119 Fun Stuff To Do in the Summer 2025

Working from home during summer break can feel like juggling flaming pool noodles—especially when your kids are home all day and itching for fun. Whether you’re clocking in from a home office or a makeshift desk in the kitchen, managing your work and keeping the kids entertained is no small feat.

With a little creativity and planning, you can blend this summer’s activities for kids with your own need for quiet work hours. Here are 119 summer activity ideas that are fun for the whole family and doable for work-from-home parents in 2025.

Learn more about effective strategies to work from home with kids.

Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids

1. Run through a sprinkler
   
2. Play in a kiddie pool
   
3. Set up a backyard slip-n-slide
   
4. Water balloon fight
   
5. Blow bubbles
   
6. Go bug hunting
   
7. Create a chalk obstacle course
   
8. Build a fairy garden
   
9. Plant flowers or veggies
   
10. Collect leaves and press them
    
11. Make mud pies
    
12. Go bird watching
    
13. Paint rocks
    
14. Camp in the backyard
    
15. Catch fireflies
    
16. Stargazing night
    
17. DIY nature scavenger hunt
    
18. Create leaf or bark rubbings
    
19. Make a DIY lemonade stand
    
20. Ride bikes or scooters
    
21. Set up an outdoor art station
    
22. Have a picnic in the backyard
    
23. Build a fort with outdoor furniture
    
24. Create a backyard maze with pool noodles
    
25. Set up a mini-golf course
    
26. Try geocaching
    
27. Go on a local hike
    
28. Visit a splash pad
    
29. Build a sandcastle (even in a sandbox)
    
30. Try a water painting activity on the sidewalk

Indoor Activities for Kids

31. Paint or draw
    
32. Make paper plate crafts
    
33. Build with LEGO
    
34. Create a cardboard city
    
35. Bake cookies
    
36. Make edible playdough
    
37. Do a puzzle
    
38. Color in activity books
    
39. Watch a nature documentary
    
40. Try yoga for kids
    
41. Learn origami
    
42. Have a dance party
    
43. Put on a puppet show
    
44. Create a mini theater
    
45. Make sock puppets
    
46. Have a spa day with DIY facials and nail polish
    
47. Build a blanket fort
    
48. Host an indoor picnic
    
49. Try kitchen science experiments
    
50. Make paper airplanes and race them
    
51. Write a short story or comic book
    
52. DIY jewelry making
    
53. Create a time capsule
    
54. Set up a toy car racetrack
    
55. Play dress-up
    
56. Create a sensory bin
    
57. Make a wind chime
    
58. DIY lava lamp
    
59. Make friendship bracelets
    
60. Have a stuffed animal tea party

Simple Activities While Parents Work

61. Audiobook or podcast time
    
62. Independent reading challenge
    
63. Create a summer journal
    
64. Quiet time coloring pages
    
65. Sticker books
    
66. Watch a “Learning Show” (like Wild Kratts or StoryBots)
    
67. Set a timer for solo building or art challenges
    
68. Educational games on a tablet
    
69. Listen to music with headphones and draw what they hear
    
70. Set up a play kitchen or tool station nearby
    
71. Create a scrapbook from magazine cutouts
    
72. DIY indoor obstacle course
    
73. Build a cardboard box rocket ship
    
74. Organize a toy bin challenge—clean and sort!
    
75. Decorate their room with summer crafts
    
76. Try a “quiet co-working” block with you
    
77. Make a vision board
    
78. Create a DIY board game
    
79. Design their own superhero
    
80. Try simple origami or paper folding kits

Summer Family Adventures

81. Go to a zoo or aquarium
    
82. Visit a children’s museum
    
83. Day trip to a local beach or lake
    
84. Pick-your-own farm (berries, peaches, etc.)
    
85. Go to a farmer’s market
    
86. Mini-golf outing
    
87. Ice cream or snow cone run
    
88. Visit a botanical garden
    
89. Try kayaking or paddleboarding
    
90. Go bowling
    
91. Arcade day
    
92. Take a scenic drive
    
93. Attend a free outdoor concert or movie night
    
94. Local pool day
    
95. Visit a historic site or monument
    
96. Attend a summer festival or fair
    
97. Try a drive-in movie
    
98. Go to the library for storytime
    
99. Explore a new playground
    
100. Take a family photo scavenger hunt

Creative Activities at Home

101. Create your own ice cream bar
     
102. Make a summer playlist together
     
103. Write letters to pen pals or family
     
104. Host a themed family dinner night (Taco Tuesday!)
     
105. Make your own popsicles
     
106. Do a backyard science experiment
     
107. Start a family book club
     
108. Make a DIY bird feeder
     
109. Host a backyard talent show
     
110. Paint your own T-shirts
     
111. Try food from a different country
     
112. Do a cooking challenge with your kids
     
113. Create a summer countdown paper chain
     
114. Make homemade pizza
     
115. Decorate cupcakes together
     
116. Write postcards from your “home adventures”
     
117. Invent a new family board game
     
118. Learn a magic trick together
     
119. Make a family summer scrapbook

Make This Summer Work for You

Balancing work-from-home life with keeping your kids entertained all summer is not easy, but it’s absolutely doable with a little creativity, structure, and flexibility. Whether it’s crafts or backyard chaos, take it one day at a time. 

Remember, you don’t have to do everything all at once. Even a few intentional activities a week can make summer feel fun, connected, and memorable.

To make the most of this summer activities list:

• Pick 5–10 ideas each week and rotate them.
• Let your kids help choose activities—it gives them a sense of ownership and excitement.
• Create a visual calendar or checklist to help your family stay on track and look forward to what’s next.

Most importantly, give yourself grace while trying to figure out all this fun stuff to do in the summer. There will be messy days, screen-heavy days, and “let’s just survive this” days—and that’s okay. You’re doing your best, and your kids will remember the laughter, the togetherness, and the effort you made to make summer special.