Summer is that season of the year where everyone looks forward to escaping the day-to-day drudgery and get outside. For kids, summertime is the best time to make new friends and indulge in fun outdoor activities.
That said, keeping your kids entertained throughout the summer season can be a challenge. When the kids are home the whole day,you’re faced with the prospect of keeping them busy or else they will default to staring at screens. Before you know it, school will be back in session and you’ll have missed your chance to have fun in the sun as a family!
Ideally, summer camp activities should keep your kid creatively engaged and away from the television or tablet. Outdoor play gives your kid a chance to explore nature and have adventures.
Best Summer Activities for Kids that Every Parent Needs to Know
Here is a list of 25 summer activities that will keep your kid creatively engaged and entertained throughout the whole school vacation:
Outdoor Twister
Twister is a lot of fun indoors… why not bring it outside? The moderator calls out color names, and the kids place their hands or legs on the mentioned colors. It is an exciting and fun outdoor activity that improves your kid’s hand-eye coordination.
Scavenger Hunt
Kids of all ages can enjoy a scavenger hunt. Write down a list of things that you are likely to find in a campsite— leaves and sticks are a good start. Give every kid that list and a bag to collect everything. Tell them to bring the bag back to a central point, maybe a tent or a picnic table. If you have kids who can’t read yet, give them a picture card that contains things they can easily find.
Create a Maze
Are you searching for ideas for summer camp activities and games? Consider creating a maze! You can build a simple maze using paper strings or toilet paper. The chosen kid goes through the maze without touching the paper within a designated period of time. Send the kids through one at a time, and the one who gets through the fastest is the winner! This summer camp activity for kids is something every parent should try!
Art & Craft
Kids are always searching for fun activities to preoccupy them during the summer season. That said, arts and crafts activities will help your kids to remain busy and productive during their vacation. From creating cards to making lanyards, kids can get creative with a little bit of direction. Unleash their inner creativity!
Build Hats Using Paper Plates
Your kids can employ their creativity to make fun and festive summer hats using paper plates.Gather supplies like feathers, sequins, streamers, and ribbons, as well as glue. The only limit is their imagination!
Parachute Games for Kids
The parachute is another kid’s summer camp activity that would be fun to try. All you need is a large parachute and some small-to-medium balls. Just toss the ball in the center, and recruit five to six kids to try to keep the balls in the air using only the parachute! The game helps to develop team work among the kids.
More Fun Preschool Summer Camp Ideas to Keep Younger Kids Busy Throughout the Vacation
Discover How Clouds Make Rain
This is an indoor experiment that you can carry out to show your kids how clouds form and make rain. All you need is a small jar, shaving cream, and food coloring to make bring science to life for even the youngest children in your family!
Get messy with Splatter Painting
Splatter painting is an easy and fun outdoor activity that will keep your little one engaged throughout the summer season. When you keep it outdoors and dress your child in play clothes, they can really let loose!
Bubbles
Of course, you can always blow bubbles outside, but what about rainy days? You don’t want to get the indoors all soapy! If you have a bubble enthusiast who’s disappointed that they can’t go outside to blow bubbles, just put some water in a basin, add a drop of soap and give each kid a straw. Let’s see who can make the largest bubble?!
Simon Says
This is a game that’s been popular among children for decades. First, select one kid to be a Simon. The other kids must follow instructions given by Simon or else they will be out of the game.
Hide and Seek
This is no doubt on the oldest games on the planet. The variations of this summer game can be both engaging and fun for kids.
Indoor Bowling
Get some plastic cups or empty bottles and a small ball, and begin bowling like a pro.
Dominoes
This is a classic indoor or outdoor game that your kids can enjoy during summer. Click here to obtain instructions on how your kids can play this game.
Create a tug-of-war
Even two kids can play this outdoor game when crates are employed to up the ante!
Bicycle Games
If your kid has a bicycle, you can invite other children to join them for fun relay races, an obstacle course, or any other bike-based game. Don’t forget to give the lucky winner an award!
Exciting Kids Summer Camp Themes Every Parent Can Try
Summer camps give your kids a chance to stay active, have fun, and learn at the same time. Here are some exciting summer camp themes that you need to try out:
Animal Planet
Aim to highlight one animal each camping day. Crafts, games, songs, and other outdoor activities should be built around your selected animal.
Princesses and Knights
Begin your day by crowning your princess and dubbing your knights. Every day hide your treasure somewhere and send the kids out to search for it.
Fear Factor
You can divide your kids into separate teams and get them to perform tasks like eating bugs or dog foods. (If you rope neighbor kids into the mix, be sure to get their parents’ permission first!)
Going Green
The events that fall under this theme include waste recycling, tree plantation, etc. Kids can create charts to show their peers the effects of global warming and how it affects their daily lives.
Toys Construction
Creating different items, ranging from building models to toy cars is an awesome summer camp activity that many kids would enjoy. As a parent, you can guide your kid throughout the entire construction process.
Racing
You can add some hurdles to make foot races more entertaining and fun-filled. Make it as challenging as possible so that kids will enjoy it, too. Organizing two-minute races will keep their attention longer!
Alien Storytelling Activity
Divide the kids into pairs and give them two pieces of paper. Request them to trace the outline of their peers using crayons. When they have finished drawing, let them create an alien using the available art materials.
Build a rocket
Use recyclable materials in your neighborhood to create a large rocket. Try to request for donations from families like newspapers, boxes, and cardboard tubes. This is one of the best kid’s summer camp themes that parents can enjoy, too.
Food Tasting
Divide kids into separate groups that represent different countries. Request each group to prepare cuisine tailored to their native country. For instance, if kids are from Italy, they are going to cook spaghetti as their main cuisine. Present all the meals prepared by various groups for tasting at the end of the day for a tasting event.
Building Sandcastles
Whether you live near the beach or you’re working with a backyard sand box, a sandcastle contest can be fun for all! Provide shovels, cups, buckets, and any other tool needed to create sand sculptures. Take photos of those sculptures and let the parents vote for the most outstanding ones.
Music, music, music
Which kid does not enjoy playing instruments and singing songs? Invest in some rhythm instruments (maracas, tambourines, cymbals) or small recorders or whistles to start, and then set them loose! Exposing your kids to music at an early age supports their social, emotional, and cognitive development.
Final Thoughts
The summer camp activities for kids discussed in this post will give every parent an idea of how to make summer camp fun and entertaining. It is crucial to strike the right balance between fun preschool ideas and educational outdoor activities for kids. Personality development of kids should be the main objective of summer camps. Also, kids can spend their time more wisely during their summer vacation if they implement the summer activities discussed in this article. Good luck!