What to Do in Summer: Family Fun Kit

Last Updated on May 29, 2025

If you’re worried about what to do in summer to keep the kids entertained and to make the most of all those days off, you’re going to love this summer family fun kit.

It’s full of fun ideas and activities the whole family will enjoy.

Every year I look forward to the end of the school year because our normally busy weekdays become immediately more relaxed. I love letting the kids stay up a little later to take advantage of the extra daylight and to make the most of the time we have together.

Yet, even though we like having fewer demands on our time, after about a couple of weeks of summer vacation, we find ourselves missing the routine and flurry of activities.

So, if you’re like me and want to be prepared for when you hear the “we’re bored” mantra, you’ll want to have this summer family fun kit ready to go.

Jump to:

• Why is it Important to Plan Things for Kids to do in the Summer?
• Creative Ways to Use the Summer Family Fun Kit
• Mom Life - Made Easier
• What is in the Summer Family Fun Kit?
• Want to Beef Up Your Summer Family Fun Kit?
• Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools for Printables
• Download the Free Family Fun Kit
• Printable FAQs
• Additional Summer Fun Ideas

Why is it Important to Plan Things for Kids to do in the Summer?

Planning activities for kids during the summer helps ensure a balanced mix of activities that will help keep them engaged, reduce boredom, and can even help parents manage their own downtime. 

• When you have a plan, you can make sure your kids engage in a variety of activities, including outdoor play, learning opportunities, and relaxation time. This will help them stay mentally and physically active.
• Summer activities can provide opportunities for children to develop new skills, learn about themselves, and build confidence. Trying new things like swimming, building, or performing in a play can boost self-esteem and independence. 
• It can be a time for learning outside of the traditional school setting. Summer camps, educational trips, or even simply reading can keep kids’ minds engaged and foster a love of learning. 
• Planning for downtime is equally important. Summer is a great time for kids to relax, play, and pursue their own interests without the pressure of schoolwork. 

Creative Ways to Use the Summer Family Fun Kit

Here are some creative ways to use this kit to keep it fun, engaging, and visible throughout the season:

• Have a summer kick-off party to introduce the kit. Decorate your space with a summer theme (like beach towels, balls, pool floats, sunglasses) and then sit down with your family to explain the kit.
• Put all of the printables from the kit in a binder and let the kids personalize the binder by putting stickers on it or coloring it. Add photos, journal entries, or small souvenirs from completed activities in the binder (you can put them in clear sheet protectors).
• When you watch one of the family movies listed in this kit you can make it even more fun by also having themed snacks, dressing up or having crafts that go with the movie.
• Invite neighbors or the kids’ friends to participate in the scavenger hunt. You can make it a race or a timed challenge and offer prizes or a group picnic at the end.
• In the last 2-3 weeks of summer, use the kit to do one final push of activities. You can make the activities part of your countdown back to school calendar and mix in the activities in between school prep (like shopping for school supplies/clothes).

What is in the Summer Family Fun Kit?

I have several go-to family activities that my family really enjoys, so I included several of them in this summer family fun kit. Plus, there’s some fun extras to help keep track of the activities you complete.

Scavenger Hunt

The first printable is a scavenger hunt— I hope your family loves scavenger hunts as much as my family does. You can complete this as a family or as suggested under the Creative Ways above, you can invite neighbors and friends to join in on the fun.

This hunt can be completed as your family goes for a walk around your neighborhood, local park, or a hiking trail that you enjoy. There are 22 items that you’ll be looking for—you can either cross them off as you find them, put a check mark next to the item, or even put what item you found in parentheses next to the clue.

Have Some Fun!

This sheet is a list of 35 fun things to do in the summer. When you’ve run out of ideas of what to suggest that your children can do, this idea sheet is certain to have a suggestion you can use.

The ideas include things to do in the house, outside, with friends, and with family. There are things to make (food, arts & crafts), help your kids get some exercise, help them relax, and to encourage others.

Bored

The kit also has a printable sheet you can hang up to remind kids what to do when they are bored. The letters in the word “Bored” are listed vertically with a suggestion next to it, starting with that letter, of something your kids can do.

I plan on sending the kids to check this sheet BEFORE they complain to me about having nothing to do. Then, once they’ve done all of those activities, they can come back to me for some other suggestions—although a lot of times, they don’t complain about being bored again because these suggestions kept them occupied for the day.

Screen Time Rules

Every summer I vow to keep a closer eye on my kids’ screen time so they don’t spend the entire summer vegging out in front of the TV. If you want to do this too, you can really stick to that plan by posting screen time rules.

On the top of the sheet, it says, “Here are things you can do to earn screen time each day.” There is a line drawn next to the words “15 minutes of screen time” and that is repeated on the sheet 5 times—on the lines, I’ll list chores and activities the kids can do to earn screen time each day.

At the bottom, you can tell them how many hours of screen time they can have per day and what devices are included in the screen time. You can either have this same list with the same requirements for every day, every week, or the whole summer—or you can change it up as often as you like.

Family Movie Night

Family movie night is another favorite activity in our home. Inside the summer family fun kit, you’ll find a list of over 30 wonderful family movies.

As suggested under the Creative Ways above, you can have a themed night related to the movie you’re watching and include special snacks and activities. For example, if you watch Mary Poppins, you can serve tea sandwiches filled with egg salad and complete these coloring pages and activities.

Activity Badges

This kit includes printable activity badges the kids can earn as they complete an activity, There’s also a sheet of blank badges so you can fill them in with any additional activities your kids complete.

You can create a “summer scout” sash from felt or a strip of fabric and let the kids glue or tape their badges on as they earn them. They can wear them during family movie nights, game nights or an end-of-summer celebration party.

They could also put them in the binder they made under the Creative Ways above, along with the date they earned it and either a photo or drawing of the activity or a sentence about what they liked most. Another idea is to display them on a bulletin board or poster board so you can all look at them at the end of the summer and remember all the fun you had together as a family.

Want to Beef Up Your Summer Family Fun Kit?

The printable summer family fun kit has plenty of activities and ideas to keep you occupied this summer. But, if you really want to supercharge your “ready for summer” kit, keep some of these items on hand.

• Water guns and water balloons – for spontaneous water wars
• Sidewalk chalk – check out all of the fun sidewalk chalk activities you can do
• Playground balls – play 4-square, kickball, dodge ball, relay races, etc.
• Deck of cards – there are lots of family card games you can play almost anywhere
• Building kits – these are great for encouraging creative play
• Mini sketch pads and colored pencils or markers – Play games like tic-tac-toe or hangman, create a family journal, or just use for doodling
• Large paper pads and paint – create your own family art gallery

Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools for Printables

Printer: This one is a great budget printer. If you’re willing to spend just a little more though, this is a better option. And if you’re looking for an all-in-one home office machine, this one does it all, has high reviews and includes 2 years of ink.

Ink cartridges: Speaking of ink, this is where the cost of using printables can really add up! To save BIG on ink, buy it from CompAndSave.com. It’s substantially cheaper than anywhere else and they carry ink for all major printer brands and models.

Printer paper or cardstock: If you’re printing for one-time, quick use, print on regular printer paper. If you need the printout to hold up to being handled often or if you plan to laminate it to use it multiple times, choose cardstock.

Laminator: Laminating your printable is an inexpensive way to use it multiple times. Just use dry erase markers and wipe off when you’re done so you can use it again!  Alternately, you can cover the printable with clear contact paper to achieve the same thing or place the printable in clear page protectors.

Cutter: If you want nice, clean cuts, a paper cutter is a must-have. This is a great one if you plan on using it a lot. But this one is totally sufficient if you want something solid and reliable for occasional use.

On a tight budget? Go with this one. Or, use a good pair of scissors and a sturdy ruler.

Binder or Folder: If you’re using page protectors for your printables, binders are such an easy way to keep them together and organized. I love this colorful set. If you prefer to stick with standard white though, this set is highly rated and very affordable. And if you need larger binders, this set is terrific. If you go with folders, I like these.

Storage boxes: I like to keep a collection of coloring pages and activity sheets for kids in these plastic storage boxes that I pull out whenever I need to keep kids occupied.

Hole punch: If you don’t use page protectors but want to use binders to organize your printables, a hole puncher will be your best friend. This is the one you want if you’ll be punching holes in several pages at a time and want to do so easily. And this bargain option is ideal if you don’t mind limiting your hole punching to 2-3 pages at a time.

Markers and Pens: The right writing instrument makes a big difference! Depending on what I’m writing, I have different preferences. Here are my favorites for each type:

• Ball point pens – These are the ones I use for regular note taking
• Gel pens – My favorites for journaling
• Erasable gel pens – I use these for my calendar so I still have pretty colors but can easily change things if my schedule changes
• Fine point permanent markers – These are my favorite for coloring
• Felt tip pens – I use these on Post-It notes for my own reminders or notes for my family
• Markers – These are my favorites for kids since there are no caps to lose and the kids can easily open and close them on their own

Adhesive and glue: To assemble or display your printable, you have a few options. You can use glue sticks, double-sided tape, or adhesive dots.

Clipboard: I love this clipboard for on-the-go with the kids. It has built in storage for both printables and markers or pencils. This one stands up like an easel so it perfect for holding the recipe you’ve printed out and are making or the game board. These colorful clipboards are great for holding individual game cards.

Sticker paper: Instead of cards, you could print the activity badges as stickers! You just need sticker paper.

Download the Free Family Fun Kit

You can download this free printable family fun kit for your own personal use.

Just fill in the form below to get access to the kit.

Printable FAQs

Additional Summer Fun Ideas

Keep the summer fun going strong for you and your family with these other free ideas, recipes and printables.

• Summer Reading Bucket List: Keep kids reading all summer with this fun Summer Reading Bucket List! This free printable encourages kids to explore different books and reading spots, turning summer break into a reading adventure.
• Summer Scavenger Hunt: Keep children entertained during summer break with this fun outdoor activity. Perfect for families, playdates, and summer camps. Print, play, and make memories!
• 30 Ways to Make Summer Fun for Kids (Without Breaking the Bank): Looking for cheap and creative summer fun for kids? This list has 30 screen-free activities to keep your little ones active, engaged, and smiling all season.
• Banana Pudding Popsicles: These Banana Pudding Popsicles are my new favorite summer dessert! They are so easy to make, and they taste just like banana pudding.
• Air Fried Chicken Wrap: This Fried Chicken Wrap lets you savor the goodness of crunchy chicken strips and the refreshing flavor of vegetable salad all in one bite.
• Lemon Curd Cookies: This lemon curd cookie recipe combines buttery cookie dough with a tangy lemon curd filling. Perfect addition to any cookie tray or afternoon tea!