Today I’m doing a different sort of guide. Instead of a travel guide, I wanted to share a guide that has made our summers so enjoyable and meaningful. For years I have implemented this “ABC’s of Summer Activities” and my kids have loved it!
The idea behind this is that each week we would take a different letter or two and do one or more activities a day that correlates with that letter. You won’t get through the entire alphabet in the summer, but it’s fun to pick up and continue when there are school holidays.
Most of the activities are simple and don’t require a whole lot of planning and preparation. It’s just nice having the structure that allows you to spend that quality time together every day. My oldest is 17 and she still has fond memories of the ABC’s of summer activities!
And if you live in Arizona, be sure to check out our guide for 101 Family-Friendly Activities in the Phoenix Area for more great ideas!
**This post contains affiliate links. We may receive a small commission through products purchased through links on our site, at no additional cost to you.
Summer Activities: Letter A
Animal heating bag: Get a small stuffed animal. Cut a hole along the seam and remove the stuffing. Fill the stuffed animal with popcorn kernels then sew the hole closed. To use it as a heating pad, microwave for about 45 seconds-1 minute, depending on the size of the animal.
Art class: pick up a mini canvas from Michael’s to paint; check out drawing books from the library; or look up “how to draw” videos on Youtube.
Art project: “Black Magic”-cover a white sheet of paper with crayon. Paint over the crayon with black paint. When the paint is dry, scratch the paint off with a wooden skewer to draw a colorful picture.
Ant farm: Purchase an Ant Farm to create together and observe all summer long. My kids were fascinated with this and we learned so much about ants!
Paper Airplanes: There are so many great websites with instructions for making a variety of paper airplanes. Spend time making new models then have a flying contest.
Summer Activities: Letter B
Bubbles: Make homemade bubbles by mixing 6 cups water, 2 cups Joy dish soap (this brand works best), and ¾ cup corn syrup. It makes a lot so you can half the recipe. Mix at least 4 hours ahead then pour the solution into a shallow pan. Make wands out of pipe cleaner or wire hangers.
Bowling: Find coupons for a day out at the bowling alley. Or create your own bowling set using water bottles and a ball.
Blankets: Make a simple tie fleece blanket. Your kids will love having a blanket to snuggle up with, or find a local women’s shelter or children’s hospital to donate them to
Bread dough art: Make a batch of bread dough. Let the kids make different shapes with the dough before baking.
Button bookmarks: Make a cute and simple button bookmark by sewing a cute button onto each end of a colorful ribbon that is a little longer than the size of a book.
Beads: You can do all sorts of things with beads. Make a creation using Perler beads; practice sorting and patterns by stringing beads onto pipe cleaner; or make bracelets and necklaces by stringing beads onto the fishing line.
Beanbags: Make beanbags by picking out squares of fabric then sewing the sides together inside out. Leave small opening then flip it right side out. Use a funnel to fill the bag with dried pinto beans then sew the hole closed. Play a game of bean bag toss.
Bike ride: Plan a bike ride and picnic at the park.
Banana splits: Let everyone pick their favorite topping and make banana splits.
Blow art: Put watered down paint on construction paper and blow with a straw to create a picture.
Bird feeders: Paint corn syrup onto a toilet paper roll then roll it in birdseed. Hole punch two sides on the top and tie with yarn to hang in a tree.
Summer Activities: Letter C
Chalk: To make homemade chalk, you’ll need 1 cup plaster of paris, ½ cup cool water, and tempera paints. Mix plaster and most of the water, then add 2-3 Tbs paint and more water as needed. Pour into a toilet paper roll with one end covered in foil then let dry until hardened. Or put the mixture in a plastic Easter egg.
Cards: Make homemade cards to mail to friends and family.
Chalk art: Use chalk on the sidewalk to trace bodies and shadows, draw pictures, and play hopscotch or four-square.
Coin flip adventure: Get in the car and bring a coin. Start driving and if you flip heads then you turn right if you flip tails you turn left. After 15 flips see where you end up at and do an activity there.
Campout: Set up a tent in the backyard or living room and have a campout.
Cooking class: Make simple homemade chef hats then bake something together
Cupcakes: Check Pinterest for cute cupcake decorating ideas.
Caramel popcorn: Make caramel popcorn and watch a movie together.
Candy store: Earn pretend money through chores then set up a candy store where they can spend their “money”.
Chic-fil-A or Chuck E Cheese: For a fun splurge.
Card games: Have a game day playing Uno, Old Maid and other card games.
Cross stitching: Pick up simple beginner cross stitching kits at Joann or Michaels.
Crocheting: Learn basic crocheting skills.
Chalk paint: In a muffin tin, mix 2 Tbs cornstarch, 2 Tbs water, and different colored food coloring in each cup. Use foam brushes to paint on the sidewalk.
Summer Activities: Letter D
Donuts: Make homemade-donuts out of Pillsbury Grands by making a hole in the center of the dough then frying them in vegetable oil over medium heat. Dip them in sugar and cinnamon while they’re still hot.
Drive-in movies: Check to see if there is a drive-in movie theater in your area.
Duck tape crafts: Check Pinterest for a variety of crafts using Duck Tape, such as wallets and bags.
Daddy lunch: Meet dad at work for lunch.
Dance party: Turn up the music and have a dance party.
Dodgeball: Play dodgeball with water balloons.
Dirt drawings: Make a picture on construction paper with Elmer’s glue then sprinkle on dirt and shake off excess.
Summer Activities: Letter E
Experiments: Try a new kid-friendly science experiment. My kids always love experimenting with baking soda and vinegar!
Egg carton caterpillars: Make caterpillars out of an egg carton by cutting out a row of three egg holders, adding paint, googly eyes, and pipe cleaner antennas.
Exercise: Do a family yoga or exercise session.
Summer Activities: Letter F
Forts: Build forts out of blankets.
Finger painting: For homemade fingerpaints, mix 1 ½ Tbs cornstarch, 1 C water, and food coloring. Mix well and boil until thick, then let it cool. Or use store-bought finger paints.
Fruit kabobs: Make fruit kabobs with your kids’ favorite fruits.
Frozen yogurt: Go out for fro-yo
Fondue party: Find recipes for cheese and chocolate fondue.
Fossils: Make fossils using toy dinosaurs pressed into plaster of paris or salt dough clay.
Fudgesicles: Make homemade fudgesicles using 1 package of chocolate pudding, 2 cups milk, ½ cup cream, and ½ cup sugar. Beat ingredients together, pour into plastic cups, cover with foil, push popsicle sticks through the foil and freeze.
Fingerprint art: Use an ink pad to make fingerprints on a paper then with a pen turn them into pictures like bugs, animals, and flowers. For reference, Ed Emberly’s “Complete Funprint Drawing Book”)
Paper Fortune tellers: Make a classic fortune teller out of folded paper.
Flip Flop decorating: Get an inexpensive pair of flip flops and decorate by hot gluing on jewels or tying on ribbons.
Summer Activities: Letter G
Gummy candy: Make homemade gummy candy using Jello, unflavored gelatin, and a candy mold.
Game party: Grab some treats and have a game party.
Gak: Make homemade Gak using 8 oz white glue, ¾ cup water, food coloring, 1 tsp borax, and 1-2 Tbs water. Combine the first 3 ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the last 2 ingredients. Slowly add the borax mixture to the glue mixture until a blob forms. Knead together and store in an airtight container.
Gymnastics: Attend an open gym session at a local gymnastics center.
Garden: Plant a small garden outdoors, or plant flower seeds or herbs in an indoor pot.
Summer Activities: Letter H
Hot rocks: Find large smooth rocks and heat in the oven at 425-degrees for about 5 minutes. Use a crayon to decorate the rock, the heat will melt it as you draw.
Homerun: Visit your local batting cages, or play water balloon baseball.
Homemade soap: Make homemade soap with a fun toy inside.
Hike: Go on an early morning hike and pack a breakfast picnic.
Summer Activities: Letter I
Insects: Use a bug catcher, butterfly net, and magnifying glass to investigate different insects.
Ice skating: Cool off at the ice skating rink.
Ice cream: Find a new ice cream shop to try.
Ice cream sandwiches: Make homemade ice cream sandwiches using cookies with ice cream in the middle.
Ice blocking: Buy a large block of ice and use it to sled down a grassy hill.
Illustrate a book: Fold a stack of papers in half and staple together along the spine to make a book. Fill the pages with their own story and illustrations.
Ivory soap experiment: Put an unused bar of Ivory soap (it must be that brand) on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes and watch as it expands into a big fluffy cloud.
Summer Activities: Letter J
Jello Jigglers: Make Jello Jigglers using 4 small jello boxes and 2 ½ cups of boiling water. Mix together and pour on a cookie sheet. Let it set in the fridge for several hours then use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes.
Jumping: Visit a trampoline park or indoor bounce play area.
Jump rope: Teach your kids the old school jump rope games.
Summer Activities: Letter K
Kites: Pick up some inexpensive kites and spend the afternoon flying them at the park. Water Kickball: Play kickball using buckets of water for the bases and a slip and slide into home plate.
Kick the can: Teach your kids this old childhood favorite.
Summer Activities: Letter L
Lemonade: Make real homemade strawberry lemonade.
Lemonade stand: Set up a lemonade stand in your neighborhood.
Letterboxing: For a fun treasure hunt activity, check to see if there are any letterboxing sites in your area.
Lacing cards: Draw pictures on foam sheets, hole punch an outline then use shoelaces or yarn to lace through the holes.
Library: Visit the library for storytime and sign up for their summer reading program.
Summer Activities: Letter M
Moon sand: Make homemade moon sand by mixing together 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil.
Monkey bread: Make homemade monkey bread.
Milkshakes: Pick up a carton of vanilla ice cream and everyone’s favorite candy bar (Oreos work good too). Use a blender to mix together with a little milk to make a milkshake.
Mailman game: Everyone makes a little fort with a shoebox as a mailbox. Everyone writes each other letters and delivers them to their mailboxes.
Magnets: Make your own magnets by using modge podge to attach photos onto a magnetic sheet then cutting them out. You can also attach circular magnets to the back of stones or other small objects.
Musical instruments: Make homemade maracas by folding a paper plate in half and adding dry rice or beans, then stapling it shut. Decorate it with markers or paints.
Masks: Decorate paper plates then cut out holes for the eyes and mouths. Punch holes in ends then use string to tie around their head.
Mud cupcakes: Give your kids an old muffin tin. Let them make mud to fill up the muffin tin then decorate with flowers, grass, and rocks.
Magic show: Find some fun kid-friendly magic tricks online and let them put on a magic show for the family.
Mystery dinner: Change the names of regular food items and create a menu to order from so that it is a surprise and they have no idea what they really ordered
Milk Paint: Mix together milk and dish soap, then swirl in food coloring.
Summer Activities: Letter N
Nests: Dip yarn in glue then form over a tinfoil ball. Let it dry until stiff then remove the tinfoil.
Nature hike: Enjoy an outdoor hike.
Naturebracelets: Wrap duck tape inside out around their wrist to create a bracelet. Let them collect things outside to stick to it like flowers and leaves.
Notepads: Make a homemade personalized note pad. We did this as a father’s day gift and I had the kids draw small pictures and write a personal note at the top then I photocopied it for each sheet.
Nature faces: Collect rocks and leaves then glue googly eyes on them.
Summer Activities: Letter O
Water Olympics: Hold different water related events and relays with popsicles as the prize.
Obstacle course: Set up an indoor or outdoor obstacle course and have a timed race.
Opposite day: Wear your clothes backward, eat breakfast for dinner, switch roles for the day, or any other silly opposites you can think of.
Origami: Check out an origami book from the library, or there are plenty of resources and tutorials online.
Oobleck: Make oobleck using only water and cornstarch. It’s pretty fascinating to experiment with!
Summer Activities: Letter P
Playdough: To make homemade playdough, you’ll need 1 cup flour, ¼ cup salt, 2 Tablespoons cream of tarter, 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 package of kool-aid mixed with 1 C water, and glitter (optional). Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat until a ball forms. Remove from heat and knead the dough on a floured surface until it is no longer sticky. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
Pretzels: Make homemade pretzels.
Peter Piper’s Pizza: Fun lunch date if you have a location near you.
Puzzles: Pull out all the puzzles and have a fun pajama puzzle day!
Puppets: Make sock puppets, paper bag puppets or purchase puppet kits at a craft store. Put on a puppet show after your finished making them.
Picture scavenger hunt: Give your kids a camera/phone and a list of things to take a picture of, such as “something shiny”, “something stinky”, “something green”, etc. You can divide into teams and see who can finish first.
Pizza: Let everyone make their own little personal sized homemade pizza.
Picnic with “P” food: Pack a picnic and try only eating food that starts with the letter “P”. Such as PB&J sandwiches, popcorn, pretzels, pineapple, etc.
Pudding painting: Do finger painting using different flavors of pudding.
Parade: let the kids decorate their bikes with streamers and balloons then have a little bike parade around the neighborhood.
Paintwith corn syrup: Mix a few drops of food coloring with about 1/4 corn syrup then paint it onto paper with a paintbrush. Once it is dried completely, it has a cool shiny texture.
Puff Paint (microwave): Mix 1 Tablespoon of salt and 1 Tablespoon of flour with a little water to make a paste. Then put in drops of food coloring to make the colors. Paint with Q-tips or brushes then microwave for 30 seconds. The paint will puff up and harden.
Puff Paint: Mix 1 cup flour, 3 cups shaving cream, 1 cup white school glue, and food coloring in a large bowl. Divide into four bowls and add different food coloring. Scoop into ziploc baggies, cut a tip in the corner of each bag and squeeze out on cardstock paper.
Public Pool: Go swimming at your favorite pool, or try visiting a new one.
Pin art: Draw a picture on dark construction paper then use a pushpin to poke holes on the outline of the picture. Hold the paper up to the light and you can see the light shining through the holes.
Paper mache Pinata: Make a paste with flour and water. Dip strips of newspaper into the paste and stick it onto a balloon that has been inflated. Allow it to dry completely, about 1-2 days. Use paint to decorate it, then use a pin to pop the balloon. Cut out a small hole and fill it with candy. Tape it up, attach yarn and then use it as a piñata.
Pipe cleaner creations: Get a few packages of pipe cleaners and let their imaginations run wild as they come up with different creations.
Pinwheel: Make a simple homemade pinwheel using paper, a pencil, and a push pin.
Pancake bar: set out a variety of mix-ins and toppings, such as chocolate chips, strawberries, sprinkles, M&M’s, blueberries, toasted coconut. Give each child a cup of pancake batter, let them add any mix-ins then cook the pancake and add syrup and toppings.
Summer Activities: Letter Q
Quilt: Create a simple block quilt with old t-shirts or scraps of material cut into squares.
Summer Activities: Letter R
Rock painting: Use acrylic paints to paint rocks then leave them around the park or neighborhood for people to find.
Rainbow Pancakes: Pour a small amount of pancake batter into 6 bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl to make the different colors of the rainbow. Make mini pancakes in each color then stack to make a rainbow and top with a cloud of whipped cream.
Relay races: There are so many different types of relay races. Invite some friends over and have an afternoon of races.
Recycled Robots: Go through your recycle bin then glue or tape empty boxes, cans, lids, etc. together and spray paint to create robots.
Rainbows: Cut out small 1 inch square pieces of colored tissue paper. Wrap it around the eraser end of a pencil and dab it in a little Elmer’s glue. Glue it onto a piece of paper and repeat to make a rainbow.
Recycled crayons: Take old broken crayons and turn them into fun shaped rainbow crayons. You’ll remove all the paper then use a microwave to melt the crayons in a silicon mold.
Rock Candy: Make homemade rock candy. The entire process will take about 2 weeks, but is worth the wait!
Read-a-thon: Pick up a stack of books from the library, grab your favorite treats, and make a comfy fort to read in.
Ribbon windsock: Hot glue a variety of ribbon of different lengths around the edge of a wooden cross stitch hoop. Attach string and hang in a tree to blow in the wind.
Summer Activities: Letter S
Sprinklers: Put sprinklers under the trampoline or run through them on the lawn.
Snow cones: Make homemade snow cone syrup by mixing 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 Kool-aid packet. Stir in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then immediately remove and let cool. Pour over shaved ice. We use our Ninja blender to make the best shaved ice.
Shadow puppets: Use a flashlight in a dark closet to create hand shadow puppets. You can also cut out different objects on cardstock paper and attach them to sticks to create a shadow story.
Splash pad: Spend the afternoon at a local splash pad. Try to find a new one that you’ve never been to before.
Silly putty: Mix 2 parts Elmer’s glue to 1 part liquid starch, add food coloring and mix well until set.
Scavenger hunt: Create a scavenger and have an ”S” treasure waiting at the end (skittles, silly string, stickers, socks, snickers, etc.)
Service project: Find a local service project you can participate in. It can also be as simple as delivering cookies to a neighbor.
Stick creations: Give them a package of popsicle sticks and glue and see what creations they can come up with. A hot glue gun is more efficient, but be sure to help them.
Shaving cream art: Add food coloring to shaving cream and let them make creations on paper or a cookie sheet.
Smores: If you don’t have a fire pit to roast smores, you can roast them over an oven burner with adult supervision, or microwave the marshmallows.
Stories under the Stars: Take some books, blankets, and a flashlight and read stories outside at night.
Squiggle art: Draw a squiggly line then pass it to another person and they have to turn it into a picture.
Stickers: Make your own homemade stickers using gelatin and corn syrup.
Shrinky Dinks: You can pick up Shrinky Dinks kits at your local craft store. You can also put an empty mini chip bag on a cookie sheet, cover it with salt and put in a 350-degree oven for a couple of minutes until it shrinks.
Sand art: Use colored craft sand to create a picture on cardstock then cover with clear contact paper to preserve)
Sewing: Take on a sewing project like a simple pillowcase or bag.
Salad Spinner Spin Art: Put a piece of paper and drops of washable paint at the bottom of a salad spinner. Start spinning and see what cool artwork you can create!
Skating: Visit a local skate park or roller skating rink.
Soap art: For older kids, give them a bar of soap and a pocket knife and let them carve the soap into their own creation.
Stop Motion Videos: Download the free Stop Motion Studio app and make stop motion videos using lego characters, toy animals, etc. YouTube has simple instructions for using the app if needed.
Shaving Cream Slime: Mix 3-4 cups shaving cream, 1/2 cup glue, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon liquid starch or saline, and food coloring in a large bowl until mixed thoroughly.
Summer Activities: Letter T
Train park: Visit a train park if you have one close to you.
Tea party: Dress up and have a tea party.
Travel pillow: Use a large bandana and stuffing to sew together a small travel pillow perfect for road trips.
Tye-dye T-shirts: You can purchase kits at Wal-mart or a craft store, or there are online tutorials for making homemade tye-dye.
Toothpick creations: Give them a box of toothpicks and a package of mini-marshmallows and see what they can build.
T-shirt artwork: Use a bleach pen to draw a design on a solid colored T-shirt. Or you can place stencils on a t-shirt and use a squirt bottle filled with bleach to spray onto the shirt. Be sure to put cardboard or wax paper inside so that it doesn’t bleed through the back. Adult supervision required.
Tye-dyed shoelaces: Use a tye-dye kit or a homemade version to dye white shoelaces. You can also use colored permanent markers to let them create their own design.
Summer Activities: Letter U
Uno: Have a marathon Uno match with prizes for the winners.
Summer Activities: Letter V
inVisible characters: On clear cups, draw the body of a character on one cup with a permanent marker. Put a clear cup on top of that and draw an outfit, turn and draw another outfit on each side. Put on another clear cup and draw different accessories. Turn the cup to change how the character looks.
Videotape: Let the kids put on a play or choreograph a dance and videotape it.
Summer Activities: Letter W
Waterpark: Go to a local waterpark or wave pool.
Waterfight: Have an epic family water fight. This is my kids’ favorite!
Water balloonvolleyball: Partner up and use a beach towel to toss and catch a water balloon over the net.
Windsocks: Make a simple homemade windsock by decorating a piece of construction paper then rolling it into a loose tube and stapling the edges shut. Staple different colors of crepe paper streamers around the edge.
Window drawings: Give them different colored dry erase markers and let them draw all over a window or sliding glass door. It wipes off easily and keeps them entertained for a long time!
Wax crayon art: Put crayon shavings between 2 sheets of wax paper. Iron over the wax paper until the shavings are melted then let it cool. Cut out different shapes then hang them on the window.
Summer Activities: Letter X
“X” marks the spot: Make a homemade treasure map by crumpling up a sheet of paper, soaking it in coffee then letting it dry (you can use a hair dryer to speed it up). Tear the edges and crumple it again before using a permanent marker to draw the map. Use the map to have a treasure hunt.
Summer Activities: Letter Y
Yarn maze: Do a different colored yarn for each child. Start by tying it to their bedroom door handle then stringing it all around the house. They have to start at the beginning and follow it all the way to the end where you can have a small treat or prize waiting for them.
Yo-Yo balloons: Use a funnel to fill a deflated balloon with rice and flour then tie shut. Create a chain of rubber bands and attach it to the balloon.
Yarn dolls: Make a homemade yarn doll.
Summer Activities: Letter Z
Zoo: Spend the day at the zoo.
Ziploc bag ice cream: Fill a large Ziploc bag with ice and add in 1/2 cup rock salt. In a smaller Ziploc bag, mix 1 cup of half and half (or heavy cream), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 Tablespoons sugar. Close and put inside the larger bag. Wrap a small towel around the bag and shake for about 5 minutes until the cream thickens. Rinse the small bag before opening so that it doesn’t get the ice cream salty.
There are so many times that I fall short as a mom. However, there have been a few times that I go to bed feeling like a really good mom.
I have to tell you, the summers that I have implemented this “ABC’s of Summer Activities” are the times that I feel so fulfilled as a mom. I hope this helps you too!
Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.