7 Summer Activities for Kids

Spring has long ended, the sun is here (hopefully), and it’s time to turn our attention to the endless summer fun ahead. To help you though the next few months, we’ve come up with some fun summer activities for kids to get involved with, enjoy, and make great memories.

Below, you’ll find our favourite summer activities, which are great ideas for kids and parents:

Summer activities for kids

Gardening

As one of the age-old summer activities, there’s no better way to encourage kids to get involved with nature, and help them to appreciate the wonderful world around them.

Gardening with your children really can be so much fun, and helps kids discover new skills and learn how to handle responsibility. And it can keep kids entertained for hours, days, and even weeks – all while making your garden look wonderfully summery. Don’t have a garden or an outdoor space? Get your kids gardening with soil, a plastic pot, and a window!

What can you grow?

Vegetables
Flowers
Wildflowers
Fruits
Herbs

You can even inject some competition into your gardening activities. All you need to do is plant your seeds at the same time, set a time for the competition to end, and see whose plant grows the tallest. Just remember to take care of your plants too!

Backyard obstacle course

What better way to get your kids moving than an action-packed obstacle course, right there in your backyard? You can make the sunny summer days a blast for your kids by setting up a bunch of different obstacles for your child to take on. Try calling out the instructions for each obstacle as your child takes it on; this will help them to improve their listening skills.

Obstacle ideas:

Here are some ideas for which obstacles you can set out:

Planks of wood for balancing
A crawl-through tunnel (either shop-bought or makeshift)
Paddling pool fishing
Forward rolls
Throwing challenge

If you don’t have your own backyard, or if your yard isn’t big enough, you can always take your obstacles down to your local park!

Faced with a rainy day? You can always set up some obstacles inside if you’re looking for indoor activities.

Summer reading challenge

Summer activities for kids don’t always have to be energy-filled and physical. Which is why we’ve added reading to this list.

Reading is a great summer activity to slow down the days, recharge, and encourage children to focus and use their imagination. With a good book (or two, or three!) you can keep your kids occupied for hours on end, while you get to work around the house.

Most local libraries will run a summer reading challenge, which is a great way to get kids motivated. Alternatively, you can make use of our reading resources, and customise your summer reading challenge to include more ideas and fun ways to spark the imagination. Reading challenges are also a great way to keep kids entertained when the weather is wetter (which is known to happen every now and then in the UK!), or if it’s a particularly hot day.

Bike rides

There’s no better way to get out and explore the local area than our next two fun summer ideas.

First up is going for a bike ride – which you can do as a family, or you can invite friends along. Either way, it’s one of those fun activities that kids love, fights summer boredom, and can be a catalyst for some amazing memories. And above all, it’s an outdoor activity that keeps kids active and healthy.

Nature walk

Next up is one of the best summer activities, and a perfect way to have summer adventures: nature walks.

This activity is great for older and younger children, whether you go on a gentle stroll, or a full family day hike – whatever floats your boat!

Want to keep your kids involved throughout the walk? Try setting up a scavenger hunt to make it extra fun. This classic game is the perfect way to teach your kid about nature, while helping them to develop a new skill. This summer activity is one that the whole family can enjoy without having to spend anything.

What can you look for in a scavenger hunt?

Different coloured objects
Three kinds of bird
Collect different leaves
An interesting stick

If you need some fun ideas for setting up the greatest walk, then be sure to check out our summer activity book – there’s plenty of fun things in there to maximise kid entertainment.

Picnicking

Who doesn’t love a picnic? It’s just a fun way to create endless summer memories, play games, and have an all-round wonderful time. You can a picnic in plenty of places, from local parks to your own yard – anywhere that’s got plenty of greenery to set up!

Picnic entertainment ideas for the entire family:

Struggling to find ideas for your picnic day? Try some of these:

Create a family movie
Set up a treasure hunt
Bring some games for outdoor play
Family sports competition

Water gun painting

This is one of the more creative summer activities for kids. And it involves a lot less mess than you’d expect when you hear the word: “Painting“.

Great for younger kids and older kids, all you need is a bucket of water, a water gun, and a dry surface. You can use these places to paint with a water gun:

Side of your house
A concrete area of a nearby park
A quiet pavement (parents will need to be present for this one, as roads are dangerous!)

No matter where you and your kids paint, it’s a great activity for family fun on a hot summer day. You can play a game where you take turns drawing your favourite fictional characters, or you can spend the day painting fun pictures of anything you like – and it’ll all dry away, so there’s almost no clean-up involved!

Working over the summer months?

We know that it can be difficult for busy parents over the summer school holidays. Six weeks is a long time to organise a jumble of different childcare options. But luckily for you, we’re here to help.

Our summer holiday clubs are a fantastic way to solve all of your childcare worries in one go. Each session is designed to keep kids engaged, active, and entertained while you’re at work. We have a range of activities available, including everyone’s favourite sports – and at Premier Education summer camps, your children will get to enjoy every day with friends.

Head over to our handy search tool to find the perfect holiday camp for your kids this summer break.