Summer in the PNW is so close I can taste it, I can’t wait for all the fun summer activities! With summer comes summer vacation for kids in school and with summer vacation comes the inevitable, “I’m bored mom/dad”. Am I right? Luckily my daughter hasn’t learned that phrase yet, but I know it is just a matter of time. I am a firm believer that it is so important to get kids outside to play regularly and I know with all the technology we have now, that can be difficult. My sister told me about this fun summer activities idea she did with some kids she nannied several years ago and I am so excited to try it.
I call it the ABC’s of summer activities. At the beginning of summer, sit down with your kid/kids and make a list. Write out the alphabet and next to each letter write as many activities as you can think of that start with that letter. Then each morning (or night before), look at the list and have your kids choose one or more activities that they want to do that day. Then do it! Start with letter A, the next day do letter B and so on. Take a day off when you need or only do it a couple days a week, do whatever works for you. Below are some activities for each letter of the alphabet, use mine, make your own or do both!
A
Go to the aquarium, make apple stamps, go watch airplanes at the airport, learn about acorns, look for ants outside, learn how to sprout an avocado pit, learn your address, go to an arcade, learn about astronauts, make alligator crafts, eat almonds/apples/avocados or apricots.
B
Go to the beach, play with blocks, build something, go on a boat ride or build your own boat, blow bubbles, go for a bike ride, bake something, play baseball/basketball or with balls, look for things outside that are blue, play with balloons, go berry picking, play board games, learn about the importance of bees, have a BBQ or make burritos/bananas/bacon/burgers/brownies.
C
Do some coloring, draw with chalk, climb a hill, clean your rooms, do chores, wash the car, play with cars, learn about cactuses, play with clay, do crafts, play a card game, cook, make cake/cupcakes/cookies, learn about cats, start a club, do some coin rubbing art/math, eat carrots/cucumber/cheese/chocolate or have chicken for dinner.
D
Play/dig in the dirt, make a dream catcher, go for a drive, learn about dogs, make delicious drinks, learn about the desert, eat donuts, collect dimes/dollars, learn about different kinds of dwellings, develop your own unique dessert, kids make dinner, deliver gifts to the less fortunate or donate.
E
Learn about electricity, eat a new kind of food, earn money, learn how the ear works, make elephant ears (the dessert), learn about elephants, make egg carton crafts, do some exercise, learn about extinction, eat eggs/enchiladas/eclairs, learn about Eskimos, make english muffin pizzas or egg salad sandwiches.
F
Learn about frogs, go to the fire station/talk to a firefighter, watch the movie Frozen, freeze popsicles or fruit, go fishing, learn about freedom, pick flowers for a neighbor, paint with finger-paints, eat fruit/fish/fries/food, clean out the fridge/learn how it works, get a pet fish, make a root beer float, learn about feet, float the river, make fudge or fondue.
G
Go golfing, go see or learn about goats, play in the grass, learn about giraffes, visit the grandparents, plant a garden/build a fairy garden, learn how things grow, look for things that are green, learn about Greece, give away toys/etc, eat grapes/guava/graham crackers or make gravy or guacamole.
H
Play hop scotch, make paper hats, learn about helicopters, play hide & seek, go for a hike, ride a horse, learn about Hollywood, learn about the heart, play hockey, draw hand art, learn about how honey is made, eat hotdogs/ham or go huckleberry picking (if you have some near you).
I
Make ice cream (DIY ice cream in Stasher bags recipe here) or go out for ice cream, make iced tea, build an igloo with sugar cubes, learn about inchworms, search for insects/learn about insects, play I spy, learn about different islands, play with musical instruments/make your own instrument or play with ice.
J
Jump rope, make juice (here is a great green juice recipe), do jumping jacks, make jello, learn about the jaguar, make jam, get rid of junk, make jewelry, fill a jar with jelly beans, tell jokes, learn about the jungle, jump on a trampoline, do a jigsaw puzzle, do a job around the house, learn about jellyfish or go see them at the aquarium.
K
Fly kites, clean the kitchen, play with kinetic sand, learn about kangaroos, perform random acts of kindness, learn about famous kings in history, eat kiwis/kettle corn/kebobs/key lime pie, make your own kale chips, learn about killer whales or get a KiwiCo crate.
L
Make lemonade/do a lemonade stand, learn about lava and volcanos, make a lava lamp, listen to live music, go to the library, practice letters, go to the lake, eat lollipops/licorice, play leapfrog, make leaf art, clean up litter in your neighborhood, learn about laws, make virgin lava flow popsicles or make lion crafts.
M
Watch a movie, learn about muscle/movement, listen to music, play with mud, learn about money, make milkshakes, make drinks with fresh mint (mojito mocktail recipe here), make muffins, eat mashed potatoes/mac & cheese/mozzarella/mangos/marshmallows or learn about the monarchy.
N
Learn about nature/got for a nature walk, make necklaces, paint nails, learn how the nose works, visit elderly at a nursing home, make nachos, look for a birds nest, draw your name, learn about nocturnal animals, eat nuts/nuggets/noodles/Nutella/nectarines or make ‘nice‘ cream.
O
Learn about the ocean and the octopus, have opposite day, make art using octagons, learn about how oysters make pearls, build an obstacle course, learn about owls, play Old Maid, paint with the color orange, bake oatmeal squares or eat oranges/oatmeal/Oreos/olives.
P
Make pancakes, go to the park, have a picnic, throw a party, go to a pool, make paper beads, dress up as a pink and purple princess, do Pilates exercises, play with playdough, learn about pigs, go putt putt golfing, paint, make popsicles, do puzzles, have a pizza party or eat peaches/pears/pineapple/popcorn/pretzels/pasta.
Q
Make a paper quilt, learn about quail, quiz each other, collect state quarters, make a quiche, learn about queen bees, make quesadillas, paint with Q-tips, do things quickly, play the quiet game or learn about quadruplets. I want to add quacking to the list, but I’m imagining how obnoxious that would get, so I’ll avoid that one. Ha!
R
Learn about recycling, go to the river, build a rocket ship out of boxes, pick roses, make rainbows, relax/rest, go roller skating, run a race, perform a random act of kindness for a stranger, ride a roller coaster, learn about rabbits, go raspberry picking, make rice krispies, eat raisins/ravioli, paint with red, ride a bike or make your own ranch dressing.
S
Go swimming, play in the sun, go on a scavenger hunt, learn about snakes, play on a slip & slide, run through the sprinkler, go skating, watch the sunrise/sunset, play soccer, learn about sea horses, make smoothies, pick strawberries, plant a sunflower, make strawberry shortcake, learn about stars, play sports, swing, build a sandcastle, make slime, have seafood or spaghetti for dinner.
T
Learn about time zones or to tell time, play with trains, do toilet paper roll crafts, learn a new trick, have a treat, climb a tree (safely), try something new, learn about turtles, look for treasure, clean all the toilets, go to a trampoline park, have a tea party, play twister, do tie-dye, make thumbprint cookies or eat a turkey sandwich/tomatoes/toast/tuna sandwich.
U
Make a sea urchin with a ball of clay and toothpicks, learn to play the ukulele, make unicorn crafts, learn about the United States or the state of Utah, make paper umbrellas, learn about animals under the sea, make a pineapple upside down cake, clean under the couch/fridge/bed/etc.
V
Volunteer at a homeless shelter, learn about voltage, make violet flowers, color with the color violet, make your own vanilla extract, visit a friend or grandparents, experiment with vinegar, build a village, eat veggies, learn about Velcro, plan a vacation, learn about veterinarians, vacuum the house, learn about volcanos, do a volcano experiment or learn about vitamins.
W
Go to a water park, dig for worms, play with water balloons, learn about whales, work out, play whiffle ball, play with water beads, go for a walk, learn about spider webs, play with a water table, paint with water colors, make a whistle, visit a parent or friend at work, wash the windows or laundry, eat watermelon/walnuts/waffles or make whipped cream.
X
Learn how x-rays work, play the xylophone, learn about the x-ray tetra fish, make a water xylophone, X marks the spot- look for buried treasure, make x-ray art or play tic tac toe. This is definitely a hard one, let me know what you come up with.
Y
Do yoga, make your own yogurt, have a “yes day”- say yes to everything, learn why we yawn, find things that are the color yellow, do crafts with yarn, learn what is yummy and what is yucky, use a yardstick to measure things, play with a yo–yo, learn how yeast works and make bread, eat yams/yogurt/yellow cake or learn about the yak.
Z
Go to the zoo, learn about Zion National Park, watch the movie Zootopia, learn about zebras, draw with zig zags, learn how a zipper is made, make zucchini bread, learn how zinc helps the body, plant zinnia flowers or zoom around like a plane.
Let me know in the comments what you plan to do with your kids this summer and if you have any good ideas to add to the list. At the end of the summer, let me know how this idea worked for you and if you will do it again next summer.
If you like this post, check out some of my other posts:
My Favorite Non-Toxic Baby and Kids Items
How to Avoid Losing Your Mind While Parenting During a Pandemic
How to Make the Perfect Non-Toxic Kids Easter Basket
The Best Non-Toxic Holiday Gift Ideas For Kids
Easy Homemade Lava Flow Popsicles- Dairy & Refined Sugar Free
Clean Eating Detox Brownies- Vegan + Gluten & Refined Sugar Free
Affiliate Marketing Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.
