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    Home » What We're Doing » 50+ Easy Summer Activities for Toddlers and Little Kids

    50+ Easy Summer Activities for Toddlers and Little Kids

    Published: May 7, 2014 by Blair Lonergan

    Well, folks...summer is almost here. And like most moms, I have very mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I'm looking forward to a more relaxed, flexible schedule and some extra time with my big guy. On the other hand, I'm dreading those endless afternoons of "I'm bored...," or "I have nothing to do...," or just generally stirring up mischief.

    That's why I took it upon myself to pull together this ultimate list of Easy Summer Activities for Toddlers and Little Kids! This will be my lifeline (and yours) over the next few months.

    Long collage of summer activities for toddlers and little kids

    I have included some of our favorite outdoor and indoor activities, as well as some great ideas from other bloggers that I can't wait to try myself. I know that I will refer to this list again and again as I'm working hard to fill my boys' schedules this summer. Whether it's a beautiful afternoon outside, a dreary rainy morning, or just a scorching hot day, there is something here for everyone and for every occasion. Have fun!

    1. Sand Art

    Sand-Art.jpg

    2. Make Your Own Sand Slime (from Growing a Jeweled Rose)

    3. Little Kids' Sports Course

    Little-Kids-Sports-Course.jpg

    4. Simple Letter Activities to Do Outside with Sidewalk Chalk (from No Time for Flash Cards)

    5. Make Clothespin Sharks

    Clothespin-Sharks.jpg

    6. Aim at a Bullseye Using Wet Sponges (from Mamas Like Me)

    7. Paint with Ice

    Painting-with-Ice.jpg

    8. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk (from Domestic Charm)

    9. Make Some Wind Chimes for Your Garden, Yard, or Front Porch

    Windchimes

    10. Create a Marble Racetrack Using a Foam Pool Noodle (from Homespun Threads)

    11. Make Some Oobleck!

    how-to-make-oobleck.jpg

    12. Make Water Balloon Pinatas (from Paging Fun Mums)

    13. Play Stomp and Pop Balloons

    Stomp and Pop Balloons

    14. Make Homemade Bubbles and Bubble Wands (from Happy Money Saver)

    15. Paint with Tractors

    Painting-with-Tractors.jpg

    16. Make Sunbutter (or Peanut Butter) Apple Sailboats (from Soliloquy of Food)

    17. Create Your Own Toy Car Wash

    Toy-Car-Wash.jpg

    18. Play Target Practice with Water Guns (from The Taylor House)

    19. Make Rainbow Crayons

    wpid-Rainbow-Crayons.jpg

    20. Have fun with Water Gun Painting (from Somewhat Simple)

    21. Make Eyedropper Volcanoes

    Eyedropper Volcanoes

    22. Have a Flashlight Scavenger Hunt (turn off all of the lights in a room, close the blinds, and hide something for the little ones to find!)

    23. Play Indoor Tennis

    Indoor-Tennis.jpg

    24. Make a Straw-Blown Painting (from Having Fun at Home)

    25. Design Your Own City

    wpid-Design-Your-Own-City-3.jpg

    26. Make and play with some Dirt Dough (from Growing a Jeweled Rose)

    27. Paint Shells

    Painted-Shells.jpg

    28. Make Drums out of Tin Cans (from Minieco.co.uk)

    29. Go Magnetic Fishing

    wpid-Magnetic-Fishing.jpg

    30. Make Some Fluffy Bathtub Paint -- you could use this in an outdoor mini pool, too! (from Housing a Forest)

    31. Paint a Birdhouse

    Painting-a-Birdhouse.jpg

    32. Let your kids play in a "bubble bath" in a mini outdoor pool. We did this a lot last summer -- just pour in some bubble bath while you're filling up the pool. It makes splashing around so much more fun!

    33. Go on a Tree Scavenger Hunt, Make Bark Rubbings, and enjoy a Tree Snack

    Tree-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg

    34. Play with Legos in Water (from Creative with Kids)

    35. Make some Toilet Paper Trails

    Toilet Paper Trails

    36. Go on a Bug Hunt (from No Time for Flash Cards)

    37. Play with Trucks in Shaving Cream "Snow"

    Sensory-Play-Trucks-in-Shaving-Foam-Snow.jpg

    38. Host an Ice Cream Taste Test (from No Time for Flash Cards)

    39, Create a Dinosaur Sensory Bin and make some Fossil Cookies

    Digging-for-Dinosaurs.jpg

    40. Make some Sponge Bombs (from Inner Child Fun)

    41. Defend your Castle and have some fun with these Marshmallow Shooters

    Defending the Castle Marshmallow Shooters

    42. Make your own Trail Mix: set out a bunch of different ingredients (nuts, seeds, cereal, pretzels, Goldfish, M&Ms, etc.) and let your kids create their own mix. Then find a trail and go for a hike!

    43. Make some Masking Tape Roads

    Masking-Tape-Road-1.jpg

    44. Nothing says summer like some fruit and some water play. Go Bobbing for Apple Slices!

    Bobbing-for-Apple-Slices.jpg

    45. Get out the hose and the sidewalk chalk for some Firefighter Play (no real flames, here!)

    Firefighter-Play-Putting-Out-Flames.jpg

    46. Visit an Airport

    Airport-Sign.jpg

    47. Visit a Pet Shop

    Fish-Tank.jpg

    48. Play some Nursery Rhyme Games

    Nursery-Rhyme-Games.jpg

    49. Go Hunting for Hidden Treasure

    Treasure-Map.jpg

    50. Visit the Zoo and make some Paper Plate Lions

    Paper-Plate-Lion-finished.jpg

    51. Watch the movie "A Bug's Life" and make some Egg Carton Ants

    egg-carton-ants.jpg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne

      May 08, 2014 at 1:22 am

      I love these ideas! I can't wait to do some of these with my littles tomorrow (they are in bed right now). Thanks for the tips! I'm glad I found your post through the Show and Share link party.

      Reply
      • Blair

        May 08, 2014 at 9:45 am

        Thanks, Anne! I hope that you all have fun. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Kristina & Millie

      May 11, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      awesome list, should keep the kids busy all summer 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. kaz at melting moments

      May 16, 2014 at 7:25 am

      Painting with ice. AWESOME!

      Reply

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