Thrifty Thursday: Free Summer Activities for Little Ones

So are you wondering what in the world you are going to do to entertain your little ones ALL summer long!! Well I found the most awesome extensive list of fun things to do over on Adventures in Diapering!

She has listed "100 Fun Activities" - I narrowed down the list to my favorite 50 but to see the entire list of 100 go to her site. My plan is to print this page, hang it up and mark them off as I do them. I know so many times in the morning the kids will whine "what are we doing today?" Now I'll look at the list and pick one fun activity to do with them and cross it out - this just helps me to be more creative and intentional about my time spent with them.

50 Boredom Busters!

1. Make a Dog House out of a Box
   


2. Play the "Hot/Cold" Game



3. Have an Easter Egg Hunt- Anytime of the Year!
   


4. Help Them Make a Letter/Picture to Mail to One of Their Friends



5. Have a Picnic in the Living Room (this is something we do regularly)
   


6. Make Cut-out cookies (share some with the neighbors or a Sunday School teacher)
   


7. Take a Walk Somewhere New
   


8. Make Sock Puppets
   


9. Create Your Own Movie
   


10. Plant Some Flowers or Vegetables From Seeds
    


11. Lie Down on a Blanket Outside and Name the Animals You See in the Clouds
    


12. Have an Indoor Pretend Campfire
    


13. Have a PJ Party (we do these regularly too - we all sleep in my sons room on the floor)
    


14. Play Restaurant (I did this as a surprise for my family one night. I made menus, transformed into a waitress and made the kids pretend to pay me - it's a fun twist for dinner - even my husband enjoyed this!!!)
    


15. Go for a Nature Walk
    


16. Have a Scavenger Hunt (my kids LOVE to make these for me and it keeps them busy hiding things for over half an hour - and it only takes a few minutes for me to follow the clues)



17. Make Collages (give them old magazines or ads - this will keep their hands busy for a long time - love it!)



18. Finger Paint with Chocolate Pudding (I've never tried this but we will this summer)
    


19. Have a Popcorn Movie Night (this is a regular in the winter time)



20. Write a Story Together



21. Act Out a Bible Story (this is an excellent teaching tool)



22. Play on a Playground- TOGETHER! (burn a few calories!)



23. Set up a Pretend Hospital (my husband loves this cause he gets to lay on the couch for an hour while the children dote on him!)



24. Count Your Blessings- Seriously, Make a List and Count them.



25. Exercise and Stretch Together



26. Have a Bike Wash



27. Go Pebble Hunting
    


28. Have a Color Theme



29. Look at Old Family Photos Together (my kids LOVE to see their baby photos)



30. Make a Fruit-Loop Necklace



31. Color Pictures to Send to Family Members that Live Far Away



32. Have a Reading Day- Check Out a Ton of Books from the Library, and Then Spend all Afternoon Reading (perfect for the next rainy day!)



33. Have a Tea Party



34. Set Up an Obstacle Course (my son does this regularly on the driveway for his sister)



35. Decorate Your Bikes and Have a Little Parade (we did this one year for the 4th of July with streamers and all!)



36. Play with Shaving Cream



37. Have a Pots and Pans Musical Band



38. Make Pet Rocks



39. Build a Fort Out of Blankets



40. Play Volleyball Using a Balloon



41. Create an Alphabet Book



42. Play Red Light/Green Light



43. Play Indoor Basketball Using a Laundry Basket and Stuffed Animals



44. Create a Mini-Salon and Give Each Other Funny Hair-Dos



45. Play Freeze Tag
    


46. Go Bug Hunting in the Backyard (another one of my sons favorite past times! Ick!)
    


47. Decorate Cupcakes and take them to a neighbor



48. Learn About a Different Country



49. Have a Backwards day
    


50. Play hide and seek (I love to count very slowly and then go from room to room uncluttering while I "pretend" to look for them - they are having fun and I get work done - is this wrong? Maybe I shouldn't have admitted this!!! haha!)

Walk with the King!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/