25 Fun Activities To Do with Kids Before the End of Summer

1. Kid-friendly picnic: Let them help you prepare a special summer picnic. Include some of their favourite foods and get creative! Maybe a colour theme? Here are some easy picnic recipes to try from Today’s Parent.
2. Visit the zoo: You may have a large zoo in your city or perhaps you can travel to one a few hours away. Either way, zoos are a lot of fun for children of all ages.
3. Draw on the walls: You already know that your toddler loves to do this on their own, so why not facilitate it? Purchase rolls of kraft paper from your local hobby or dollar store and tape (or tack) large pieces to the wall. Use washable crayons and let them go crazy!
4. Lemonade stand: Every kid should have a lemonade stand at some point during their childhood! Making lemonade from scratch is easy and fun (my recipe here). Supervise their stand and interaction with neighbours, but give them room to be the manager of their mini-business, they will love it. Encourage the making of a sign and decorating of their stand.
5. Carve a watermelon: You may or may not have seen the creative watermelon carvings on pinterest, but they are pretty inspiring. We participated in a watermelon carving challenge a few summers ago and created a watermelon dog!
6. Day trip to the lake or ocean: A day outing to the beach is a wonderful activity for kids and grown ups alike. Pack the car with beach toys, towels, fresh fruit and lunch, water bottles and your swimsuit. It’s a guaranteed blast!
7. Visit a museum: For extraordinarily hot summer days or rainy ones for that matter, head to the museum. There are lots of summer exhibitions to see and usually kid friendly spots geared to your child’s age group. Our Ottawa library actually lends out museum passes – if you get there early enough in the day (you can call in advance to see if they are checked in), you’ll get first dibs on a free family pass!
8. DIY bird feeder: A fun afternoon activity and craft, that also turns into nature watching. Once your kiddos make their bird feeder they will enjoy bird watching too!
9. Take a nature walk: Make a list of things to find in the woods and take your little one out for an adventure. The hunt for pinecones, wild flowers, sticks and more will keep them occupied and having fun for an hour or two.
10. Scavenger hunt: This can be done inside the home or outdoors – simply make a list of things to find and set them on a hunt. You can print my free download that is perfect for an outdoor scavenger hunt (or nature walk), where you find the items and simply yell out, GOT IT (I call it the I SPY Scavenger Hunt). You can also make a list by colours, or texture. Lots of possibilities!
11. Make homemade popsicles: Probably one of the easiest homemade summer treats to make. Type “popsicle” into the pinterest search field and you’ll have a world of inspiration. Or try these Cherry Coconut Popsicles from Blahnik Baker – yummy!
12. Summer journal: There’s still plenty of summer fun to document, so why not encourage your kids to keep a journal? It can be daily or weekly, where they sum up the activities they did during their day(s). It’s a great way for them to share their summer with friends when they go back to school or for them to look back on as well. 
13. Learn the basics of a new language: Pick a language and learn simple greetings, numbers, and phrases. It’s a neat activity to do on a rainy day or around the dinner table.
14. Build a big sandcastle: Whether it’s at the beach, the park, or in your own backyard – go BIG! And take lots of pictures to remember just how awesome it was.
15. Write letters (or draw pictures) and mail them to family: Surprise a family member with a letter. Let you kid either write a letter or draw a picture and attach the note. Fun for your little one and an unexpected gift for your loved one.
16. Go paddle boating: Do you have local spot for paddle boating? Get out and get paddling – it’s a great way to spend the afternoon.
17. Learn a new sport: Ask your child if there is a sport they would like to learn how to play or just understand better. Read the rules and practice the sport together.
18. Teach them a childhood game that you used to play: Pick-up sticks, anyone? At first they might not seem into an ”oldie” – but give it a second and they usually come around and start having fun and so will you.
19. Face painting: Calling all neighbourhood kids… Face painting party in YOUR backyard! 
20. Bake cookies together: Summer evenings are perfect for baking their favourite cookie recipe.
21. Go swimming: Make sure to get an outdoor swim in – at the lake, ocean or local pool. Summer is made for swimming!
22. Ride a train: Go for a train ride to the next town or book a ride on an old steam train.
23. Build a fort: I loved building forts in the woods during the summer. It was such a blast and the structure lasted well into the winter. Great energy burner for your busy ones.
24. Have them clean out their toy collection for donation: Ask your kids to look through their toys and pick out the ones they no longer play with and would be happy to give away to someone who would enjoy playing with them. This CAN be fun, it’s all in the spirit of giving.
25. Throw a summer party: Ain’t no party, like a summer party! Do it up big for the end of summer (and before the start of school!)

There’s so much fun yet to be had this summer! Have you done any of these activities on the list already? We have yet to visit a museum – which is always in my back pocket for a scorcher or a rainy day. I would also love to take Little A. paddle boating, I know he would love it!  Do you have any summer activities to add to the list? Feel free to leave your suggestions or links in the comments. Happy summer!

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Emily Smith

Emily Smith is the Editor of The Best of This Life who has been writing in the lifestyle niche and creating delicious recipes for over 10 years. Her work has been featured on BRIT + CO, Today's Parent, Chatelaine, Huffington Post, The Pioneer Woman, and Food Bloggers of Canada. She writes about family, food, entertaining, home decor, wellness, travel and a litany of other topics. She loves sharing her three core values - love life, live well, share the beauty - and encourages her readers to enjoy the best of their lives every day. She lives in Ottawa with her loving husband, two darling children, and dreams of one day owning a puppy. 

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