101 summer holidays activities

If you’re anything like us you’ll half-dread the summer holidays, because kids are not great at entertaining themselves (if you’ve got a child who takes themselves off for hours quietly to make something out of Lego, hats off to you). Summer holiday activities ideas can sometimes involve spending money, being distracted from work or constantly taking the kids out. However, our ideas for the summer holidays avoid unnecessary cost and hassle, and get the kids to entertain themselves. Sounds good, right?

Over the next month you will probably hear the words ‘I’m bored’ a hundred times. It’s vital, therefore, to have an arsenal of things to do to answer that question. So here, dear readers, is the answer to your prayers: 101 ideas of things for kids to do over the summer. You’re welcome. Stick it on the fridge and let the kids pick an idea whenever they’re at a loss of what to do.

1. Bake cakes
2. Build a den
3. Build something out of Lego
4. Clean the car
5. Collect some stones and decorate them
6. Copy a picture in a book
7. Create a family flag or coat of arms
8. Dance
9. Do a good deed
10. Do a puzzle
11. Try a science experiment
12. Do brain teasers
13. Do gymnastics
14. Do some colouring in
15. Do some exercises (try Joe Wicks on YouTube)
16. Do some maths
17. Draw a family portrait
18. Draw a picture while blindfolded
19. Draw an alien
20. Draw an animal
21. Draw our house
22. Dress up
23. Try face painting
24. Find a recipe and cook a meal together
25. Find five toys to donate to charity
26. Find out five facts about a country
27. Find out five facts about an animal
28. Find something in your house that starts with every letter of the alphabet
29. Go bug hunting
30. Go for a walk
31. Go swimming
32. Go to the £1 shop and choose 1 item
33. Spend a few pounds on items in a charity shop
34. Go to the library
35. Go to the park
36. Have a picnic- indoor or outdoor
37. Have a quiz
38. Interview someone
39. Invent a new language
40. Invent your own board game
41. Learn a magic trick
42. Learn origami
43. Learn ten words in a different language
44. Learn the words to a song
45. Look at old photos
46. Make a card for someone
47. Make a collage
48. Make a healthy snack buffet
49. Make a musical instrument
50. Make a pasta necklace
51. Make a paper doll and clothes
52. Make a present for someone
53. Make a sock puppet
54. Make a treasure hunt
55. Make a video
56. Make an obstacle course
57. Make friendship bracelets
58. Make homemade ice lollies
59. Make up a story
60. Organise your toys
61. Paint a picture
62. Phone a relative
63. Plan a trip
64. Play a ball game
65. Play a board game
66. Play a card game
67. Play a memory game
68. Play a musical instrument
69. Play hide and seek
70. Play I Spy
71. Play schools
72. Make your own shop out of toys and food from the kitchen
73. Play skipping games
74. Play tag
75. Play the alphabet game
76. Play with a toy you haven’t played with in a while
77. Play with dolls
78. Play with playdough
79. Write a family newsletter
80. Press flowers
81. Put on a sock puppet show
82. Put together a time capsule
83. Read a book
84. Ride your bike
85. Roller skate
86. Sew something
87. Sort out a drawer
88. Sort out your wardrobe
89. Spelling quiz
90. Take photos
91. Tidy your bedroom
92. Write a birthday list
93. Walk the dog
94. Play with your pet
95. Have a water fight
96. Water the plants
97. Write to a family member
98. Write to a friend
99. Write a play
100. Write a poem
101. Write and illustrate a cartoon or story.

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Click here for a free downloadable kid’s boredom buster activity book!