20 Summer Activities For Toddlers & Kids

The summer is a time of warmth and fun. The summer was my favorite season as a kid. Bike riding, cold popsicles, side walk chalk, and fun with neighbor kids all come to mind when I think about summer. The memoires of my childhood summers were incredible. Now that my son Luka is almost three he is in full on play mode all the time. So I am excited to spend the summer playing and enjoying the warmer weather. We are sharing 20 summer activities for Toddlers and Kids in this blog post that you are sure to enjoy.

Sun & Summer Safety

First and foremost, we practice sun safety with water drinking, sun screen, and hat wearing. My favorite non toxic sunscreen is either Think Baby brand (Amazon) or Pipette (Amazon). Both are “cleaner” options than your traditional sunscreen options that I used growing up. Also, these hats (Amazon) with the neck shield are perfect sun protection for summer. We just purchased a blue dinosaur one for our son and it’s perfect for summer play. Water is always ready to go in our house for constant sipping during the summer. We love these reduce brand kids tumblers (Amazon). And lastly we always supervise our child the entire time and when doing any of the summer activities for toddlers.

20 Summer Activities For Toddlers & Kids

Here is our list of 20 summer activities for toddlers and kids. They are meant to get a little messy and to make the best memories for our kiddos to remember about their summers for years to come!

1. Go on a family walk

Go on nature walks. Look at all the beautiful flowers that have bloomed, collect some flowers to make art at home, listen for birds, observe the bugs that are out and about. The summer is a beautiful time to get into nature with proper sun protection and water of course.

2. Gardening or Planting

Start a garden or plant some flowers together. Get your hands in the soil. Enjoy learning how to garden together.

3. Scooter or Bike

I loved riding my bike and scooter growing up! We got our almost three year old son a scooter and it has been so fun. He has this Razor Rollie DLX (Amazon). The scooter is so nostalgic for me, because I had a purple Razor growing up. Our son also has a fun dinosaur print helmet called the Raskullz Mohawk Helmet (Amazon). We also have a classic Radio Flyer Red Rider Trike (Amazon) that he is not exactly interested in yet. It’s a fun option to have around though.

Also, our son has a Strider Sport Bike (Amazon) which is a no pedal balance bike. I am not sure he likes the feeling of this one, but we need to work on it more to see. We do feel like he is getting to be ready for a bike with training wheels and considering this Huffy Marvel Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Amazon). But we are going to do some more research plus spend some more time working on the tricycle and balance bike first. For now, we enjoy taking him for a scooter ride at a park that has a path or in our front or back yard. This is an amazing summer activities for toddlers!

4. Side Walk Chalk

Chalk is a classic outdoor activity that I loved growing up. Pinterest has amazing ideas with chalk now a days. I’ve seen an amazing idea to use painters tape to create shapes or a mosaic vibe and then color in with the chalk. Then remove the tape to reveal a master piece. Another classic of course is hop scotch or tic, tac, toe for older kiddos. The possibilities are endless with chalk. We have these Crayola Ultimate Washable Chalk (Amazon) and it’s amazing because they have a pointed tip like a crayon. Also save the chalk that breaks because all over Pinterest there are recipes for chalk paint to make with your left over chalk. AMAZING!

5. Painting Rocks

Find some flat rocks in your yard and paint them for fun. This is a fun creative activity. This is perfect to do in a shady area outside. We try to use the washable paints but just really use whatever we have on hand as far as paint and paint brushes. I do like these Kids Art Smock (Amazon) if things get super messy.

6. Play with Water

Water is a fun way to play in the summer. Whether you have a water table for your kids, like the Step2 Dino Dig Sand and WaterTable (Amazon) we have for our son, or you are just taking simple kitchen items like stainless steel bowls and plastic cups or measuring spoons to enjoy water play. Let the imagination and creativity sore by giving your kids an opportunity to play with simple water. There are even the viral re-fillable water balloons (Amazon) that we have played with at our neighbors house. So much fun!

7. Bubble Play

Bubbles are our sons favorite! We have a bubble blaster from Target and a bubble machine from Target too. I wouldn’t recommend these ones specifically because they get clogged up. We frequently have to clean them and replace the batteries for them to work properly. A good quality bubble machine may be worth an investment if you child enjoys bubbles. Bubbles are a fun way to play and enjoy the summer. They are so festive and fun! Also, put on some fun kid friendly music and turn on the bubble machine and enjoy!

8. Splash Pad or Mini Pool

Enjoy the warmer weather in summer with a splash pad. We got this super cute one from Target last year, but here is Splash Pad Sprinkler for Kids (Amazon) similar to the one we purchased. There of course are also the classic slip and slides for older kids and even blow up pool options. Enjoying the water safely and with supervision is super fun in the summer and a relief from the warmer weather.

9. Any Arts & Crafts

Arts and crafts in any way are fun to keep a child occupied and to enjoy relief from the heat of the summer. Whether you are painting outside in a shady area or enjoying creating something indoors. Pinterest is where I go for my arts and crafts ideas. But the brand, Mondo Llama, from Target has amazing options for fun painting items and things that you can put together. We are not an affiliate for them, we just have had great experiences with their arts and crafts options and would recommend. Also the dollar tree has so many arts and crafts options. This doesn’t just have to be painting. It can be crayons with coloring books or oil pastels on white paper.

10. The Library

The library is a magical place of learning. I grew up going to the library all summer long. My son and I started going to the library weekly when he was under 2 and we have enjoyed going together ever since. Our local library in Albuquerque has a summer reading program for ages 0 through 100. They offer prizes and rewards for reading accomplishments. Check with your local library to see what they have to offer. Promoting reading at home while also having a cool place to enjoy during the summer is the perfect summer activity for toddlers and kids if you ask me!

11. Go to the museum, aquarium, zoo, or botanical gardens

Head to a local Children’s museum, Natural History Museum, aquarium, zoo, or botanical garden in your area. I love to go right when they open either during the week or the weekend to beat the crowds and the heat, if it is outdoors. We usually go to our local children’s museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Explora), but this summer we may take the drive up to Santa Fe to go to their children’s museum too (linked here).

12. Have an at Home Movie Night

We love a fun at home movie night with homemade popcorn (easier than you would think), snacks, sparkling waters, and any other fun treats. We turn off our phones, get the living room nice and dark and it is a full on movie theater vibe. It is so fun to enjoy a family friendly movie together. Also, if you have an outdoor projector and a place to project the film, watch it like that. That would be another fun way to do a movie night.

13. Build a Fort

Pull out the blankets, sheets, and flashlights. Build a fun fort for reading and play with your little ones! We love our Nugget modular play couch to assist in the fort building. We are not an affiliate for them, we just genuinely love their product. It’s good quality and easy to clean. Plus it grows with your child.

14. Check your local area for kid friendly events

Check your local area for kid friendly summer events. There are some that may be free or others that are paid.

15. Enjoy a Cold Popsicle

Another very nostalgic summer thing for me is a popsicle. In our family our favorite popsicles are from Good Pop (Amazon). They are a brand that has better ingredient choices than the classic popsicles I knew and loved growing up.

16. Do a Puzzle Together

The perfect indoor summer activity to beat the heat is a puzzle. In our blog post about Puzzles for Toddles and Kids we talk about how puzzles are an amazing screen free activity for the whole family to enjoy.

17. Music & Movement

Put on your families favorite songs and get to dancing. This activity can be done indoors or outdoors. Be silly and get moving. A dance party is a fun way to move and to enjoy the present moment.

18. Yoga or Stretching

Grab a towel, yoga mat, or blanket and do some fun stretching or yoga with your kiddos. This activity can be both calming and fun. I love making up silly stretches or movements as we go, but we also love using these MOLLYBEE KIDS Preschool Yoga Cards for Kid (Amazon).

19. Read

Enjoy reading with your kiddos in the summer. I love the idea of reading aloud a chapter book like “Charlotte’s Webb” or something similar together as a family when my son get’s a little bit older. But reading books inside or outside in the summer is the perfect activity.

20. Play time with other kiddos

Schedule time to play with friends within your child’s age range. We recently started playing with our neighbor friends and it can be amazing to watch children play and learn together. Also, your child does not have to be the same age as the other kids. Supervised play dates indoors or outdoors are a great activity to enjoy during the long summer days.

Concluding Summer

We will be doing all of the summer activities for toddlers this year and every summer in the future. Enjoy a beautiful summer of learning and play with your little ones.