Summer is a great time to spend time together as a family. You might have weddings, family reunions, camping trips, and other “big” stuff to go to. But, you don’t have to do all the bigger stuff to have fun together as a family. Often, it’s the seemingly simple and “smaller” things that we look back on fondly.
To get some new inspiration for things to do this summer with kids, I asked some of my fellow moms and got a lot of great ideas.
Check out what’s around you!
Alison and Iowa mom to 5 year old Danny says that “swimming and bike riding” are favorite kid/family approved summer activities in her family and that, as a mom, the best part of it being summer is”no coats/hats/gloves/scarves.” Warm weather perks (not to mention, FREE ways to get active and spend quality time together)! 🙂 Find out more about Alison of Budgeting Basics and Beyond here.
Julie, mom to a 3-year-old and military spouse currently living in Central Texas says that, “Now that we live near quite a few bodies of water, we’ve adopted a once-a-weekend swimming hole visit to the local river or lake this summer. It’s been wonderful to unwind even for just a few hours swimming and rafting.” What a great idea! Julie works full time and her son is in daycare, but “there’s more daylight to do fun things on weekends and in the evening” during the summer, which she takes advantage of. Find out more about Julie of Fab Working Mom Life here.
We also enjoy checking out what’s around us. Other ideas include:
- Factory tours (stickers, Jelly Belly, cheese, whatever! Kids love seeing how things are made, and often, free samples are included)
- New parks, or parks you haven’t been to in a while
- Splash pads
- Trips to the lake or local beaches
- Hiking and nature trails
- Historical places and monuments
Ready to get creative in a different way?
Marissa, an Arizona mom to three boys 5, 3, and 8 months, shared a favorite activity in her family- paint filled water balloons! Marissa says, “We love paint filled water balloons! Throw them at a white canvas or white t-shirt for creative play. It’s always a huge hit during the summer.”
Another fun activity with kids is water. “As a mom, the thing I enjoy most about summer is watching my kids play with water. Pools, sprinklers, water balloons, water hose, anything. It really brings cheek to cheek smiles to their faces. It’s the simple things.” Find out more about living simply from Marissa’s site, Helping Moms Everywhere Live Simply.
Some of our favorite ways to be creative or play with water are:
- Frozen painting (freeze paint and paint outside as it melts)
- Ice excavations (freeze stuff in a large bowl and let the kids melt the ice away to retrieve the frozen stuff)
- Running and dancing through the sprinklers
- Toy washing! Bring out the soap and water and let the kids wash their toys.
Ready to go somewhere?
Jennifer, mom to 4 yr old Hailey in Washington state says that “the sun and enjoying playing with my daughter outside” are what she enjoys most about summer. Simple summer fun! Her family’s tradition is, “Going to the beach! That’s our tradition we do every year. We go to the Jersey Shore.” Learn more from Jennifer’s community for busy moms and military spouses, Teach.Workout.Love, here.
“We love to go to a local amusement and water park,” says Jen, mom of Aiden (3), who enjoys, “All the sunshine time.” Check out her blog Tadpoles and Mud Puddles here.
We love traveling, especially during the summer. Check out some of our family packing tips or brush up on ways to keep travel expenses to a minimum, which are also prefect for day trips.
What are your favorite summer activities?
Share below or join the discussion on Facebook!
