50+ Things To Do This Summer At Home

This summer isn’t like summers before. And to help you make the most of your family time, we’ve got 50+ things to do this summer when you want to have fun at home.

Whether you’re laying low with your social bubble or staying in due to unsavoury weather, we have 50+ ideas to keep you busy and entertained.

6 Ways to Play In Your Driveway

  • Encourage and inspire in chalk art. Write inspiring messages at the end of the driveway to spread cheer, positivity, and love to your neighbourhood and people passing by.
  • Make a chalk mosaic like the one below from The Idea Room. It’s a big impact and so simple!
  • Make a chalk obstacle course with spots to jump, spin, balance, and hop. Check out these clever ways to play hopscotch with your preschooler.
  • Practice sight words and spelling words! Get your math lesson in with equations – adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, fractions…
  • Chalk a bike town. Include all the fun places you want to explore once this has all passed.
  • Jump Rope and learn a new rhyme. We found the same plastic jump ropes on amazon and like doing the longer one together.
  • Find a story and chalk about it! Chalk by Bill Thomson is about three children who find a bag of magical chalk and quickly discover that their drawings come to life!

12 Ideas for Backyard Fun

  • Plan an outdoor picnic. Grab a blanket or get out a picnic table. Pack your lunch in those neglected lunch boxes (and double-check they are cleaned out)! Be super crazy and eat your dessert first!
  • Practice your bird calls. The National Audubon Society has a list of some common birds that are probably flitting around in your backyard this time of year.
  • Create an obstacle course. Down the slide, through your swings, around the house, jumping through hoops and grab a stopwatch for a test on your kids’ agility (and yours)!
  • Make a Nature Journal. Conservation Halton has some tips on how to make one and what to include in it.
  • Make a fairy garden or toy playground. Gather sticks, rocks, plastic containers, and maybe toilet paper rolls! Another variation? What about a Lego friend outdoor oasis? Time to dig out all those forgotten little toys and give them new life outside.
  • Read on a blanket. Get some extra vitamin D as soon as that ground warms up. If it is warm enough set up in the grass or head to the porch! Check out books from the library with curbside pickup.
  • Get active! Try Go Noodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga in the backyard.
  • Outdoor Movies. Projectors for backyard use are becoming increasingly affordable with many options around the price of two outings to the movie theatre. Fences or clotheslines with sheets make great screens as well as the side of the house or garage door. Pop some popcorn and make a cozy spot to enjoy a new or old favourite movie.

16 Creative Activities to Do at Home

  • Pick up a Grab and Go Activity to complete at home. These fun kits have everything you need inside
  • Paint and Hide Kindness Rocks – Add a little colour to your day and extra fun to your walks by painting rocks to leave for others to discover
  • Create tye die t-shirts as we did!
  • Make a birdfeeder! We have some easy-to-make birdfeeder ideas in this article
  • Cool off with these sponge soaker balls.
  • Use up some of your mismatched socks and make bubble snakes!
  • Channel your inner Picasso and do squirt gun painting.
  • We are big into sending postcards – they’re colourful and easy to write. Plus, people love seeing them in their mailboxes.
  • Start a scrapbook and include notes from friends and family.
  • Make Playdough! This recipe doesn’t need to be cooked and doesn’t need cream of tartar – so simple.
  • Learn to crochet. My friend Deanne at Small But Kinda Mighty has great intro videos on crochet on her YouTube channel, suitable for all ages!
  • Study and practice the art of paper folding with Origami. Start with a fortune teller or dog! Red Ted Art on YouTube has lots of great tutorials.
  • Draw! Find a drawing tutorial video on YouTube. Our favourites are Art for Kids Hub and Draw So Cute.
  • Send artwork you create at home to a nursing home. Call before to make sure they are accepting cards and art.
  • Play a new board game! We’ve got a list of our top faves here.

4 Hot Ways to Cool Down at Home

  • Get out that sprinkler, pool, or just the garden hose! With most of the pools and splash pads closed this year don’t worry about your grass this Summer. You’ll have time next Summer for a perfect yard. If you want to venture out try one of these beaches.
  • Make a homemade Slip N’ Slide! With a tarp, some dish soap and a garden hose, enjoy an afternoon of slippery fun!
  • Have a water balloon fight! Fill up some water balloons, assemble teams, aim and splash!
  • Build a cool fan tent! Use a thin bed sheet and a box fan to make a cozy but cool hideout and enjoy your favourite book, nap or draw!

17 Things to Do Around Your Neighbourhood

  • Go on a scavenger hunt. Rainbows, hearts, bears, what can you find? We have outdoor and indoor scavenger hunts on our website.
  • Geocache. Be mindful when touching geocaches and consider gloves and/or using your hand sanitizer.
  • Counting walk. Count the number of… trees, cars, squirrels, birds, cats, dogs, people, something you normally see in your neighbourhood.
  • Chalk a trail. Leave a trail of hearts on your walk for fun little surprises.
  • Pick up trash. Teach your kiddos our responsibility to our planet and why it’s important not to litter.
  • Freeze walk. Play music and when the music stops freeze or strike a pose.
  • Adapt a classic game for a twist on your walk. Red light. Green light. Simon Says. Mother, May I. I-Spy. These classic games can be incorporated into fun walks with kiddos.
  • Bring a stuffed animal friend. Everything is more fun with your favourite stuffy or doll when you are little.
  • Grab the binoculars. This keeps kids busy and you never know what you’ll run into. Don’t have real ones? Make your little one some pretend ones out of toilet paper rolls, thanks to Pinterest.
  • Map it. Print or draw a map of your neighbourhood for kids to follow. Add landmarks
  • Take pictures. Challenge older kiddos with a photo challenge. Or do a photo scavenger hunt.
  • Take a night walk. We bring flashlights and look for bats, stars, and houses that have pulled out their holiday (Christmas and Halloween decorations) to spread cheer.
  • Research your neighbourhood’s history. Many neighbourhoods have historic buildings, houses and stores. Research their history and see when they were built! The Burlington Historical Society and this Hamilton site have lots of great resources on their website.
  • Scoot around on scooters. Try out one of these skate parks. A friendly reminder to wear your helmet!
waterdown memorial park skate park

More ideas:

Find more fun at home here!

Grab some delicious donuts nearby.

We’ve got the goods on our favourite local park and playgrounds here.

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