6 Incredibly Fun Family-Friendly Things You Should Do This Summer

With the coronavirus restrictions still in place in some parts of the country, as well as companies still allowing parents to work from home, having the kids around during their summer vacation can be a bit chaotic. 

So what fun activities can you arrange so that both you and the children can be entertained? Thankfully, there’s no shortage of fun summertime activities that you and the family can enjoy. 

Go Out and Enjoy Nature

It’s the summer, which means you should be out with your family, having fun, and making new memories. No better way to enjoy this beautiful weather than by exploring the breathtaking beauty of Mother Nature. 

Pick one or more of the various parks in your city, and go have a picnic there. Take along some Frisbees, soccer balls, or other forms of entertainment that the kids can participate in. 

Parks are a great place to hang out because they’re cool, offer a lot of shade, and often have other people having fun there. If your children are a bit grown, you can take them hiking if there are hiking trails in your city. Just make sure to do it when the sun isn’t at its peak. Heat exhaustion is a real thing. 

If you’re into gardening, you can encourage the kids to help grow fresh herbs, pick plants that they’ll be responsible for –it’s a great time to teach them some nurturing skills– and plant them, or build tree houses. 

Have a Staycation

The great thing about summer is that there’s always something to do, places to visit and explore within the city or state. So pick a local destination for a day trip. You can go to the movies in the afternoon –this is a great way to avoid the summer heat– and then hang out at a new restaurant or eatery afterward. 

Or, you can look for free concerts or movie screenings –if it’s open-air, even better– and take the family there. Many cities have open-air movie nights where you can drive into the field and watch the movies projected on large screens. 

Visit other fun local destinations, and remember to take pictures. If you have an amusement park in the city, then you should take the kids. Also, see if there’s a go-karting arena nearby. You and the family can make an afternoon or evening of it at the arena. 

Oh, remember to attend sporting events featuring your favorite teams. That’s surely a lot of fun. Take the kids and buy them lots of popcorn and hotdogs while you’re at the stadium. 

Another interesting idea is to take the kids to a nearby resort on a weekend getaway. Let them have fun and enjoy the experience, while you and your partner relax. This typically costs money, but with a $500-$700 budget, you should have fun.   

Create Some Memorable Arts and Crafts Experience

Go to streams, rivers, or beaches, collect some rocks –not all beaches have this–.and have them painted. These can be used as ornaments for your garden or backyard. Speaking of the beach, that’s always a great place to spend a summer afternoon if it’s not too hot. Beaches are beautiful, have a lot going on, and you can just easily lay back and relax there. 

Other fun arts and crafts activities include decorating your curb or walkway with chalk, sell lemonade in front of the house –could teach the kids some entrepreneurship, and get the kids some play dough to have fun with. 

To keep the memories, do a photoshoot with every family member. You can have this at home, at a studio, at a park… wherever you want. Let each family member take their turns having fun with the shoot. Let the kids pick their favorite pictures, and then put them up on the fridge at home.   

Spend Time on Outdoor Activities

Specifically, go on a road trip to a lovely location, preferably outside the city. You can either do that over the weekend or just makes a day of it. 

Leave to a new destination in the morning, have fun exploring the location, and then come on back in the evening. Just make sure your vehicle is in great shape. If not, click here for great road trip-worthy options.  

You can also go hiking mountain trails with your partner –you may have to drop the kids with a relative or a babysitter. Other great outdoor activities include water-based fun events such as snorkeling, slip, and slide, a visit to the waterpark, hanging out at the pool, teaching the kids how to swim, or letting the kids have a water fight.

Other water-based activities include water balloon baseball games, water polo, water gun race, and canoe paddling. And if the kids are a bit grown and interested in fishing, you can always have their dad take them flyfishing. Many states have no age or license requirements. All that’s important is that the kid has someone older with them. 

Enjoy Some Nighttime Activities

Some great summer nighttime activities include camping out in the backyard, set up a bonfire where you and the kids can make s’mores, and roast marshmallows. 

If you have a projector, watch a movie in the backyard, and enjoy some star-gazing. Speaking of star gazing, summer nights are great for some astronomy and looking at the stars through the telescope. 

Hang Out With Friends and Other Families

Many parents complain that they’re often unable to hang out with family and friends because of a busy schedule. Well, the summer is a great time to correct that. 

Take the family out to a larger family event, organize a large picnic with other family and friends, and let them bring their kids. This way, the kids can get to hang out while the adults do their thing. The same applies to gaming evenings too. It’s a win-win. Cookouts and bake-offs are great for this too. 

There you have it. If you were short of ideas on what to do this summer, we’re pretty sure you have many options now. Have fun.

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