Keeping Kids Entertained This Summer: 10 Fun Outdoor Activities

We’re buzzing with excitement for the summer holidays! The sun is shining, the days are longer, and there’s no school for weeks. As parents though, we know the challenge of keeping kids entertained once they’ve had their fill of sleeping in and snacks. Rather than resorting to screen time or expensive trips, we’ve rounded up 10 fun outdoor activities to keep kids of all ages happy, active and enjoying the summer sun. Get ready for some classic games, creative crafts, and opportunities for adventure. These activities require minimal planning or expense but will stimulate imaginations and provide hours of entertainment. Your kids will be so busy playing outside they won’t even miss their usual routine. Come join us for some sunny summer fun!

Get an Inflatable Water Slide or Obstacle Course

Summer is here and keeping the kids entertained for weeks on end can be challenging! As parents, we’re always looking for fun activities to get them outside and active. One of our favourite options is renting an inflatable water slide or obstacle course. Or you can simply buy one to use regularly.

Hours of Entertainment

Inflatable obstacle courses provide endless hours of fun with twists, turns, climbs, and slides. There are courses for all ages from small backyard obstacles to giant 60-foot long courses. The kids can splash through waterslides, bounce through obstacles, and race each other to the finish line.

A Variety of Options

There are a variety of inflatable obstacles to choose from like slides, bounce houses, climbing walls, obstacle courses, and more. Some combine multiple elements like waterslides with splash pools and climbing areas. The options are endless! You can get a small slide for a backyard birthday party or rent a huge course for a neighbourhood event.

Safe and Durable

Inflatable water slides and obstacle courses are designed to be durable and safe for kids and families. They are constructed from reinforced PVC or vinyl that is puncture-resistant and can withstand active kids and summer weather. Safety features like padded landings, handrails, non-slip surfaces, and shallow pool areas prevent injuries.

A Summer They’ll Never Forget

Renting an inflatable water slide or obstacle course will create memories your kids will never forget. The thrill of zooming down a giant waterslide or conquering an challenging obstacle course will make this a summer they talk about for years to come! An activity that entertaining is sure to become an annual summer tradition.

Create Your Own DIY Splash Pad

Splash pads are always a hit with kids on hot summer days, but commercial ones can be pricey. Why not make your own DIY splash pad at home? We’ve got some easy, budget-friendly ideas to help you create a custom water play area the whole family will enjoy.

One simple option is to lay down a tarp or plastic sheeting, secure the edges with stakes, and poke holes in the material to allow water to spray out. You can get creative with the spray pattern by making circles, letters or shapes with the holes. Connect the tarp to a hose or sprinkler and you’ve got an instant splash pad! For extra fun, add kiddie pools, buckets, tubes and other toys for the kids to splash around in.

Feeling handy? Build a PVC pipe frame to hold lawn sprinklers for a totally custom splash pad. Secure the pipes together at the corners to form a square, circle or other shape. Attach sprinklers along the top of the frame, spaced a few feet apart. When the water’s on, kids will have a blast running through the sprinklers and dodging the sprays! Add a pool underneath to catch the runoff.

One of our favourite DIY splash pads is a kiddie car wash. Have the kids decorate boxes or tubes to look like a car wash, then line them up and attach sprinklers inside. Kids take turns running or biking through the “car wash” and getting soaked! They’ll have a blast.

With some tarps, pipes, sprinklers and creativity, you’ll be cooling off the kids in your own backyard splash pad in no time. Set everything up, turn on the hose and let summer fun commence! The laughter and memories you’ll make together will make all the effort worthwhile.

Water Table Activities: Add Pom Poms for Extra Fun

We have the perfect summer activity for keeping kids entertained – water table activities with pom poms! Pom poms can add an extra element of fun to water play. Kids will have a blast scooping, pouring, and squeezing pom poms. These fluffy flecks stimulate senses and boost motor skills.

Add Pom Poms to the Water Table

Simply add a bag or two of colourful pom poms to your water table. We recommend starting with a smaller amount, maybe a quarter to half a bag, so the pom poms don’t overcrowd the table. Let the kids explore the pom poms on their own at first. They’ll love squeezing them in their hands, feeling the soft, spongy texture. The pom poms will also change the way water flows and splashes in the table, creating new sensory effects.

Strengthen Fine Motor Muscles

Scooping, grasping, and manipulating the pom poms helps build fine motor muscles and hand-eye coordination in little ones. Have the kids try using different tools like colanders, sieves, tongs or eye droppers to grab and move the pom poms. They can also practise pinching and squeezing the pom poms with their fingers and thumbs.

Keep Kids Cool

For an extra refreshing summer activity, freeze some of the pom poms before adding them to the water table. The frozen pom poms will make the water chilly, perfect for a hot day. Kids will have fun breaking up the frozen clumps and watching the pom poms slowly unfurl as they thaw. The icy pom poms add a fun new element of temperature play for little explorers.

Water table play with pom poms is an easy, engaging summer activity for kids. It stimulates their senses, works on motor skills and keeps them cool. Most of all, the bright colours and fluffy textures will spark their imagination and delight kids of all ages! Add this activity to your summer fun list – your kids will thank you!

Keep them Hydrated and make some home made lemonade as an activity

Quench your little one’s thirst this summer with our delightful homemade cool lemonade, specially crafted to refresh and rejuvenate. Made with love and care, our recipe combines the tangy zest of fresh lemons with just the right amount of sweetness, ensuring a perfectly balanced taste that kids will adore.

As temperatures rise and the sun beams down, there’s nothing quite like a chilled glass of lemonade to keep your little adventurers hydrated and cool. Our homemade lemonade recipes for kids are a burst of citrusy goodness, packed with essential vitamins and minerals to keep them energized throughout their summer escapades.

What sets our homemade cool lemonade apart is the attention to detail in every sip. We carefully select the juiciest lemons, hand-squeezing them to extract the vibrant, natural flavors that make our lemonade truly exceptional. We then add a touch of sweetness, carefully measured to appeal to young taste buds without overpowering the refreshing tartness.

With each glass, your kids will experience the joy of summer in every drop. Whether they’re enjoying a picnic in the park, splashing around in the pool, or simply lounging in the backyard, our homemade cool lemonade is the perfect companion for those sun-soaked adventures.

So, beat the heat and treat your little ones to the refreshing goodness of our homemade cool lemonade. It’s the taste of summer they’ll be asking for again and again. Let them sip, smile, and savor the simple pleasures of this classic, homemade delight.

Have an Outdoor Picnic

We don’t know about you, but we love summer picnics! There’s nothing quite like packing up your basket, spreading out a blanket in the sun, and enjoying some delicious food with family and friends. This summer, make it a priority to get outside for a fun picnic in the park.

To get started, raid your pantry and fridge for some classic picnic recipes. Think finger sandwiches, fresh fruit, veggie sticks, hummus and guacamole for dipping, cookies, and lemonade. You really can’t go wrong! Some of our favourite picnic recipes include:

• Egg salad or tuna fish sandwiches on croissants
• Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze
• Fresh berry fruit salad tossed in honey and mint
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven

Once you’ve packed your picnic basket, head to your local park and find the perfect shady spot under a big tree. Bring some outdoor toys and games to keep the kids entertained like Frisbees, kites, bubbles, soccer balls or a deck of cards. You might even want to bring a portable charger or speaker to play some music.

Don’t forget extras like wet wipes, napkins, cutlery, cups, a picnic blanket, sunscreen and bug spray. You’ll also want to bring a cooler with ice packs to keep things chilled. There’s really nothing worse than a melted sandwich or warm fruit salad!

Summer days are fleeting, so make the most of the nice weather while you can. A family picnic in the park is the perfect opportunity to strengthen your bonds, de-stress from your busy schedules, and create cherished memories that will last for years to come. We hope you’ll give it a try and make outdoor picnics a summer tradition for your family. Enjoy!

Go Camping in the Backyard

We know how tricky it can be to keep the little ones entertained once school lets out for summer! As parents, we’re always looking for fun activities that will spark their imagination without costing a fortune or requiring too much planning. One of our favourite summer pastimes is camping out in the backyard.

Roast hot dogs and make s’mores over a fire

What kid doesn’t love roasting marshmallows and making gooey s’mores? Build a small campfire, grab some sticks, and roast hot dogs for dinner while the sun goes down. The kids will have a blast and the simple food will taste even better cooked over an open fire.

Go stargazing and learn constellations

At night, gaze up at the stars together. Bring a star map or kids’ astronomy book and try to identify different constellations like the Big Dipper, Orion and Leo. Stargazing is magical for kids and adults alike.

Play fun games

Have some classic camp games ready like shadow puppets, scavenger hunts, or capture the flag. These types of games spark the imagination and are perfect for a summer night.

Tell spooky stories

Share spooky stories or read books like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or Grimm’s fairy tales. The spook factor is intensified when telling stories outside in the dark!

Make crafts

Bring supplies for camp crafts like dream catchers, friendship bracelets or painted flower pots. Get creative with natural materials like sticks, leaves and stones. Camp crafts are a perfect way to keep little hands busy.

Backyard camping with the kids is an easy, budget-friendly summer activity. Roast marshmallows, stargaze, play games and get crafty – your little campers will have an unforgettable summer night and be asking when they can camp out again!

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

We have the perfect summer activity for kids that will get them outside and exercising their brains—an outdoor scavenger hunt! Scavenger hunts are one of our favourite ways to spend time together as a family in the summer.

Create a Customised List

A nature scavenger hunt can be customised by creating a list of items found in your local park or yard. Think pinecones, leaves, rocks, sticks, flowers, birds, insects, etc. Get the kids involved in brainstorming the list—they’ll be more engaged in the hunt if they help pick some of the objects. For an extra challenge, include rarer finds like a red leaf or a spotted feather.

Adapt for Your Environment

Scavenger hunt ideas can be adapted for different outdoor environments, including the backyard, beach, campground, and forest. At the beach, have the kids look for shells, seaweed, driftwood, and wildlife tracks. In the forest, include things like acorns, moss, mushrooms and animal homes. Get creative!

Set a Timer

For some friendly competition, set a timer to see who can find the most items on the list. Small prizes or treats for the winners will make it extra fun. This also helps give the kids a deadline so they stay focused. Depending on their age, set the timer for 30-60 minutes.

Take Pictures

Have the kids take pictures of the items on their list as they find them. This turns it into a fun photo scavenger hunt. They can even print their pictures to make a collage after the hunt. The photos will also serve as proof that they found each item on the list!

Scavenger hunts are endlessly adaptable for kids of all ages. Get outside this summer and go on an adventure in your own backyard! The kids will have fun exploring nature while also staying active on their summer break.

Bubbles, Bubbles and More Bubbles

We absolutely love bubbles! There are so many fun ways to play with bubbles during the summer. As kids, bubbles were endlessly entertaining for us and brought out our imaginative side. Now as parents, we’ve discovered bubbles are also a great way to keep kids active and engaged while also giving us a chance to join in on the fun.

Painting with bubbles

Bubbles can be used like paint for creating bubble art and bubble paintings. Just dip a bubble wand, straw or loop in paint and blow bubbles onto paper. You’ll get colourful bubble prints and splatters. This works great with washable tempera paint or bubble paint recipes you can make at home. Let your kids be creative and blow the painted bubbles onto paper, cardboard, canvas or even bubbles you’ve already blown.

Blowing bubbles inside other bubbles

For this fun trick, blow a large bubble and have your child blow a smaller bubble from their wand inside the bigger bubble before it pops. With some practise, you can get several bubbles nested inside each other. Kids will be amazed at this bubble trick!

Creating rainbow bubble snakes

Add a few drops of food colouring to bubble solution and you’ll get colourful bubbles. Blow the solution through a bubble snake or tube to create long, winding rainbow bubbles. Kids can run around blowing the bubble snakes and create bubble art by winding the snakes on paper.

There are so many ways to play with bubbles, you really can’t go wrong. Bubbles inspire creativity, learning and fun for all ages. This summer, why not take some time to reconnect with your inner child and spend an afternoon blowing bubbles! Your kids will surely thank you for it.

Sidewalk Chalk Adventures

We love sidewalk chalk! There are so many fun and creative ways we can use it to keep kids entertained outdoors this summer.

Hopscotch and Tic-Tac-Toe

Some classic games that kids of all ages will enjoy playing with chalk include hopscotch and tic-tac-toe. For hopscotch, draw a series of numbered squares or circles on the sidewalk for kids to hop through. In tic-tac-toe, draw a large grid with nine squares that kids take turns marking X’s and O’s in to get three in a row. These simple games provide hours of fun on a summer day.

Target Toss

For target toss, draw circles of varying sizes on the sidewalk, fence or wall. Each circle is a different point value. Give the kids chalk or small toys like bouncy balls or beanbags to throw at the targets. Have them keep score to see who can get the highest score. This activity helps build hand-eye coordination and math skills.

Chalk Twister

Chalk Twister is a fun twist on the classic Twister game. Draw circles of different colours on the sidewalk instead of using the traditional plastic mat. Call out “right hand green, left foot blue” and have the kids contort into silly positions. The last player standing without falling over wins! This entertaining game helps build balance and flexibility.

Learning Games

Sidewalk chalk activities can also be educational. Have the kids practise spelling, counting or the alphabet by writing out words, numbers and letters. Play rhyming games by having them draw a picture and write a word, then draw a rhyming picture and word. Sort objects by colour or shape. The possibilities for learning with chalk are endless!

Sidewalk chalk is an ideal outdoor activity to spark kids’ creativity and imagination. With some simple chalk, you can keep children entertained for hours playing games, creating art and learning new skills. Chalk up the fun this summer!

Outdoor Movie Night FAQs: Answers to Common Questions

We’re so excited for movie night! There’s nothing quite like cozying up outside on a summer evening with friends, family, popcorn and a favourite flick. We’ve got the lowdown on everything you need to know to make your outdoor movie night a smash hit.

Do we need a permit?

In many areas, you’ll need a permit or licence to show a movie publicly. Check with your local municipality or homeowners association to see if any special permission is required. It’s best to inquire well in advance so there are no surprises!

What equipment do we need?

The essentials are: a projector, screen or blank wall, speakers, and a DVD/streaming device. You’ll also want bug spray, lawn chairs or blankets, snacks, and outdoor lighting. We recommend a projector with at least 3,000 lumens for clear viewing after dark. An inflatable movie screen or portable projector screen works great for outdoor viewing and is easy to set up and take down.

How do we get the movie?

You have a few options here. You can stream from services like Netflix, rent a movie from Amazon or your local video store, or borrow a DVD from your library. Make sure any service you use allows for public performance viewing. You’ll also want to double check that your Wi-Fi extends to your outdoor space.

What about licencing?

Some movies require a public performance licence for outdoor viewing. Services like Swank Motion Pictures and Criterion Pictures USA licence most major studio films. Fees range from $200 to $500 for a one-time showing. Check with the studio or distributor directly to determine if a licence is needed and how to obtain one.

Movie night is sure to be a hit! Follow these tips and you’ll be enjoying a fun, memorable night under the stars in no time. Let the show begin!

Conclusion

Summer is meant for enjoying the great outdoors and making cherished memories. Get outside, soak in the sun, and experience the simple pleasures of childhood again through the eyes of your kids. Whether it’s kicking around a football, building a sandcastle, or playing make-believe in the backyard, unleash your inner child and join in on the fun. Summer only comes around once a year, so take advantage of the long days and warm nights. The time we spend with our children is fleeting, but the moments we share will live on forever. This summer, make the most of each day – get messy, laugh loudly and love deeply. When September rolls around, you’ll be glad you did. The activities may end, but the memories will last forever.