There are 42 days of summer to fill with family fun. Does that statement fill you with fear or excitement? We’ve gathered 42 of the top tips for fun family summer activities you may not have thought of — suggested by BritMums bloggers — to make your summer more fun than ever.
The tips have come out of our #Sweeet Twitter party, sponsored by McVitie’s BN Biscuits. The deliciously cheeky wink of the McVitie’s BN biscuit is sure to make you and your kids smile; and are a great snacking treat for all the family!
So get started with the activities and a jump on summer fun!
Different ways to get active
1. Make a fun assault course in the garden with household items – teaches planning & gets them active pic.twitter.com/0E2zKAS2GE@MSEDollyp @happyhooe
2. Teach your children cartwheels and handstands @domesticgoddesq
3. Superheroes day – learning new skills and doing good deeds @zoecampbellyork
4. Hoping my kids are inspired by #Commonwealth Games & we can have a mini Commonwealth Garden Games @mia_low
Liven up your daily walk
5. We have ‘venture walks -we take a picnic map.compass and walk in the sand dunes or woods near us spotting wildlife etc @anona_mai77
6. Take a container on any walks with your toddler and fill it with interesting items they find – pine cones, leaves, twigs etc. @Lauraevelynbee
A twist on the usual arts & crafts
7. Visit the local recycling/junk centre to collect resources to use for a week’s worth of crafting activities @playfullearners
8. Message in a bottle or on a balloon. Also a memory capsule and dig up next year to see how they have changed @bev_metallica
9. Use washing-up liquid bottles filled with water to write names on the patio. When it dries, they write something else @LisaGCreates
10. Make boats from recycled materials: float in bathtub, paddling pool, pond, lake or sea! @domesticgoddesq
11. Making trains and fire engines out of cardboard boxes and sticky tape @OriginalRuffy
12. Mini marshmallows and a pack of toothpicks. Build 3D structures. Eat marshmallows. @domesticgoddesq
Food and drink
13. My daughter loves to make mocktails in the garden. Just need juice, toothpick umbrellas and straws @jhowze
14. Make fridge cake – great for kids, no ovens @needaphone
15. When the weather’s not great, baking provides plenty of fun. Making our “ice cream” cupcakes. http://t.co/He3infdF9A @lynette83x
16. Picking strawberries and other soft fruit is perfect! @Bakingqueen7
Traditional and fun
17. Build a good old-fashioned Go-Kart. Tonnes of fun @grinnerlynn
18. We always make a scrapbook for the first and last days of holidays — great to read years later @SammieJay0906
19. I remember pressing flowers during the summer as a child @TiredMummyofTwo
20. We enjoy making kites and flying them on a windy day @not_the-Gumdrop
21. If mine say ‘I’m bored’ they pick from our Bored Jar — could be a trip to the park, could be tidy their room! @pipersky1
Activities to help them learn
22. Pick a country and learn about it, eat their food, learn simple words and dress up @zoecampbellyork
23. Paddling pool day 2 > less water and make it into dino world..depending on child age add twigs sand etc @goriami
24. I love rock pooling with the kids at the seafront, finding new and cool creatures to introduce them to @Baillie_MyLife
25. We are growing cress initials. Educational too. @Ollieandleila
26. Exploring museums. Many are free and the kids learn so much and come out with crazy facts months later @zoecampbellyork
27. Get 4-12 year olds to join the local library’s Mythical Maze Summer Reading Challenge. Free educational and freebies @alohavic70
Rainy days
28. Charity shops are great for rainy days. I get bags full of jigsaws and game for very little money for my 5 year old @emmasfabulous
29. Mum and daughter spa day at home @AModernMother
30. Face painting as a rainy day activity is always popular. Don’t forget to look at online tutorials to help you achieve @not_the_gumdrop
31. Pyjama day at the end of the holidays to relax and regroup. Eat cereal, fruit, biscuits, watch films, do nothing @bev_metallica
Animal magic
32. Make bird food cakes – bacon fat, lard, seed, breadcrumbs, corflakes etc. Hang them up and see if you get any takers. @bev_metallica
33. We hunt for snails, spiders and ladybirds in the garden @vaichin
Fun for older children
34. Older children are harder to keep happy – pay them for jobs like car cleaning so they have money and keep busy and useful @emmasfabulous
35. If you can’t unglue kids from a smartphone then get them outside with free wildlife apps for counting butterflies bees… @BabyRoutes
36. Ghost hunting is always fun (for older kids and if you’re sure your kids can handle it!) @bev_metallica
Fun to organise in advance
37. I really want to make an outdoor “drive in” cinema with a DIY movie screen & projector! @cafebebe
38. We will be theming our weeks to play at home such as spy week or camping week. Great budget fun. @playfullearners
39. Camping is a summer must. If not out in the wild then camping in the back garden is just as fun @BabyRoutes
40. Kids get bored with their toys/DVDs halfway through the holidays. Have a toy swap party and get something new for nothing @Abipotimous
41. Out of place treasure hunt and who can find the most things out of place and put them away. Socks, toys etc. Prize for the winner @bev_metallica
42. On the 1st day of the holidays, we decorate, plant pots with shells, beads and paint and plant a sunflower. Last day – wow! @zoecampbellyork
Got other great tips for summer fun? Comment below or tweet them to us on @BritMums!
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Packs of chalk from places like Ikea are great for drawing on drives and outside walls 🙂
Brilliant tips. I’d add Fun with Balloons, blow up different size balloons and let the babes go wild with balloon tennis, balloon volleyball, balloon basketball, balloon punchbags… keeps them busy for hours (or until they burst). And nobody mentioned good old-fashioned water fights, either in the garden or at your local park/fountain.
Love the tip number 21 of a Bored Jar — creating one in our home asap!