25 Summer Activity/Project Ideas for Kids

Over the past four summers I’ve done my share of different activities with kids. Some of which worked seamlessly and some not so seamlessly. Today I’m sharing 25 activity/project ideas that have worked extremely well for me and hopefully will for you too. If I’ve done a past blog post I’ll be sure to link it to that activity/project.

Summer Activity/Project Ideas for Kids:

1) Buy a deck of cards and watch YouTube how-to card trick videos.

2) Make paper airplanes.

3) Make own crayons.

4) Make ice cream.

5) Make Shrinky Dinks
(Yes, 90’s kids those still exist!)

6) Make a story board based on a book.

7) Play board games or make own board game.

8) Put together (high number piece) puzzles.

9) Conduct science experiments.

10) Make volcano.

11) Make “lava lamp”
(Empty bottle, water, oil, food coloring, glitter).

12) Daily journal.

13) Movie review.

14) Make custom shirts (paint or tie-dye).

15) Educational (yes, I said it) workbooks/worksheets.

16) Mazes, word searches or crossword puzzles.

17) Create indoor/outdoor obstacle course.

18) Sent up tent indoors or outdoors and “camp” for a day.

19) Go on a supervised neighborhood scavenger hunt.

20) Freeze objects into a block of ice then use a chisel to get the objects out.

21) Have picnic lunch.

22) Create custom puppets and put on a show.

23) Have ice cream for lunch!

24) Have a pajama day/party.

25) Make pizza.

Well that wraps up my 2013 summer ideas for kids series!

What are some activity/projects you do with kids during the summer? Leave them in a comment below!

Katie

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt Template

A few years ago I attended a children’s birthday party where we did a neighborhood scavenger hunt and let me tell you, it was SO MUCH FUN! So much fun in fact that I decided to recreate the template and post it as a part of my summer ideas for kids series. This activity is sure to keep the kids entertained for at least an hour because they’ll be running all over the neighborhood collecting different items. Some of the items require the help of your neighbors so adult supervision is suggested. I wanted to share this because in addition to it being a great party activity I thought it would be perfect for a summer day.

Template Preview:

Printable template: Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

Have you done a neighborhood scavenger hunt before? What were some items you had to collect? Leave them in a comment below!

Happy hunting!

Katie

Movie Review Template for Kids

It’s time for a reality check… whether we accept it or not we’re all critics. Whether it be about the clothes we wear, the food we eat or the movies we watch we all have an opinion. This is why I’ve decided to try something new this summer and do movie reviews with the kids I nanny. Throughout the summer the four of us will be taking turns choosing a movie, watching it then the kids will fill out movie reviews with their thoughts. We’ve done this once already and so far it’s a hit! Linked below are the two templates we’re using. One is for younger children who can’t yet fully write on their own yet and the other is for older children.

Template preview:

Printable template: Movie Review Template (Young Child)

Template Preview:

Printable template: Movie Review Template (Older Child)

If you try this out make sure to leave a comment! I’d love to know what movie you watched and how the review went!

Katie

50 Summer Journal Prompts for Kids

Continuing along with my Summer ideas for kids series I wanted to share another activity the kids and I did last summer which seemed to work really well. On one of the first days of Summer break I gave each child their own notebook and a bunch of stickers to decorate it. Once the kids were done personalizing these notebooks they became their daily morning journals. I thought this would be a great idea because it’s relatively easy but it also got their brain thinking each day. Listed below are the 50 prompts we used last summer.

Your choice. (write about whatever you want)

Your choice. (write about whatever you want)

Your choice. (write about whatever you want)

Your choice. (write about whatever you want)

Your choice. (write about whatever you want)

Free day. (no journal)

Free day. (no journal)

Free day. (no journal)

Free day. (no journal)

Free day. (no journal)

What did you do yesterday?

What did you do this weekend?

What is your favorite time of day? Explain why?

The biggest thing I ever saw was…

If toys could talk what would they say?

I am proud of myself because…

Describe your dream car.

Write about one thing you do really well.

I’m happiest when . . .

This is how I think plants grow…

If I could go on an adventure it would be…

I am afraid to_________ because…

What is your favorite room in your house? Explain why.

Describe your best day ever.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I wish trees could _______ because….

I want to be a ________ when I grow up. Explain why.

The perfect place in the whole wide world is… Explain why.

What is something you do to help yourself feel better when you’re feeling sad?

I wish it rained __________ instead of water. Explain why.

I like to make ______ because…

Name 3 kind things you could do for someone…

My favorite stuffed animal or toy is…

Make up a short poem about summer break.

If I could choose a different name, I would choose _____ and this is why…

Let’s go _______________. Describe your adventure in detail.

What would happen if animals could talk?  What questions would you like to ask them?

Imagine that you become invisible. What are some of the things you would do?

What would you do if you were in the middle of the ocean and your boat springs a leak?

Tell about your favorite *CHILDS LAST GRADE* memories…

If I could be the president for a day I would…

If my parents let me eat whatever I wanted for a day I would eat…

Some things that make a laugh are…

Write three jokes.

Something I’m looking forward to in *CHILDS NEXT GRADE* is…

TV show or book characters that I’d like to meet are…

What is your dream vacation? Explain why.

If I could be any animal I would be _________because…

If I could be any Pokémon I would be __________ because…

Come up with 5 different math problems and solve them.

What we did was cut out each prompt, folded it then stuck them all in a mason jar. Each morning the kids chose the prompt (taking turns choosing) for that day. Depending on what the prompt said I usually had them write about 5 sentences. The kids really seemed to enjoy this so hopefully yours will too!

Come back tomorrow for a list of other Summer activities/projects for kids!

Katie

Throwback picture from last summer:

Katie: M.I.A.

I apologize for neglecting you this week but it’s finals week, aka my last week ever at junior college, so I needed to put my focus on studying for a KILLER chemistry final and creating a 200 point final portfolio for my technology in education class. And you know what…? I got an A in chemistry! Whew, all my hard work paid off. I don’t have my other grade yet but I’m sure it’ll be an A as well (I’m not cocky I’m confident, hehehe). These last two A’s mean I’ve finally brought my GPA up to a 3.5! I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and it feels great to actually have accomplished it.

Next fall I’ll be a new school. I’m nervous but excited to start this next chapter of my life. It amazes me how fast time is moving. It feels like just yesterday I was in high school and now I’m already moving on to my 4 year school. Before I know it I’ll be in my own classroom teaching full time (been dreaming of that moment since about first grade).

Anywho… it’s officially summer break for me and I can’t wait to start on my summer to-do list. I have so, so, soooo many good ideas for blog posts that I can’t decide which to do first. Guess you’ll just have to stick around to see and I promise you don’t be disappointed! It’s going to be a great summer I can feel it!

Have a good weekend everyone!

– Katie