5 Sanity Saving Summer Activities

Summer is just around the corner and if you’re like me, you’re probably trying to think of some ways to keep the kids occupied during those weeks from June to September.

Thinking of things to do doesn’t have to be complicated or cost a ton of money (armed with $20 at the dollar store you can accomplish a lot). So to help you with a few ideas to entertain kids of different ages, see below for 5 simple summer activities you can pull together quick and on the cheap.

5 Sanity Saving Summer Activities

 

Water balloon baseball

What you’ll need:

• foam baseball bat
• t- ball stand
• water balloons

Fill water balloons and place on top of t- ball stand and let your kids have at it! If you have space in your yard, set up bases for the kids to run to.

Water gun painting

What you’ll need:

• water guns
• tempura or other washable paint
• dish soap (optional to make clean up easier)
• canvases or paper

Fill water guns with different coloured paint. To make clean up easy and avoid stains mix 1 part dish soap to 2 parts paint. Prop up a canvas or a large piece of craft paper on a large piece of cardboard or art easel and watch your mini Picassos create original messy art by squirting the paint. Allow to dry in the sun before bringing inside to avoid a colourful mess.

Hula hoop forts

What you’ll need:

• hula hoop
• old sheets or other lightweight fabric
• twine or yarn
• large needle
• masking tape
• rope

Measure around the perimeter of the hula hoop to determine how much fabric you’ll need. Add a couple extra inches if you’d like an overlap to create a little curtain on each side. Using the tape, hold the fabric roughly in place and sew large stitches around the top of the hula hoop to attach. To make it extra secure go around it 2 or 3 times. Tie the rope on opposite sides of the hula hoop and hang from a tree branch or swing set. These are perfect for whatever your kids’ imaginations think up and make great shaded reading places for older kids.

Art station

What you’ll need:

• paper
• stickers
• markers
• crayons
• paint (old muffin tins work great to keep this less messy)
• glitter
• glue
• toilet paper rolls
• newspaper or craft paper
• anything you can think of!

Cover a patio table with newspaper and set up a variety of art supplies. You can let them create on their own or set up everything they need to make a certain craft. To avoid arguments, you can set up individual stations for each child so they each have their own supplies. 

Ice eggs

What you’ll need:

• small plastic animals and other age- appropriate toys
• water balloons and/ or freezer- safe plastic containers
• water
• metal spoons
• baking pan or plastic tub

You can either make individual ice eggs with water balloons or create one giant ice chunk in an ice cream bucket. The night ahead, pop the toys into the water balloons or container, fill with water, and allow to freeze overnight. When ready, arm each child with a spoon and let them chip away at the ice to free the toys on top of a baking pan or in a plastic tub (to keep the melting water in one place).

What would you add to this list? How do you keep your kids entertained during the never ending summer break?