180+ Summer Boredom Busters for Kids

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Looking for a huge list of fun, creative, and screen-free activities for your kids this summer? If your school year is over and you need ideas, you’re in the right place! These 180+ summer boredom busters for kids include indoor and outdoor ideas, crafts, classic games, field trips, and more. Whether you’re planning your summer schedule or just trying to survive a hot afternoon, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here for the whole family. 

From backyard adventures and rainy-day crafts to road trip boredom busters and local outings, this list is packed with kid-approved fun. These ideas are perfect for families, summer camps, babysitters, homeschoolers, and anyone looking to make the most of summer break.

Also check out my related posts:

• 75+ Summer Jokes for Kids
• 90 Fun Activities for Teens
• I’m Bored Bingo Game

And don’t miss the printable version of this list!

I was recently invited to speak at a Mom’s meeting about beating Summer boredom. So, I compiled a massive list of fun things to do to keep kids from telling you how bored they are.

I will be honest, the first thing I say when my kids tell me they are bored is that I have lots of jobs around the house they can do!  They moan and realize, I’m serious. This usually sends them running! 🙂 It will keep them from complaining to you about it for a few minutes at least.

Start with a Simple Summer Plan

Before we dive into the list, here’s a quick tip: create a simple summer schedule. It doesn’t have to be strict—just a loose rhythm to guide your days. Try something like:

• Monday: Field trip day
• Tuesday: Craft or creative project
• Wednesday: Cooking or baking
• Thursday: Water play or science experiments
• Friday: Service or kindness activity

Having a predictable rhythm helps reduce decision fatigue and gives kids something to look forward to. You can also create a “Boredom Box” or “Idea Jar” using index cards or popsicle sticks with ideas from this list.

Something I have had for years is a little “Bored Box”  with index cards full of Summer boredom busters inside.  Each card has a simple, fun idea that the kids can do. Many of them can be done any time of year, not just Summer!

They will often flip through the cards when they are trying to think of something to do. It sparks their imagination.  The box has been really helpful. Their cousins and friends like to look through the ideas, too.  When I think of some new things, I add them into the box so there are fresh ideas in there.  It is a simple thing to keep up on and to make.  Another simple thing you could do is write the ideas on popsicle sticks & keep them in a jar.

Sometimes all Mom needs is a nap. Hopefully some f these ideas will allow that to happen!

Grab a printable list of these Summer Boredom Buster ideas, too!

Also Check Out my I’m Bored Bingo Game!

Ready for some ideas to keep your kiddos busy?  Hope this list of Summer Boredom Buster ideas inspires you this summer.  Don’t feel the need to do all of even a quarter of them.  These are just ideas to get your creativity flowing.

• Hiking trails near you
• Park hopping- try a new park each week
• Texture rubbings- on trees, rocks, etc.
• Nature collage
• Nature journal– draw birds, trees, flowers, bugs
• Slip-n-slide
• Climb Trees
• Make some bottle rockets.
• Splash pads
• Swimming at neighbor pools, or local city pools- try new ones
• Ride bikes/scooters
• Go fishing
• Collect rocks & paint them
• Star gazing- learn constellations
• Play in sprinklers or have a water fight
• Camping in the backyard
• Make a mini obstacle course in your back yard
• Have a car wash, pet wash, bike wash
• Fly kites- make homemade ones
• Pick wildflowers and press between books – make into bookmarks with contact paper- or make flower art!
• Have the kids make treasure hunts for each other
• Bug collecting & identifying
• Water balloon fights
• Homemade bowling with water bottles
• Learn Geocaching
• Make bird feeders or bird houses
• Picnics
• Bubbles
• Build towers with rocks
• Go on a night walk with flashlights & glow sticks
• Feed ducks at the pond
• Roller skating
• Have a water gun fight
• Plant a garden
• Frisbee
• Mini Olympics
• Nature, Photo or Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
• Bury toys in sand box & “excavate” Or try ice excavations
• Mud pies
• Host a neighborhood parade
• Melt crayons on hot rocks
• Play flash light tag
• Look at cloud shapes
• Learn bird calls
• Have bottle races in the river or paddle boat races in the bath tub!
• Make milk carton boats
• Have a lemonade stand
• Make an insect viewer or a bug hotel
• Paint the driveway or fence with water- or homemade sidewalk chalk paint
• Have a trash cleaning day outside or at park
• Play parachute with a sheet
• Try Ice painting
• Go on a bike ride or family walk 

• Subscribe to some kid-friendly magazines
• Do some Origami
• Paper Dolls
• Make Penny Spinners
• Block towers
• Bake cookies
• Play Dress up
• Paper Airplanes
• Host a tea party- even if its just with your stuffed animals
• Build Forts
• Cootie catchers
• Write letters to relatives
• Puppet shows (or shadow puppets)
• Make sticker books
• Make scrapbooks
• Make slime
• Journals
• Magazine collages
• Do some fruit, veggie or leaf prints
• Check out craft books from library & do some of them
• Make taffy or rock candy
• Play I-spy (or make a book with printable I-Spy pages)
• Trade houses with friends for a day
• Start a book club
• Make some straw rockets.
• Make a piñata
• Make a tasty peanut butter ball snack.
• Make sock puppets
• Make your own music videos
• Make up skits
• Manicures/pedicures
• Make homemade board games on poster board or with a box
• Homemade popsicles or ice cream
• Make some flavored popcorn
• Bake treats & share with friends
• Have a homemade pizza party
• Host a toy swap with neighbors
• Blow up balloons & draw faces with sharpies
• Have an indoor picnic on floor
• Try making these cool Twirligigs
• Play with glow sticks in bathtub in the dark
• Make necklaces
• Have a pajama day
• Finger painting (or a mess-free version)
• Water color painting
• Make edible necklaces
• “Let” kids wash all the windows
• Make a homemade movie- and host a screening party
• Create a time capsule
• Make Ice cream in a bag or bread in a bag
• Learn sewing, knitting, or another new hobby
• Have Lego building contests with themes
• Crayon painting
• Tin foil creations- sculpt with a roll of foil
• Build with marshmallows & toothpicks
• Make marshmallow guns out of PVC pipes
• Homemade puzzles– photos on popsicle sticks, or old cereal boxes
• Write your own books
• Write poems
• Paint/decorate white canvas tennis shoes
• Make jam or salsa
• Do secret service
• Let the kids plan & make the meals
• Have lunch all in a muffin tin or ice cube tray
• Living room racetrack with masking tape & cars
• Have a silly photo day- take photos of each other in silly poses
• Thumbprint pictures
• Paper bag puppets
• Cardboard box houses
• Freeze dance party- play music & freeze if turned off
• Have a doll spa
• Make paper helicopters
• Build card houses
• Get a giant jigsaw puzzles to work on all summer
• Hide 10 buttons or pennies- try to find them all
• Tie-dye t-shirts
• Repurpose old crayons- melt and pour into a mold
• Shaving cream painting- or fizzing shaving cream snowmen!
• Pudding painting
• Rainbow Rice Sensory Box
• Make a collage on sticky side of contact paper
• Make homemade soaps or bath crayons
• Go fishing in the bathtub
• Make an art box for kids- full of crafty things they can use whenever
• Build shapes with marshmallows & toothpicks.
• Get a city map & mark out places you go regularly
• Make feeling box with Kleenex box.  Put things inside & feel to guess what they are
• Set up a mini town with toy cars, houses, animals, Legos, etc.
• Bowl of bubbles- warm water in a bowl with dish soap & some straws- let them blow or try Square bubbles!
• Participate in reading reward programs– Barnes & Noble, Chuck E. Cheese, Scholastic, Sylvan
• Homemade musical instruments
• Make Cloud Dough
• Recycled trash art- save bottles, t.p. rolls, cans, etc. There are so many crafts to make out of old trash!
• Make crystals

• Visit a petting zoo or farm
• Explore a children’s museum or science center
• Go to a planetarium or observatory
• Free concerts- many cities have these in the summer time! 
• Attend a local library event or storytime
• Check out city festivals and parades
• Look for $1 kids’ movies or outdoor concerts
• Go bowling (check for free summer programs!)
• Try mini-golf or a batting cage
• Visit historical museums or pioneer villages
• Splash around at a water park
• Try canoeing at a river or lake near you
• Explore a state park or go hiking
• Tour a local factory or bakery
• Take art or craft classes at a local store
• Visit a zoo or aquarium
• Volunteer at a local shelter or food bank
• Go berry picking at a u-pick farm
• Attend a summer camp or host your own mini-camp
• Visit your grandparents & learn something new from them!
• Go on a photo scavenger hunt! This could be around town or in your back yard.

Need more inspiration? Explore the rest of my site for:

• Creative art and science experiments
• Printable activity sheets and boredom busters
• Free summer joke lists and bingo games
• Teen-friendly ideas and summer checklists

Print the full list to keep on your fridge or turn it into a DIY boredom jar!

Happy Summer, friends—and remember, boredom is just the beginning of creativity!

See Also: 50+ Low-Cost or Free Summer Activities for Kids

Check out this list of 100 Easy & Fun Summer Outdoor Activities from Thimble and Twig!