7 Ideas for Fun in the Sun This Summer

Summer has officially arrived. Warm days, leisurely evenings and end of year festivities are fast approaching. And for the parents amongst us, this means school holidays are approaching, too. As much as little humans love a break from school, the excitement can turn into a chorus of “I’m bored” in a flash. If you’re after less screen time and more outdoor time, you’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of our favourite ideas for fun in the sun this summer — from backyard fun to new ideas for your next family beach day. So, grab your water bottles and your sunscreen and let’s get started.

Nothing gets little imaginations going quite like a good arts and crafts session. It’s fun, it’s creative, and if you’re looking for budget-friendly school holiday ideas, you can really get thrifty with it. If you’re not keen on splashing out on canvases, break down some clean cardboard boxes from the recycling instead, or wash out some milk cartons and paint them into animals (complete with cardboard ears, if you’re feeling fancy). If you’re lacking in paint brushes, opt for handprint paintings or classic finger paintings.

As you’re obviously aware if you’re here with us now, the internet is your friend when it comes to arts and craft activities for kids. Try your hand at making homemade slime from some simple pantry staples (there’s a multitude of recipes online to choose from) or download and print out a free set of colouring in stencils.

Turn your next day at the beach into an adventure with a scavenger hunt. There are two different approaches you can choose from here, and the best part? They require very little planning ahead of time.

Option number one: create your own custom bingo cards. Find a template online, or draw up your own if you’re feeling crafty, and fill in each box with a different item you might find at the beach. This could be a sandcastle, bicycle, surfboard — whatever you like. Once you arrive at the beach, get started exploring and trying to tick off as many boxes on your card as possible. First one to get five in a row wins!

If bingo cards aren’t your style, try an alphabetical scavenger hunt instead. This follows the same idea of exploring the beach and finding different items, but this time try to find an item for each letter of the alphabet.

Another fun activity to do on your beach day is a dinosaur dig. Bring along some dinosaur bones and fossils (these can be toys, homemade crafts or anything that takes your fancy) and bury them in a small area of sand. Mark out the area with some shells or stones and let your young ones get discovering.

Whether your little one is armed with a spade or their hands, they’ll have a blast digging through the sand and discovering these pre-historic treasures. It’s also a great opportunity to learn the names and species of dinosaurs.

When it comes to days in the sun, you can’t go past a classic picnic — and for good reason. What’s not to love about bringing your favourite snacks, setting up a comfy area and enjoying the summer weather? Bonus points if your park of choice has a play area for energetic kids to climb on and explore.

Putting together fresh sandwiches is not only a delicious reward once you arrive at your picnic, but it’s a great way to get the kids involved and into the kitchen. Set out your ingredients on the counter and let them pick out what they would like on their sandwich, or give them a role in assembling lunch for the family.

Another way to help expand your children’s culinary skills is by enlisting their help with making some delicious fresh fruit smoothies. All you need is a blender and some simple ingredients (and of course, adult supervision in the kitchen).

Depending on the age of your young one, you could enlist their help with measuring out ingredients or prepping fresh fruit. Hot tip: bananas are a great option that don’t require knives to peel or break them up.

Have fun creating different flavour combinations and, of course, enjoying your delicious smoothies in some well-earned sunshine. If you have some popsicle sticks on-hand, you could even freeze them into homemade smoothie pops.

Grow your little one’s green thumb by planting your own veggie garden. Seeds and starter plants are a budget-friendly gardening option, and there’s no denying the excitement that comes from watching your little seedlings sprout and grow into fresh produce. If you don’t have access to a garden bed or yard, put together a potted veggie patch. This could be some medium to large sized pots out on the balcony, or some small planters that sit on the windowsill (fresh herbs would be a great option for this).

This activity is perfect for anyone with access to a yard, or a public park with plenty of space. And don’t worry, there’s no professional sporting equipment necessary for these Olympic games, just good old-fashioned fun and enthusiasm.

Put together some of your favourite classic games and challenges — think activities like three-legged races, egg and spoon races, ring toss, whatever your heart desires. This is another opportunity to upcycle some objects you might have around the house; maybe some empty plastic bottles can be turned into pins in a homemade version of ten pin bowling. You can adjust the activities to what’s suitable for your young Olympians — what matters is that you flex those creative muscles and have some fun.