10 Summer Activities for Kids

The thing with kids is that they need to be kept busy otherwise they will be bored.  When kids are bored--especially if it is a group of bored kids--they will devise things to do that, due to their not quite developed brains, can range from dumb to deadly.  However, there are a lot of great ways to keep kids active and out of trouble during the summer, including:

1. Volunteering.  Many summer non-profit programs can use volunteers; this is also a great activity that can be put on college and scholarship applications.
2. Summer camp.  Summer camp programs are available for kids of all ages with the sole purpose of keeping them active and engaged with lots of different activities.  Summer camps are also available in more specialized versions like STEM programs, outdoor/survival camps, etc.
3. Get a jump on their future.  For teens who want to join the military, they can go to boot camp during the summer after their junior year of high school with the Split Option Program.  There are also college programs for kids who are still in high school but want to acquire some college credits while they are still in high school.
4. Working.  With some simple training--ranging from babysitting/CPR classes to life guarding classes to EMT school--teens can get actual paying jobs for the summer.
5. Camping/backpacking/hobby activities.  With the entire summer ahead of them, families often do activities like camping or backpacking trips, travel across the state or across the world, etc.
6. Community activities.  Depending on where you live, especially if you live in a big city, there are often loads of free and cheap activities to do like free museum days, library activities, roller skating, community swimming programs, etc.
7. Summer challenge activities.  Whether it is creating and checking off a summer bucket list, doing a summer reading challenge, or participating in a fitness boot camp, there are many challenges that kids can work on during the summer.
8. Kid play dates (otherwise known as swapping child care duties).  For families that have a difficult time affording summer daycare, they can get together and agree to watch each other's kids on their days off from work thus saving on the cost of daycare.
9. Creating something at home.  Making a ninja course, growing a garden, raising animals with 4H, holding garage sales...there are many productive, time-consuming activities that can keep the whole family busy at home.
10. Visiting the grandparents.  Especially if the grandparents are retired and can spend entire days with the grand kids, this is a great way to both keep the kids supervised as well as impart a great deal of knowledge to them (kids learn about family history, skills such as fishing and baking, and many other things from their grandparents).