200 Free Summer Activities for Kids (2024)

Ever feel likeeverything costs money? Last summer I started to come up with free summertime activities that I could do with my own kiddos.

There’s no reason to break the bank just because the kids are home for the summer. You already have the basic materials at home to make this a memorable summer without killing your wallet.

This year, I’m blowing out my list to include 200 FREE summer activities you can do with the kids to keep you all busy and having fun!

200 FREE Summer Activities for Kids

Go on a picnic
Walk around your local farmer’s market
Play with volleyball
Draw with sidewalk chalk
Get new free ebooks
Host a toy swap
Run through the sprinkler
Visit local nature preserve
Find figures in the clouds
Play in the kiddie pool
Find local free museum days
Take a hike
Make mud pies
Water the plants
Make paper dolls
Start a nature journal
Set up your tent and have a camp out in the backyard
Take a family bike ride
Make a origami fortune teller paper game
Make s’mores
Visit the local pool
Watch a high school baseball game
Wash/vacuum out the car
Play restaurant. Have the kids “make” lunch
Play in the rain/mud
Go on a scavenger hunt
Have a PJ day
Search for animal tracks
Make your own Mad Libs
Host a movie marathon on a rainy day
Fly a kite
Plant a garden (or anything)
Play beach volleyball
Make a craft from Pinterest
Create an online photo book
Pick flowers
Teach your kids to cook
Eat dinner outside
Have a yard sale
Go fishing
Have a building challenge (use ALL the Lincoln logs)
Go camping
Build a Lego castle
Play in the sand
Watch the sun set
Play cards
Try a new recipe
Tell ghost stories
Create a kid art gallery
Visit the grandparents
Kick the soccer ball
Play dress up
Go for a scenic drive
Visit the local fire station
Swing. Get really high and jump out
Lay in the grass
Create an obstacle course
Participate in story time at book store
Catch fireflies (or butterflies)
Read a chapter book aloud. Do 20 minutes a day
Rent video games from the library
Put on a skit
Find a local water play park
Earn a free book
Make popsicles
Melt crayons or ice in the sun
Have a water fight
Learn origami
Donate old books and toys
Write poems
Play rock paper scissors
Play I spy
Try out geocaching
See who can spit a watermelon seed farthest
Create a relay race
Watch a parade
Play Simon Says
Have a sleepover
Make your own book
Create a chore chart
Go to Apple Camp for older kids
Take pictures
Play catch
Learn about different countries
Have a book exchange
Have a pillow fight
Make up each other’s hair
Take a free American Girls summer class
Skip rocks
Craft your own musical instruments
Find figures in the clouds
Learn Frisbee golf
Create a memory jar
Play kick ball (make up your own rules)
Attend a free children’s workshop at Lowe’s, Home Depot or Michael’s
Swing in a hammock
Build a campfire
Make a backyard aqueduct
Organize a Summer Camp exchange with other parents
Nap
Put on a fashion show
Play hide and go seek (or sardines)
Create racing tracks out of old paper towel rolls
Set up play dates at different local parks
Visit a lake or river
Find a penpal
Take a break with free online storytime
Make paper boats; sail them down a stream
Learn about your family’s history
Create a simple scrapbook
Visit historical landmarks
Try the Microsoft YouthSpark Summer Camp for older kids
Freeze things in ice then break them out
Learn how to juggle
Make a treasure hunt with clues
Create sensory bins
Attend local free evening concerts
Build sand castles
Visit on free entrance days in National Parks
Read stories to each other
Build an outdoor fort
Play name that tune
Make a map of your neighborhood
Make your own maze or puzzle
Play kick the can
Learn a new dance via YouTube
Visit your library
Stage a “war” between action figures
Pick wildflowers
Recreate famous artwork
Check out the local parks, one by one
Play tag
Visit the pet store
Collect bugs
Play 20 questions
Create your own trivia game
Paint your nails
Visit a boardwalk
Create a backyard obstacle course
Go on a nature hunt
Play on kid-friendly websites like PBS Kids
Create your own stand-up jokes
Do a science experiment
Paint rocks
Roll down a sledding hill
Locate free art programs through regional museums
Learn to throw a frisbee
Make paper airplanes
Host boardgame night
Find worms after it rains
Color using free online coloring pages
Photo scavenger hunt
Feed the ducks
Identify the night sounds you hear
Have a wheelbarrow race
Make shadow puppets with flashlights
Play charades
Thumb wrestle
Watch birds
Go bowling
Take in a free movie under the stars through local programs
Host a neighborhood baseball game in your yard
Learn to jump rope
Take pictures of outside nature
Watch fireworks
Attend a local dog show
Create a dandelion chain necklace
Play freeze tag
Use cardboard boxes to create a dollhouse/playhouse
Attend Bass Pro Shops free Family Summer Camp
Create a board game night
Find free tours at local food factories
Learn a magic trick
Visit other town’s libraries
Use Bank Of America Museums On Us program
Practice tying knots
Get the binoculars out
Dance
Visit Pottery Barn’s free summer activities
Play hopscotch
Build a marble run using household objects
Make your own movie
Stargaze
Have a “Frozen” sing along
Create art projects using “found” objects
Put on a puppet show
Climb trees
Dry flowers
Draw a self portrait
Check out Target’s free community events
Visit the dog park (even if you don’t have a dog)
Rent a movie from your library
Jump in puddles
Make pasta or cereal jewelry
Play one of your favorite childhood movies for the kids
Host your own “American Idol“
Take a nature walk at night
Play Red Light Green Light
Race to pick up toys
Volunteer!

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