Can you believe that summer is already here? What do you have planned for the next 2 -3 months? What are some things to do this summer? Swim dates, family vacations, holiday festivities and more? As much as you have planned, and as much as your kids are looking forward to summer, you know there will come a time when you hear your child say, “Mom, I’m bored, what can I do?” Laurel Springs School offers you 97 things to do this summer, that will keep their minds and bodies busy.
We have broken it down to a Part 1 and 2. Kids can choose any activity they are interested in and complete them in any order they like (your children might enjoy checking them off as they complete them). Some items require parental permission but others are suitable for kids to complete on their own. Many can be done with the entire family. Take a moment to review the list. Then print it out and give it to your children when they start complaining of boredom.
With these 97 suggestions of things to do this summer, you may just escape the “I’m bored” doldrums this summer. For more serious endeavors and for those who want to get ahead on their studies: Take an online class! Summer School at Laurel Springs School is convenient and flexible, giving you the opportunity to pursue one of your academic interests or a foreign language. Laurel Springs School offers a wide variety of high-quality, college preparatory courses that include both core subjects and electives. Teachers work with you one-on-one, offering a personalized, individualized, and teacher-guided course of study. With Laurel Springs, you can take your class anywhere you have an Internet connection, no matter where you’re spending your summer.
97 Things To Do This Summer – Part 1
- Have an old fashioned weenie roast and make your own condiments. Try Garlic Chilaca Peppers or red lentil hummus to mix things up a bit.
- Interview your grandparents. They’re interesting people! Find out what games they played when they were young, what their parents were like (your great-grandparents), what kind of clothes they wore, etc. If you can, record the interview. You’ll be glad you did.
- Learn a new talent. What do you really wish you could do? Talk to your parents about it—they can help you achieve your goals.
- Do yard work for an elderly neighbor. It will make you feel good and your neighbor will really appreciate it.
- Give yourself, your friend, or your Mom a pedicure. Your Mom may even take you to get some new polish! Try some fun colors like bright yellow, lime green or sky blue.
- Make handmade gifts and cards for upcoming special events/occasions. If none are looming, make some up! Your cat’s birthday, perhaps?
- Learn about musicals. Watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof. Note how modern music has incorporated musical lyrics from these productions. Discuss how these musicals would be different if made today. These are FUN musicals—you will enjoy them.
- Read The Little Prince. This is a phenomenal piece of literature with multiple layers, and it’s a short read. Discover why it has been translated into more than 180 languages and why it has sold more than 80 million copies making it one of the best-selling books ever.
- Walk around your block and pick up all the litter you can find. Take a trash bag… or two… 10. Lie outside at night and watch the sky for shooting stars. Find out why shooting stars aren’t really stars at all.
- With your parent’s permission, redecorate and rearrange your bedroom. You can get Oops paint for as little as a dollar a gallon at your local paint/hardware store.
- Learn the alphabet in sign language.
- Spend one afternoon of quality time with each individual person in your family. Have a tea party with your little sister, play cards with you brother, and hang out with your Dad. Enjoy those that you love.
- Plant an herb garden. Talk to your Mom about what herbs she likes to cook with. Then eventually, snip some herbs and make a recipe with her.
- Turn into an expert. Pick a topic you’re really interested in and research it online. Better yet, pick one subject per week. You’ll be impressed with all you’ve learned by the end of the summer.
- Read Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene and watch the video starring Kristi McNichol and Bruce Davidson. You can find the movie on YouTube.
- Check out your local paper to discover any neighborhood, free-admission activities. Lots will be going on in your community and you don’t want to miss a thing.
- Get up at dawn and appreciate the coolness and peaceful feeling of the early morning. Compare it to the sweltering afternoon.
- With your family, float down a slow river on an inner tube. Or maybe, not so slow of a river—tubing is a blast!
- Play badminton. It’s a fun game. Compare it to ping pong and tennis. Just because you’re good at one doesn’t mean you’re good at the others. Why is that?
- Learn about bats, why they are important and why they are beneficial. You can even build a bat house.
- Have a piñata party. Make your own.
- Have a pajama day. Stay in your pajamas all day long. But don’t make this a habit!
- Attend your sibling’s game and REALLY root for him/her.
- Bake a cake and then decorate it. There are a number of cake decorating shows on television–watch a few and then see what you can do. Have fun with it.
- Get ahead! Enroll in Laurel Springs summer school program.
- Get together with friends and play some childhood games like “Sorry”, “Candyland” and “Operation”.
- Give your dog a bath, play ball with him, and take him for a walk. Spoil him for a day.
- Make dinner for your family.
- Make a scrapbook of your summer activities.
- With your parent’s permission, get a job or an internship.
- Learn to sew, embroider or crochet. Maybe your grandmother can teach you.
- Every day, look up and learn 2 new words from the dictionary. 34. Learn to play chess. Chess is Fun.
- Have a neighborhood outdoor game day. Revisit 4-square, Red Rover Red Rover, Duck Duck Goose, Mother May I and Hide and Go Seek.
- Attend a first aid class. You never know when this knowledge will come in handy.
- Research your family tree. Maybe your parents and grandparents can help.
- Choose a day—or two—and perform random acts of kindness. See how others respond. It’s very rewarding.
- Talk to your parents about what you’d like to learn next year in your homeschool program. Chances are your parents are looking at curriculums now—so now is the time to speak up!
- Find a mentor. Want to learn a specific skill or knowledge. See if someone in the community can be your mentor. This can be a family member, family friend, or someone you don’t even know yet.
- Finger paint!
- Celebrate National Fudge Day and National Eat Your Vegetables Day. Check out some fun ideas on how to combine the two.
- Learn how to French braid.
- BE a mentor!
- Check out the website www.sporcle.com. See how quickly you can fill in the 50 states.
- Learn jump roping tricks. Find jump roping videos on the internet to give you inspiration. It’s AMAZING what people can do with a jump rope!
- Do some crazy fun science experiments (explosions, etc) with your parent’s permission of course.
- Learn how to make pickles. Did you know they come from cucumbers? Funny, huh? Since most kids LOVE pickles… but cucumbers, not so much.
- Blow bubbles with bubble gum–gigantic, wonderful, BIG pink bubbles. Have blowing contests with your siblings. Throw the gum away responsibly when you’re done.
Want more?? Here is PART 2 OF THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER
I do like this list!!
Great list, I love it!
Fantastic list and sure to keep the kids occupied!
Heck with the kids, this is a good list to keep me occupied this summer ;)