10 Activities to Try This Summer

The summer holidays are nearly upon us, so I thought I’d share a few ideas for keeping the kids entertained! I wouldn’t want any of you to feel the pressure to keep the kids entertained all of the time! In fact, allowing them to become bored is really important, as it encourages them to think creatively and find their own entertainment. But for those moments when you’d like something fun to do together, here are a few fun, low-cost activities which you can do with things you’ll already have at home!

Make art with nature

Why not get outside for a walk and while you’re out, see what treasures you can find around you? Leaves and petals are really what you’re after here, and once you’re home try printing using the Hapa Zome technique! You don’t need anything fancy – an old pillowcase will do. 

Go Famous Five with invisible ink!

Ditch the tech and instead go old-school by writing a secret message to a friend! You could even create your own secret code for them to crack.

Keep cool with fruity yoghurt lollies

You never know what the British Summer will bring, so why not make a batch of these ahead of time so you can crack them out on a hot day?

Host your own races

Key supplies are a few snails and some chalk, although coloured stickers will come in handy too, if you have them. Choose your favourite snail and get cheering!

Make a puppet show

Choose your favourite story or film, or come up with your own, and create a puppet show! Here are some directions for a shadow puppet theatre, in which case you’ll need to make the room as dark as possible. Alternatively, leave off the screen and make an ordinary puppet theatre instead! 

Make some BFG-inspired dream potions

Make this simple science experiment a little more magical with a few added ingredients!

Create a small world scene

Challenge the kids to create their own small world play scenes using this simple guide to making your own.

Make some art inspired by your favourite artist! 

You could always start this off by going to an art gallery nearby, and asking the kids to choose their favourite piece. Alternatively, do a bit of research at home and choose a piece which inspires them. Here’s how we went about recreating this Van Gogh, or why not have a go at The Snail by Matisse?

Enjoy some sensory play

Sensory play is so engaging and calming. Use dried foods such as lentils, rice or oats with a few basic resources for some calming, low-mess fun. Why not try this garden themed sensory play?

Bring out the playdough!

Playdough gets the top spot as my favourite play resource, as it is just so versatile! Here are a few different ideas for ways you could play.

If you have a go at any of these ideas, I’d love to see, so please do tag me in your photos on Facebook or Instagram, or share them using the hashtag #aplayfulchildhood!