Summer Activities To Do At Home With The Family

Summertime can be so much fun for families, but the truth is that you can't go out for a great time everyday. Although it's great to head off to parks, beaches and other such fun activities, some days you need to keep the summertime fun home-based.

If you have kids, you know that keeping them occupied at home can be a challenge. Even if you take a ton of measures to ensure that they are occupied with things to do, you're often met with cries of "I'm bored" from your littles.

Here are some home-based summer activities for the whole family

For the Younger Kids

Make A DIY Rainstorm

This is a simple, water-based activity that young kids and toddlers will LOVE. It couldn't be easier for parents, as you just take a hose and point it angled upwards, creating a rain for your children to run through. Easy for parents and fun for kids sounds like the perfect recipe for summertime fun!

Chalk Murals

Chalk murals are a super easy activity that kids of any age can do, although young kids and toddlers might like it the best. Get some sidewalk chalk from the dollar store, and get to work making murals on the sidewalk or driveway. This can end up being ages of fun for little kids, as they get to work making fun summertime art.

Homemade Bubble Activity

Most kids love bubbles, and the only thing better than bubbles is GIANT BUBBLES! This tutorial from Happy Hooligans will tell you step-by-step everything you need to know about making giant bubbles that your kids will love to play with.

Use Water To "Paint" Fences Or Sidewalks

One parenting hack that can work for hours of fun for younger kids is to give them the task of "painting" fences or sidewalks. Because the water will make the surfaces change color, it is a brilliant way to keep your little ones busy. As the water dries up, the color will go back to normal, giving them a blank slate to "paint" on once again!

Backyard Water Olympics

If you have ore than one child to entertain, or if you are having other kids over, why not try backyard water olympics? This post from Family Education has a list of fun water games that you can use to create a whole sports day for your kids to have fun and beat the heat!

Bug Hunting

Bug hunting is probably one of the simplest things that your kids can do in the backyard for fun. Get your little ones to find all the bugs they can, and you can discuss them together. You can also expand on this by asking them to find some other simple nature items.

For the Older Kids

Backyard Camping

Backyard camping can be a really great way to bond and have fun with your older kids. Set up a tend and pretend you are camping, like you would do if you had gone on a trip. Stay up late, use a fire pit (if you have one) and have a barbecue!

Stargazing

Stargazing is great for older kids, since it requires staying up late. You can stay up and look to the stars for stars and plants, and you might even see some shooting stars! Many neighborhoods may have enough light pollution that it can be difficult to see a lot of stars, but you should still be able to see some stars and planets if the sky is clear.

Science Experiments

Science experiments are a great idea for summertime fun with older kids. Kids are naturally curious, and it's a great idea to help encourage this by giving them activities that are as much for fun as they are for learning. If you want some ideas for educational household experiments, check out this list by Mommy Poppins.

Homemade Boat Racing

If you're looking for summertime fun, boat racing might be just the thing for the older kids in your home! This post from See Vanessa Craft shows how to make boats for homemade boat races.

Making A Comic Series

If your kids are the artistic type, making a comic series is something that they may enjoy. An added perk is that they will practicing their writing and drawing skills. You can do this with them, or just be their test reader. Your kids will love unleashing their creativity and having a keepsake for their efforts.

Tie-Dying Fabrics

Tie-dying t-shirts is a super fun activity that your older kids can do, and have something to keep afterwards. This post from Instructables will tell you everything you need to know about tie-dying with kids.