180+ Summer Boredom Busters for Kids (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links.

If you need some Summer boredom Busters for your kids, you have stopped in to the right place!

We are so ready for summer around here. I have really hit that wall where I am ready to be done with school. I am just trying to push through the end of the month. We are slowly finishing off our curriculum & have been doing less & less structured school and more outside exploring, reading and playing. It has been quite nice-low stress.

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.

I suggest you make a summer schedule with your kids. Have one regular scheduled outing a week where you go do something fun as a family. Have a craft day, a cooking day, a service/kindness day, etc. If you have a plan, things will go smoothly. Or, just relax and enjoy the down time for a while!!

Something I have had for years isa 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 hasbeen 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.

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.

Outside Summer BoredomIdeas:

Park hopping- try a new park each week

Texture rubbings- on trees, rocks, etc.

Nature collage

Slip-n-slide

Climb Trees

Splash pads

Swimming at neighbor pools, or local city pools- try new ones

Ride bikes/scooters

Go fishing

Play in sprinklers

Camp in the back yard

Make a mini obstacle course in your back yard

Have a car wash, pet wash, bike wash

Fly kites- make homemade ones

Water balloon fights

Homemade bowling with water bottles

Picnics

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

Frisbee

Nature, Photo or Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Mud pies

Host a neighborhood parade

Melt crayons on hot rocks

Play flash light tag

Learn bird calls

Have a lemonade stand

Have a trash cleaning day outside or at park

Play parachute with a sheet

Red Light-Green Light

Mother May I?

Jumping Rope

Hula Hoops

Simon Says

Leap Frog

Kick the Can

Sardines

Capture the Flag

4-square

Kick Ball

Jacks

Freeze Tag

Subscribe to some kid magazines

Paper Dolls

Block towers

Play Dress up

Host a tea party- even if its just with your stuffed animals

Build Forts

Write letters to relatives

Make sticker books

Make scrapbooks

Journals

Do some fruit, veggie or leaf prints

Check out craft books from library & do some of them

Trade houses with friends for a day

Start a book club

Make a piñata

Make sock puppets

Make up skits

Manicures/pedicures

Make homemade board games on poster board or with a box

Make some flavored popcorn

Bake treats & share with friends

Host a toy swap with neighbors

Blow up balloons & draw faces with sharpies

Have an indoor picnic on floor

Play with glow sticks in bathtub in the dark

Make necklaces

Have a pajama day

“Let” kids wash all the windows

Make a homemade movie- and host a screening party

Create a time capsule

Learn to sew or knit

Have Lego building contests with themes

Tin foil creations- sculpt with a roll of foil

Make marshmallow guns out of PVC pipes

Paint/decorate white canvas tennis shoes

Make jam or salsa

Living room racetrack with masking tape & cars

Have a silly photo day- take photos of each other in silly poses

Paper bag puppets

Cardboard box houses

Freeze Dance- play music & freeze if turned off

Have a doll spa

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

Pudding painting

Make a collage on sticky side of contact paper

Make an art box for kids- full of crafty things they can use whenever

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, etc.

Bowl of bubbles- warm water in a bowl with dish soap & some straws- let them blow or try Square bubbles!

Recycled trash art- save bottles, t.p. rolls, cans, etc. There are so many crafts to make out of old trash!

Petting Zoo

Dinosaur museum

Children’s Museums

Planetarium

Library story time

Local City festivals

Parades

Movie Theaters- often have $1 summer movies

Outdoor movies & plays & concerts

Rodeos

Mini golfing

Pioneer museums/ historical sights

State parks

Water parks

Ice skating

U-pick farms- pick berries

Zoo

Art Museum

Hardware stores host free craft days

Tour a factory

Sporting Events

Craft Stores have fun classes

Plus you can add in fun crafts & science experiments. Search around my blog for some fun ones. I hope this list of Summer Boredom Busters helps inspire you. I was glad I was asked to do this so I could refresh my memory as well! There are so many fun & simple things to do to keep them from whining about how bored they are!