Summer is long. The days are warm, the kids are home, and somewhere around week three, the novelty of no school wears off and the "I'm bored" chorus begins.
The easiest solution is to hand over a tablet. But if you are looking for ways to keep kids entertained, engaged, and off screens this summer, you have plenty of options — and most of them require nothing more than a few supplies you already have at home.
Here are some of the best screen-free summer activities to keep kids busy, creative, and genuinely having fun.
Set Up a Backyard Obstacle Course
All you need is some open space and a little imagination. Use hula hoops, jump ropes, pool noodles, buckets, and chalk lines to build a course kids can run, jump, crawl, and climb through. Time them with a stopwatch and let them try to beat their own record.
This one works especially well for multiple kids — they will spend hours designing new challenges for each other.
Start a Summer Art Station
Dedicate a corner of the kitchen table or a spot in the backyard to art supplies. Stock it with crayons, watercolors, construction paper, glue sticks, old magazines for collaging, and whatever craft supplies you have on hand.
The key is keeping it accessible. When kids can walk up and start creating without asking permission or hunting for supplies, they actually use it.
Simple art project ideas to get them started:
- Paint rocks to use as garden decorations
- Make friendship bracelets
- Design their own bookmarks
- Create a comic strip about their summer
- Paint self-portraits or family portraits
Build a Backyard Fort or Hideout
Blankets, chairs, cardboard boxes, and a little creative vision are all kids need to build an epic fort. Let them take the lead and resist the urge to help too much — the building is half the fun.
Once it is built, the fort becomes the setting for hours of imaginative play. It is a reading nook, a clubhouse, a castle, a spaceship. Whatever they decide.
Get Into the Kitchen Together
Cooking and baking with kids is messy, a little chaotic, and genuinely wonderful. Summer is the perfect time to slow down and let kids take the lead in the kitchen.
Easy recipes kids can help make:
- Homemade pizza with toppings of their choice
- No-bake energy balls
- Decorated sugar cookies
- Smoothies and fresh lemonade
- Homemade ice cream in a bag
Even very young kids can help pour, stir, and decorate. Older kids can start to read recipes and measure ingredients on their own.
Start a Garden (Even a Small One)
Growing something from seed is one of those activities that teaches patience, responsibility, and a little bit of science all at once. You do not need a big yard — a few pots on a porch or windowsill work just as well.
Let kids pick what they want to grow. Sunflowers, cherry tomatoes, herbs, and strawberries are all great choices for young gardeners. Give them ownership of watering and watching, and they will check on their plants every single day.
Play Classic Outdoor Games
Sometimes the best activities are the ones that have been keeping kids entertained for generations. Classic outdoor games require no equipment, no setup, and no screens.
Games to bring back this summer:
- Freeze tag and capture the flag
- Red light, green light
- Four square and hopscotch
- Kickball and dodgeball
- Hide and seek (at dusk is especially fun)
- Flashlight tag after dark
Start a Summer Journal or Scrapbook
Give each kid a blank notebook and encourage them to document their summer. They can write about what they did, draw pictures, tape in ticket stubs and pressed flowers, and create a keepsake they will actually want to look back on.
Even kids who do not love writing often enjoy the creative side of decorating pages and making something that feels truly theirs.
Set Up a Water Play Station
On hot summer days, water is the answer to everything. You do not need a pool — a sprinkler, a water table, some buckets, and a few cups and funnels will keep young kids occupied for hours.
Older kids love water balloon battles, slip and slides, and sponge toss games. Let them get completely soaked and call it a good day.
Create a Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Write up a list of things to find in the backyard or neighborhood — a red flower, something fuzzy, a feather, a smooth rock, something that makes a sound — and send kids on a hunt. You can make it harder for older kids and simpler for younger ones.
Scavenger hunts are also a great rainy day activity if you move them indoors. Hide clues around the house and let kids work together to find the final prize.
Keep the Magic Going
The best screen-free summers are not about keeping kids constantly busy — they are about giving them the space and the tools to entertain themselves. Set up the conditions, stock a few supplies, and then step back.
Kids are remarkably creative when boredom has nowhere to hide.
