Summer Fun Favorites for Kids - The Solution Sisters

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I try to have very few rules in the summer. We enjoy our downtime and I enjoy watching the girls’ creativity blossom in unstructured time. My rules are simple – a little school work and reading before the pool, and no TV or electronics until after 3:00. Most days are successful. Occasionally, I’ll get the “I’m boreeeeeeeeed!” When I do, I am armed and ready with something they haven’t seen before or a broom and toilet brush, Ha!

We spend most of our summer days at the neighborhood pool. The girls have swim practice every morning and we typically go back for fun with friends later in the day. We try to head to the beach a few times, and they have a few camps. Other than that, we are just hanging out, and I’m doing my best to give them time, space, and a little freedom.

Today I am sharing our favorites for summer fun. I have broken them down into 5 categories: yard, sand, water, home, and books. These are items we have been gifted or found over the years to keep us busy and entertained.

Fun in the Sand

We love our family time at the beach. We will spend sunrise to sunset with our toes in the sand. There are some days the water is too cold or there are red flag warnings, and we still will have a great time. A few years ago we stumbled upon Tidal Ball. This is so great because it is small and compact and super easy to throw in a bag. Think of cornhole without the cumbersome boards. We love this game so much, I have gifted it to several family members. Our next favorite game is new to us, but we have seen it at the beach for years, Spikeball. This will be hours of competitive fun for all ages. Finally, you can’t go to the beach without a shovel and bucket. I’m even guilty of building sandcastles and digging holes. This set has everything you need all in a mesh bag ready to go. Don’t forget to fill in those holes before you leave!

Fun with Water

Having fun with water is how we spend our time in the summer, especially being in the South. About midsummer, I typically introduce something new and fun. These giant inflatables are so fun. Sadly, our pool doesn’t allow them, so we may visit a friend’s pool to use these. This flamingo is perfect for girls and this dinosaur is great for boys. I’m imagining hours of entertainment, while I get to sit in a lounge chair.

Whenever the girls want to have friends over, I try to keep them outside. This slip n slide will do the trick every time. Add a little dish soap, and hours of fun racing will be had. For even more fun with water, try these awesome water balloons. They fill up so fast and easy – truly genius! Picking up the mess will take a good while, too, so you are set for hours of kids out of your hair with these.

It’s inevitable that we have to water our lawn all summer. This is a perfect win-win. Getting the job done, and a little entertainment for the kids at the same time. A good water sprinkler is a must.

Fun in the Backyard

Grilling out and having family and friends over is great during the summer. Having a few fun activities that don’t require water are nice to have. This past year, a friend introduced us to this laser tag set. It has been loads of fun, and keeps the kids entertained and outside. We love this so much, we took it on our family beach trip and the kids played at night on the sand.

Having this dice set to play Yardzee or Yarkle is lots of fun for family activities. I like having the collapsible bucket, scorecards, and big wooden dice all in one set. This extra large block set is perfect for an outdoor Jenga match. Both of these are lots of fun to have on hand for family gatherings all summer long.

Fun at Home

It never fails, there are going to be some rainy days this summer. We will all be tempted to turn on the TV or electronics. I’m going to try and stand my ground and have a few indoor activities ready to go. This tie-dye kit is a perfect solution to boredom. I set them up in the garage, then my girls create t-shirts, aprons, hair scrunchies… anything they can make, they are on it. They have fun taking old dance or soccer shirts and repurposing them with tie-dye. My oldest daughter has made a t-shirt pillow from old shirts, and hair ties from torn strips.

My girls love anything and everything crafting and making a mess. This craft kit was gifted at Christmas and is still coming in handy. Hours of creativity and having fun makes us all happy campers.

Finally, for my oldest daughter’s birthday (the girl that really needs nothing) I thought this shaved ice machine would be fun. Perfect for a hot summer day or even a rainy day project, this will be fun to have on hand this summer.

Fun with Books

A true teacher at heart, I have to share some book sets that are great options for summer reading. For older kids, 2nd-5th grade, these are great options. Roald Dahl is an all time favorite, both girls and boys love his books. If you’re looking for books that have a deeper theme and are more thought provoking, Kate DiCamillo has excellent books. Keep your Kleenex handy… Some of my students love fantasy. It is not my jam, but these books are well loved in my classroom. Most students love non-fiction or historical fiction too. The Who Was series and I Survived series are both great for most kids, and really capture their interest.

For younger readers, Pete the Cat books are fun and entertaining. Fancy Nancy books seem to be my daughter’s favorite. Kate DiCamillo comes through for young readers too. Mercy Watson is a fun series that both my girls loved reading.

Over the summer, my goal is to have my girls read about 20 minutes a day with me. Mine are not the type that can go into their room and read – it doesn’t happen at my house. We need focus and structure to make it a valuable and productive time.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful summer making new memories, being creative, and having some well earned down time. What are your plans this summer and do you have any tricks to add to my arsenal?

By Courtney

Summer is now in full swing, and this year I am prepared to keep the kids off the couch and out of my hair. Today I am rounding up some of our family favorites for summer in the sand, yard, water, home, and with books.