Has the weekly or monthly board game or movie night become stale? Has the middle of the long, hot summer become too long? Does everyone find an excuse to run away when you start popping popcorn for a movie night? Do you dread the drudgery of taking the kids to the park again in the heat? Spice up the family time with new ideas because Summer is only half over. The point at which parents wish their kids are back at school has arrived. It doesn’t have to be that way. Try some fun ideas to get you through the rest of the summer.
For Families with Younger Children ages 6-12
Take an online dance class
Work on a puzzle together
Go to the beach if you live within driving distance
Visit a museum, nature center, zoo or other venues
Go to a local fruit farm and pick fruit
Take your bikes to the nearest state park and ride bikes
Go to a jump park
Turn movie night into a craft night
Set up a slip-and-slide in the backyard
Get some sidewalk chalk and send kids out to the driveway
Run through the sprinklers
Go to an open park and fly a kite
Feed ducks at a pond or lake
For Families with Children 12- 18
Go on a scavenger hunt at Walmart or Target
Make a progressive dinner with each person making a different part of the meal
Go to a concert
Go skating or bowling
Learn to geocache
Attend a community event or festival
Discover local neighborhoods one by one
Go to a rock climbing center
Take a class (art, gun safety, auto mechanics, cooking, archery, yoga, scuba diving, etc.)
Devise a culinary tour
Make a music video together
Redecorate a teen’s bedroom
Get in the kitchen and teach them how to cook
Build something with wood
Go kayaking/canoeing/sailing
Play Croquet
Prepare for and get a driver’s license (for older teens)
Go to a pottery studio where kids can make pottery
Make tie-dyed shirts
Go to a sporting event
Do some stargazing
For All Ages
Learn how to tie knots
Play volleyball in the backyard
Go hiking
Make S’mores in the firepit
Attend a baseball game at a local high school and learn how to keep the stats
Play soccer in the backyard
Set up a family Olympic games night
Invite friends to sleep over
Visit the library
Learn a new skill together, like sewing or fishing
Family photoshoot
Watch old family videos
Go swimming anywhere
Go to a play at an amphitheater
Play water balloon volleyball
Watch airplanes at an airport
View a parade on a holiday
Visit a neighboring town
Visit a historical park
Have a picnic somewhere
