There are many things I love about summer but the one thing I hate is the phrase, “Mom, I’m bored.” So here are five ideas for summer activities for kids to help bust the summer boredoms.

Scavenger Hunt
Most kids love to explore and find things at least when it’s a game. Having a scavenger hunt is fun both outside and inside (great when its raining). Make a list of objects for each child to gather or have them work as a team. Include objects that can easily be found. If your hunt is inside include things like a q-tip, puzzle piece, penny, or small car. For an outside scavenger hunt your list could include grass, leaf, rock, bug, a specific flower, or an object with a specific color. Give each child or team a brown paper sack to gather the items in.

For a fun change hide items around the house or yard and then giver your children a list of the items you hid and have them find them. You can hide one of each item or one item for each of your children. Then send them out to search.

Bug Book
Most backyards are a veritable jungle, of bugs that is. Give your child a notebook and pencil and have them draw pictures of all of the bugs that they can find. You could have a race to see who can find the most bugs. Save the book and on a rainy day try finding the names of the bugs on the Internet.

Chalk It Up
Chalk is inexpensive and versatile. My children love drawing with chalk on our cement patio or driveway. For a fun game draw a hopscotch board. To play each player takes a turn throwing a rock onto a square. Then when they jump they can’t jump on that square, but have to skip it. School age children would enjoy a four square box. Draw four large squares. Then have at least two players, up to four, stand in different squares. Each player takes a turn throwing a ball to another player, allowing the ball to bounce once.

Backyard Olympics
Let your children hone their athletic skills by holding a backyard Olympics. This is a fun activity to invite the neighborhood kids too. Set up an obstacle course through your backyard. Hold races, but mix it up by running backward, doing a crab crawl, or an army crawl. If you have a trampoline see who can jump the highest or do the best trick. You can make medals out of construction paper and string or ribbon, or use a chocolate gold coin. Have a ribbon for everyone who participates.

Get Wet
Summertime is the perfect time to put on swimsuits and get wet. Set up a water park in your backyard with different water activities. In one area you could have squirt guns. Put a wading pool in another part. A slip and slide is always fun too. My kids like to jump on the trampoline with a sprinkler underneath, just be careful because it makes the tramp slippery. Consider setting out a bucket of water balloons. Your kids can throw the balloons or play water balloon volleyball. To play tie a string between two trees or chairs. Divide the players into two teams and give each team a small sheet or large towel to hold. Then the teams take turns throwing a water balloon over the string using the towel or sheet, while the other teams tries to catch the balloon also using the their towel. For some more fun invite some friends over. Ask them to bring some extra hoses and don’t forget the sunscreen.
 
This summer when your kids say, “I’m bored” try one of these ideas for summer activities for kids.