
Make a giant slip-n-slide with a painter’s tarp and shaving cream.
Go camping in the backyard or at a campsite.
Let kids paint each other with washable tempera paint, then wash it off in the sprinklers.
Visit a garden center and learn more about plants and flowers.
Go to official games/matches and teach your kids (and yourself!) how to keep a scorecard.
Set up a tent in the backyard to use as a summer playhouse.
Keep an eye for all free Family Events around the Country.
Have a game night with Monopoly, charades, Pictionary and bingo.
Take a boring brown paper bag and have kids brainstorm creative things to do with it: you’ll be surprised at how many things they can come up with!
