[Cue the whiny child’s voice.]
“I’m bored.”
“There’s nothing to do.”
“What should I do?”
Have you heard that a couple times this summer from kids? (Maybe you’ve heard it a couple THOUSAND times.)
At the beginning of the summer, you may have been motivated to minimize screen time. But as the summer wears on, that motivation is long gone.
As we wind down the summer, let’s give one more push to keep kids off screens and engaged in body-and-brain-friendly activities. You’ve probably heard that studies link excessive screen time with obesity and mental health issues. So it’s worth a try to keep our kids engaged with tactile learning activities.
Here’s a list of 93 ideas to get their eyes off screens and onto something worthwhile and productive this summer.
- Read a book
- Go outside and catch bugs
- Draw or paint a picture
- Color the side of a box
- Fill up and play in a baby pool of water
- Try a new sport
- Play board games
- Go to the library
- Write a story
- Make up a dance
- Listen to music
- Play with sidewalk chalk
- Play with play dough
- Make a pillow fort
- Create your own board game
- Research an animal and create a presentation about it
- Water the garden or plants outside
- Have a water gun fight
- Jump rope
- Play hopscotch
- Plan a menu for the day or week
- Play wall ball
- Write a poem
- Paint rocks for the garden
- Do leaf/nature rubbings
- Sew a pillow with scraps
- Write a letter to an elder
- Do a jigsaw puzzle
- Create your own word search with family names
- Play with bubbles
- Color in a coloring book
- Play dress up
- Give someone a silly makeover
- Play cards
- Bottle flip
- Do a puzzle
- Search for cool rocks
- Go on a picnic
- Make a lemonade stand
- Make a time capsule
- Make a bracelet or necklace
- Bake something
- Have a paper airplane competition
- Create a new superhero costume
- Play tag
- Wash the car
- Ride bike
- Have a tea party
- Water plants
- Make a craft
- Dig in the dirt
- Make sock puppets and a puppet show
- Host a fashion show
- Jump rope
- Go to the park
- Fly a kite
- Have a pillow fight
- Journal
- Plant flowers or plants
- Run through a sprinkler
- Make your own disc golf course
- Make a magic show
- Paint rocks
- Make a scavenger hunt
- Climb a tree
- Help make lunch or dinner
- Make popsicles
- Play hide and seek
- Create your own comic book
- Make an obstacle course
- Try a science experiment
- Do a random act of kindness
- Act out your favorite book
- Play catch
- Sing songs
- Play a yard game like horseshoes
- Go bird watching
- Go on a hike
- Play balloon volleyball
- Learn how to juggle
- Play Simon Says
- Learn to hula hoop
- Play charades
- Reorganize a room
- Search for four-leaf clovers
- Write a letter to a tribal leader
- Fill a box with items to donate
- Write a song
- Build a birdhouse
- Build a mailbox
- Hunt for animal tracks
- Create a bowling alley
- Make your own bingo game
