Here it is our list of 100+ things to do this summer. You’re probably already thinking I’m crazy because there aren’t even 101 days in our summer break. I’m never quite sure which activities will capture their interest for 15 seconds and which ones will last all afternoon. You may also be rolling your eyes at all the mom involvement. I, too, would love to say “go play” and watch my children dutifully march outside to connect with nature and burn off their boredom. Unfortunately, we all need a little inspiration to get things going. Aside from the items that happen on set dates we don’t schedule much – just make sure we have supplies on hand.
- Watermelon Seed Spitting
- Take a Road Trip
- Paintsicles
- Body Painting
- Star Gaze
- Playground Hop
- Tie-Dye
- Mixer Painting
- Make Pom-Pom Monsters
- Have a Pillow Fight
- Water Balloon Baseball
- Straw Fireworks
- Blow Bubbles
- Color Fight
- Parade
- Minnesota State Fair
- Visit a Storytime at your local library
- Como Zoo
- Birdwatching
- Water Painting
- U-Pick
- Make a Collage
- Visit the Mill City Museum
- Document Our Summer
- Marker Cars
- Sponge Ball Fight
- Do an Activity Exchange
- Movies
- Sweet Pea Teepee
- Paper Airplanes
- Obstacle Course
- Circus Juventas
- Vist a County Fair
- Paint Plant Pots
- Slip N’ Slide
- Outdoor Kitchen
- Printmaking
- Sinfonia
- Build a Fort
- Dance in the Rain
- Make Ice Cream
- Make Bubble Wands
- Stomp Rockets
- Firehouse
- Visit the Minnesota Science Museum
- Lemonade Stand
- Go on a Picnic
- Paint Sticks
- Go to a Baseball Game
- Rescue Toys From Ice
- Squirt Gun Painting
- Run Through the Sprinkler
- Hide & Seek
- Summer Reading Program
- Sharpie T-Shirts
- Visit the Minnesota Zoo
- Eat at the Drive-In
- Make Christmas Presents
- Put on a Talent Show
- Marble Painting
- Visit Stillwater
- Sun Prints
- Go On a Scavenger Hunt
- Find a Waterfall
- Make S’mores
- Water Balloon Piñatas
- Pendulum Painting
- Photo Shoot
- Send Postcards
- Como Pool
- Get Movin’ Hopscotch Game
- Make Popsicles
- Slackline
- Skip Stones
- Plant a Terrarium
- Giant Bubbles
- Balloon & Pool Noodle Tennis
- Water Wall
- Ride Bikes
- Walker Mini Golf
- Visit a local Pizza Farm
- Paint Rocks
- Highland Fest
- Go on a Bug Hunt
- Make Playdough
- Sidewalk Chalk and Paint
- Plant Edibles
- Go to the Farmers’ Market
- Mimic a Masterpiece
- Fireworks
- Splatter Painting
- Chalk Rockets and Bombs
- Dance Party
- Canoe
- Minnesota Children’s Museum
- Go Bowling
- Fly Kites
- Bubble Painting
- Yard Twister
- Fishing
- Sculpture Garden
- Build a Bird Feeder
- Make a Troll House
- Water Table
- Fly Swatter Painting
- Foam Party
- Bake a cake
So that’s our list. It is our jumping off point, a place to look for ideas we have enjoyed in the past and new activities we’ve always wanted to try. The truth is I need it to refer to when they are bored or I am impatient, and to remind us that, just like the list, summer may seem long but it’s not endless.
What would you add? What have you tried? Every year we add and drop ideas, so help me out.
7 comments
This is perfect, thank you for posting! This will be so helpful when we are trying to come up with something fun and inexpensive to do with the kids this summer. Thanks for sharing!
I’m going to pin this to my Pinterest board to show my friends.
Suzanne, I’m so glad you like it!! Yes, please pin away and let me know if there’s anything you would add.
Great list! I’d add the Minnesota Model Railroad Museum (especially the open-on-weekends-only Chimneys building with all of the buttons for pushing) at Bandana Square and the Firefighter’s Hall (also only open on Saturdays) in Northeast Mpls. Happy summer!
Meghan, Great additions! I love the Firefighter’s Hall. I actually wrote a post about it (https://twincitiesfamily.com/nordeast-for-mini-hipsters/) but I’ve heard you can ride on one of the trucks in the summer which we (I) definitely want to try out.
I love this list! I love the pics….I will make sure I head back to it, thanks for all the work that went into it!
Suzanne, Walker Mini Golf is tons of fun with older kids!
Love your list! As a librarian, I’m delighted to see Summer Reading Program among the listed ideas.