There are many activities to do with children that will keep summer from getting boring. Water fun, art projects, sports, and reading are just a few that come to mind.

Activities that involve water are a good way to keep cool in the hot summer sun. In addition to the local pools and aquatic centers, there are also fun sprinklers made especially with kids in mind, the beach, squirt gun contests, and water balloons. If you prefer to stay close to home, sprinklers can be used for jumping contests, and other games, while still watering the lawn and gardens. Kids can have squirt gun contests, and can create their own set of rules for this type of a game of tag. Sponges and bubbles are fun to use in the kiddie pool also, and make playtime into good, clean fun.

Children can also play in the water hose and help with the garden at the same time by watering the flowers while they play. It’s a fun way to show a child how to make a rainbow with the water and sun also.

There are special art projects or crafts that are fun to do in the summer. Painting shirts using sponges can be done outside to avoid the mess indoors. Tie dye is fun too, and can be done outside also. Sand art is fun on the beach or at home. You could make sand castles and many other imaginative creations on the beach. Take along buckets, shovels, and other toys for molding wet sand. At home, sand creations can also be made using construction paper, glue, and sand. Let children draw on the paper with glue, sprinkle the sand on the wet glue, and see what kind of creative picture has been made! Make your own bubbles and bubble blower for hours of bubble fun. You can find a bubble recipe on the internet, and a blower can be made using a six-pack plastic bottle holder and a straw.

When this is dipped in a pan of bubbles, it makes fun sized bubbles that will entertain children for hours!

Playgrounds and city parks are a great place to spend a summer day. Pack a picnic lunch and some snacks and drinks, and plan to spend the day there. A treasure hunt can be a fun activity to have at the park, and is a great way to learn about the outdoors while having fun also. The park is also a great place for your child to learn to interact with other children. They also love to invite their friends to go to the park for the day, too, so remember to make it a social outing and invite other little friends and their moms and dads to accompany you on this outing. The park can also be a time for parents to relax and maybe read a book of their own, while the children play with their friends. Children need to be creative and have fun without mom and dad entertaining them all the time, and the playground or park is a great place for this! They are still being supervised, but also creating their own fun.

Summer can be a great time for parents and children to bond, while everyone has fun, too. Outdoor projects and yard work can be intertwined with fun, and everyone ends up having a good and fun summer!