33 Ways To Give Your Kids A Screen-Free Summer

Collage of images of kids playing in summer.

Summer is properly upon us and we're all beginning to struggle for ways to entertain the kids. Well, I definitely am! Kids of all ages gravitate far too easily towards their screens if they're not pushed in a different direction.

There's nothing wrong with screen time, but the long summer gives you an opportunity to try different activities to break up the Mario Kart. Read on for 33 fabulous screen-free ideas for preschoolers to teenagers!

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DIY Splashpad

2 toddlers play on some blue plastic filled with water from a hose. There is a red slide into the water — Source: Taming Little Monsters

Water is a no-brainer when it comes to keeping our children busy outdoors. Taming Little Monsters shows you how to DIY a splash pad for hours of fun.

Homemade playdough

a tupperware box sits on a table filled with 6 different colors of playdough — Source: Living Well Mom

We all need a playdough recipe up our sleeves for rainy days. I love this one from Living Well Mom, because it's super quick and easy. Make some vibrant colors of dough and you have hours of fun all ready to go.

Make your own bird feeder

a pine cone filled with seeds hangs from the top of the photo — Source: Preschool Inspirations

This is a great activity for younger children to do with you, or for elementary kids to do on their own. For the bird lovers out there, Preschool Inspirations has clear instructions for your very own pine cone bird feeder.

Cooking

a girl in a pink chefs hat and apron looks at the camera and holds up the peace sign — Source: The Coffee Mom

Heading to the kitchen with your children might be your favorite thing to do, or it might be your worse nightmare. The Coffee Mom outlines why you should give it a go, and how to do it well.

Toilet paper roll crafts

a close up of a table full of craft materials. A flower has been made out of toilet roll and paper — Source: The Coffee Mom

Crafts are an easy win if you're trying to tempt your kids away from their screen. Hold onto some junk modelling materials in a box and it'll be easy to get them out and play. The Coffee Mom has some great ideas for crafts with toilet paper rolls.

A very busy spider web

Eric Carle's book "The Very Busy Spider" sits on some grass, with a ball of blue wool in front of it — Source: Rainy Day Mum

For younger children tying activities into their favorite books can really help inspire their creativity. This idea for a woollen spider web from Rainy Day Mum is linked to Eric Carle's book "The Very Busy Spider".

Make your own ice cream

a hand pours some cream into a bowl filled with sugar — Source: Happy Hooligans

A summer-friendly treat to make in the kitchen is this yummy recipe from Happy Hooligans. Make your own ice cream with only 3 ingredients! Even better, it involves snow!

Sidewalk chalk drawing

a girl in a rainbow dress colors a rainbow on the sidewalk in chalk — Source: Shutterstock

One of the easiest ways to be creative, sidewalk chalk drawing also takes the mess outside, and washes it away if it rains! You can get suitable chalks from Amazon relatively cheaply.

At home treasure hunt

a card hides under a cloth with CLUE written on it — Source: Playtivities

Family treasure hunts are fun bonding activities, and they can also be great ways of getting the kids excited for a big trip or family surprise. You can find our guide to the best at home treasure hunt here.

Build a wormery

a boy digs in the dirt to fill up a plastic bottle — Source: Rainy Day Mum

If you have a little boy, or girl, who is fascinated with bugs and dirt, then this activity from Rainy Day Mum is an awesome fit. Build your own wormery and spend time over the summer watching your new wiggly friends.

Balloon paint pop

an easle is in a graden with a piece od paper with 7 orange balloons fixed to it — Source: The Coffee Mom

If you're planning your own neighborhood fete then this will be a pretty popular game! Alternatively, it will keep your kids busy in the backyard for a fairly long time! The Coffee Mom shows you how to make your own balloon pop paint game.

Ice block treasure hunting

a girl sits on the floor on the backyard. In front of her is a tray with a giant ice block filled with small colorful toys — Source: The Inspired House

Struggling to keep everyone cool? This ice block treasure hunt activity from The Inspired Home is the perfect antidote to the summer heat. You can freeze some cute little toys to hold their interest.

Homemade giant bubbles

2 boys make giant bubbles in a garden — Source: Happy Hooligans

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm constantly searching for a bubble mix that doesn't disappoint. Nothing I try holds up to the big bubbles my kids want to make. Well, this recipe from Happy Hooligans is epic. It will make the biggest and longest-lasting bubbles for a fun morning in the garden.

Photo challenge

This photo challenge is our go-to boredom buster for an afternoon with your kids. You can get the printables you need here for 10 fun challenges and badges that your kids can earn.

Kinetic sand

I love kinetic sand, and my kids love playing with it. It's a lot easier to create with than regular sand, you can bring it indoors (as long as you don't get it on the carpet!) and it comes in awesome colors!

Animal photo cards

scattered bordered cards with photos of animals on them, each labelled — Source: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

My son loves drawing, but sometimes he lacks inspiration. So these animal photo cards from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls are a really useful option to have up my sleeve. He can copy the animals, and learn about them at the same time.

Go Stargazing

a familly stand in front of a darkening sky with a telescope — Source: Shutterstock

Another great family activity for later in the evening is stargazing. You can find loads of information online to help you recognize the constellations, and it's fun to tie into a camping trip.

Screen-free angry birds

a boy stands behind a catapult with an angry bird in the cradle — Source: Fit Kids Club

Ok, so this activity does lean quite heavily on knowledge of a video game. But the good news is that you can take the obsession outside in the fresh air with Fit Kids Club and their screen-free angry birds catapult!

Play or pay card game

on a checked tablecloth is a white bowl full of plastic coins. 4 playing cards lay face down — Source: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

With a pack of cards and some poker chips, you can play this fun family card game from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls. I'm always on the lookout for another card game to play on family holidays, and this one is lots of fun.

Helping the homeless bags

on a table are toothbrushes, a bottle of water, trail mix, socks, tissues, toothpaste, and ibuprofen — Source: Thriving Home

Teaching your kids to think about other people is one of the most important tasks of a parent. These on-the-go bags for homeless people are a gentle way of introducing the concept of helping others in need. Thriving Home has some great tips to help you reach out.

Indoor herb garden

on a kitchen counter are 5 brown paper cups filled with different herbs. They are labelled Basil, Parsley, Mint, Thyme and Rosemary — Source: Shutterstock

If your little ones have green fingers (or you'd like them to develop some) then growing your own indoor herb garden is a good introduction to gardening. You can find some great kits like this one on Amazon.

DIY bath bombs

a bowl of multicolored bath bombs — Source: DIY & Dinosaurs

Making bath time fun is always a good call. And turning bath bombs into an afternoon activity pre-bathtime is an added bonus. You can find a great recipe on DIY & Dinosaurs.

Family random acts of kindness

The Text reads "Acts of Kindness families can do together" the images are of different kind activities — Source: Playtivities

The world could do with a little more kindness. And with our list of random acts of kindness, you can add to the happy as a family. It includes some of our favorite things to do like leaving a note on a stranger's car.

Marble run fun

a marble run has been fixed to a wall in a room made of cardboard tubes — Source; Serving Pink Lemonade

If you're a recycling beast then you'll probably have a lot of cardboard tubes on hand from the toilet roll and kitchen paper. Serving Pink Lemonade has come up with a fun way of resuing them and turning them into a DIY marble run!

Lego challenge

a young boy sits in front of a table covered in lego bases. He is fixing duplo to the top — Source; Shutterstock

No summer is complete without a lot of Lego building! Little Bins Little Hands has a load of free printable Lego challenges for your kids to get stuck into. These will definitely keep your kids away from their screens for a while.

Screen-free coding activity

a mom stands in a backyard while a small boy shoots her with a water pistol. On the floor is a chalked square pattern — Source: Teach Your Kids Code

Look, I know this is a screen-free activity list. But computers are here to stay, and our kids will benefit from skills like coding. Thankfully, Teach Your Kids Code has a brilliant screen-free coding activity that you can play in your backyard with chalk!

Reading opportunities

two brothers sit under a comforter reading a book — Source: Shutterstock

When you're trying to occupy older children, giving them space to themselves can be the best way of keeping them off screens. Why not hide some interesting books in hidden comfy nooks around the house for your teen to find?

Ninja obstacle course

a girl in a checked dress hangs from some monkey bar rings in a garden — Source: Amazon

From cosy quiet reading to becoming the next superhero! This obstacle course only needs a backyard with a few trees. Then you can watch your child scale new heights, literally!

Life skills

a black child sits on top of a washing machine next to a dryer. — Source: Parenting Teens and Tweens

From the fun to the functional. Your tweens and teens are growing up fast, and preparing them for the real world can seem a daunting task. Why not use the summer to teach them some essential life skills? You can find a pretty good list of the things they should be able to do here.

Journalling

a white girl sits on the grass next to a bicycle as the sun sets, writing in a book — Source: Shutterstock

We might think kids have it easy, but growing up can be tough. All these emotions flying around, friendship issues, and working out who you're going to be. Journalling can help them get a handle on how they're feeling. So we have 50 mindful journal prompts here.

Swimming

2 children and 2 adults splash in a pool with a purple beach ball — Source: Shutterstock

Maybe you're near a pool, or you have one in your backyard. Or perhaps you're near the sea. Swimming is a great physical activity, as well as being a lot of fun to do as a group. Head to your nearest pool with a towel and maybe play some volleyball too.

Explore your town

an asian family hold hands and walk down a street — Source: Shutterstock

How much do you really know about your neighborhood? Were any famous people born there? Did anything exciting happen in the last 50 years? Where can you stand to see the entire town? Why not head out as a family and explore your town? You never know what you might find.

No screen until...

a printable sheet of screen time rules — Source: Jasper and Willow

A final resource for those of you finding it hard to monitor the screen-free time (I feel your pain). Here is a summer rules checklist that you can print for free from Jasper and Willow. It lays out all the things your kids have to have done before they can settle down and play Minecraft!