Summer break is here! If you’re like me, sometimes the summer days can feel daunting with the uncertainty of how to fill them and keep us all sane. While there is SO much fun to be had in the summer months around Rochester, many days the weather, schedules, or other circumstances call for days at home.
We all know the stigma around screen use, but please know that this is a no-judgement zone. We each have to do what we have to do to get by in seasons of life! However, if for any reason you want your kids staying off of screens as much as possible, let’s help each other out with screen-free ideas to help move past the dreaded “I’m bored” whining. But like I tell my kids: being bored is good — that’s when our brains get really creative!
Here is a list of ideas for those days we’re either stuck or living our best lives at home. Download our Printable below to have your kids check off throughout the summer, or use it as your own springboard of activities to facilitate with your kids. While some ideas would require more parental involvement depending on the age of the child, many are easily achievable without Mom needing to be hovering the whole time. You do what works for you and your kids this summer!
Inside Screen-Free Activities
1. Read one chapter from a book each day together
2. Paint a bird feeder to hang outside
3. Put together a jigsaw puzzle
4. Draw a picture
5. Write a letter to someone and mail it
6. Make a comic book/story
7. Read a book with funny voices
8. Build a fort with blankets
9. Make music with items from around the house
10. Make a homemade pizza with dough, bread, or tortilla as the crust
11. Reenact a favorite movie together while munching on popcorn
12. Play a board/card game
13. Build something out of LEGO or other play bricks
14. Make homemade lemonade
15. Make homemade popsicles to beat the summer heat
16. Bake cookies with a fun, new ingredient to try
17. Make a craft using only supplies you have at home
18. Paint rocks to decorate with outside
19. Make up a dance routine or magic show
20. Create a new hairdo
21. Have a tea party with stuffed animals
22. Play with Play-doh or kinetic sand
23. Play in a bath with different toys than usual
24. Enjoy a popsicle in the bath
25. Have a glow-in-the-dark bath with the lights out and glow sticks in the water
26. Create a family tree
27. Brush and care for a pet
28. Find 10 items to donate
29. Learn how to do something new around the house (think: cleaning or maintenance)
30. Learn how to make a meal
31. Write out 5 things you want to achieve this summer
32. Write out 5 things you want to do around Rochester this summer
33. Create a family journal that everyone contributes to for remembering your summer fun together
Outside Screen-Free Activities
34. Watch the clouds and find shapes in the sky
35. Watch the wildlife outside; count how many you see from your yard
36. Complete a scavenger hunt around the yard
37. Plant flowers or vegetables in a garden
38. Camp in the backyard
39. Play in a sprinkler and/or kiddie pool — or even fill a big storage bin with water to play/relax in
40. Have a water balloon fight
41. Break out the sidewalk chalk to draw pictures
42. Write a kind message to passersby on the sidewalk or end of the driveway with chalk
43. Create a road and little town on the driveway with chalk to ride through on bikes/scooters
44. Trace shadows of toys and other objects with chalk on the driveway, or crayon on paper
45. Blow some bubbles
46. Make an obstacle course in the backyard
47. Wash the car
48. Practice cartwheels in the grass
49. Play catch
50. Paint a fence, outside steps, or driveway with water
Download our 50 Screen-Free Activities At Home Printable
