Our Top 25 Social Distancing Summer-Fun Activities

Plan a backyard camp out!  Find some great ideas here. 

Have an epic water fight, complete with balloons, garden hoses, water pails and a slip-n-slide.

(photo cred https://www.geoffandruik.com/)

Make a projector out of a shoe-box and cuddle up with blankets and snacks and have a family movie night - download printable instructions 

Have the kids pack a surprise picnic (** warning, best to not venture too far and / or bring your wallet)

Plant easy to grow seeds in a small recycled box. Choose varieties like Nasturtium, Sunflowers, Snap Peas, Lettuce, Cilantro, Borage and Spinach (to name just a few options).  Check the seed packet for quick germination, avoid root vegetables and remember that larger seeds are easier for little fingers.

Go stargazing. Use these free printables and start to identify some of the easy to spot constellations. 

Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Look for interesting bugs, plants, and animals. https://childhood101.com/nature-scavenger-hunt/ or download these custom printables. 

Build a fort out of cardboard. 

Learn to skip rope and play hop-skotch.

Write letters and postcards to family and friends who live far away.

Make sock puppets and create a puppet show.

Geocaching is a boredom-buster activity that can take place nearly anywhere. It enables children to continue learning and have fun at the same time.  Download the app here and away-you go https://www.geocaching.com/play)

Create a Photo Album Comic Book. Just download and print your funny pictures and start creating your real-life comic by using thought and speech bubbles!  

Make a foozball table out of a shoe box  download the ZAPPED printable instructions. 

Visit an Animal Shelter if and when you can, some are opening. Kids can join educational-based programs about animals which include hands-on service projects for animal care. Plus who doesn’t love going to give the animals a bit of love! 

It’s journal jotting time! During a family road trip, have your kids note down what they see (weird-looking trees, funny cars,  etc.) It would be great to bring along a stack of old magazines for them to cut out and paste pictures that describe what they have seen.

Play a stacking cups game. 

Build a sand castle. Kids of all ages love building sand castles or any structure on the beach, their imagination thrives in open-ended play. 

Do playground Olympics. Many playgrounds are now open again so get the kids active and out of the house.  We all need a change of scenery these days.  Remember your hand sanitizer.  Here are some ideas of events you can do. 

Fly a kite, it never gets old and is the ultimate carefree pastime. Kids love seeing a colourful kite soaring gracefully overhead, a definition of sheer fun!

Play dough can be like a lost treasure in our house ( ... in a good way I mean) Try this super easy make-at-home version. 

Make a popcicle stick photo puzzle. Cut out pictures from old magazines or coloured papers in animal shapes, or even photographs of your family and glue them on craft sticks.

Make a micro-golf game using recycled shoe boxes -  - download the ZAPPED printable instructions.

Make a giant rainbow bubble. Add more life to the bubbles we blow up by making them colourful. All you need is a dishwashing soap, food colouring, three-feet long dowels, or sticks you find in the yard and cotton piping or clothes line rope, two eye screws and two washers. You get the complete instructions here.

Do a bird watching activity. Some kids are interested in learning more about their feathery friends of the sky. Kids can learn how to build bird’s nests or make bird feeder to hang in the yard. They can write on their bird-journal the birds they have seen.