Here’s some super fun summer activities for families to stay cool on those hot summer days at home!
Hey there momma! Are you and the kiddos stuck at home on a hot summer day?
Maybe you have to work. Or it’s just not feasible to pack everyone up and head to the pool. Whatever the reason, it can be hard to convince your kids to go outside and play when it’s so ridiculously hot out!!
I mean, I love the heat… but my kids hate it! 😆
If your kiddos are the same, then here’s 12 super cool summer fun ideas for families to do right at home! These activities are sure to get your kids out of the house – while still staying cool!
Fun Summer Activities for Families Key Takeaways
But…if you need the short and sweet version right now, ‘cause the kids are absolutely driving you nuts, and you really, really just have to get them out of your hair, no problem!
Here are my favorite things to do this summer with family on those hot summer days at home:
Best cool treat – Make your own slushies.
Best water play idea – Play water balloon darts.
Best idea for toddlers – Make colored ice cubes.
Best idea for preschoolers – Do water gun spray painting.
Best idea overall – Make your own ice cream.
There you go! My favorites. Go ahead and pin this post for later. You can come back and read all the great ideas when you have more time. 😉
How can I have a fun summer with my family?
It can be tricky, creating a fantastic summer with your family, when you are a stay at home mom. Mostly because you live on a sahm’s budget – which is pretty slim! 😁
So, if you can, one thing you can do to create a super fun summer for your family is of course, go on a family vacation. But not everyone can do that.
If you can’t afford to go on vacation this summer, no worries though, momma! There’s tons of ways to make summer fun for your kids!
Start by creating a family summer bucket list.
I have a great post that walks you through how to do this. And the best part is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a fun bucket list! You can add at home ideas to your bucket list, and super cheap ideas as well, such as visiting the library or hitting the pool.
And if you can take a trip, of course add that as well!
Another thing you can do to create an awesome summer for your kids is to create a summer routine.
A summer routine will keep your kids active and busy all summer long – and out of your hair, so that you can get some work done!
I have a post that walks you through how to create the best summer routine as well, momma.
And finally, be sure to do some of the ideas on this list, and all of my summer fun posts!
Do that, and you’re sure to have a great summer at home with your kids, making memories!
What are some fun summer ideas?
Boy oh boy do I have loads of fun things to do in the summer with family!!
In fact, I had so many ideas that I had to break them down into a few posts for you:
- Arts & Craft Ideas
- Educational Ideas
- Rainy Summer Day Ideas
- Hot Summer Day Ideas
- Backyard Fun Ideas
- Water Play Ideas
- Outdoor Game Ideas
- Outside Nighttime Ideas
- Ideas for Playing in the Rain
All in all, that’s a lot of ideas! You should be able to create an epic summer at home for your kids this year, momma!
And next year too – so pin this post! You can refer back to it until your kids are all grown. 😁
What can you do on a hot summer day when you’re bored at home?
I don’t know about you, but sometimes, it’s really hard to get my boys outside when it is hot out! I absolutely love soaking up the sun. But them? Not so much. 😆
If you have the same problem, here’s a few ideas that just might get those kids out of the house on a hot summer day…
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1. Make your own ice cream.
My husband has childhood memories of heading outside during the WINTER, filling a bucket with snow, and coming back in to help his mom make homemade ice cream! 😂🤣
That is NOT the kind of ice cream I’m talking about. Debbie over at Kids Cooking Activities has some absolutely amazing homemade ice cream recipes you can make with your kids! Go check it out.
2. Make your own blizzards.
Mmmm…. My favorite. I did this a lot as a kid. 😋 Find out how to make your own blizzard with Maegan over at the Baker Mama.
3. Make root beer floats.
Another family favorite. 😁 They’re pretty easy – it’s just root beer and ice cream. But if you need a recipe, Simply Recipes has a great root beer float recipe for you.
4. Make your own slushies.
We just did this for the first time last summer. It was super easy!
Seeded at the Table has a great recipe for you to try. I think it’s even the one we used last summer!
5. Make homemade lemonade.
All Recipes has a great recipe for homemade lemonade if you want to give this one a try. I personally never have. We use Country Time. Lol. 😆
6. Make your own ice cream sandwiches.
Oooo I love this one though!
I haven’t made homemade ice cream sandwiches in years. I have these cool little ice cream sandwich makers that makes it super fun. I definitely need to do that this summer!
If you want to, as well, Betty Crocker has a great ice cream sandwich recipe.
7. Make your own Orange Julius.
We used to do this so often that I had the recipe memorized! Brandi over at The Country Cook has one too if you need a recipe to make Orange Julius. 😉
8. Make your own popsicles.
Do we see a trend here?!? 😂🤣
This is another thing I haven’t done in years! Tara from Madison Mom has a fantastic homemade popsicle round-up! You’re sure to find an awesome recipe (or two!) there. And if you need some popsicle makers, check these out.
9. Make frozen banana pops.
Man I have been slacking with these last three boys! 😆 I used to make these for my oldest three as well, and have yet to do it for the younger three.
I think I have some cool treats to make this summer! (Maybe as a reward for helping me in the garden… 🤔)
The Joy of Baking has a great frozen banana pop recipe for you to try, if you want to as well!
10. Do some water gun painting.
Finally! We’re out of the kitchen! 😂🤣
My boys and I have used water guns to paint snow… but never have we used them in the summer!
No problems though! Stephanie, from Somewhat Simple, will show you how to do some water gun painting with your kids!
11. Make colored ice cubes.
Jackie, over at Kids Activities, not only has a recipe to make colored ice cubes, but she walks you through all kinds of sensory play ideas with them!
I’ve used plain ice cubes to keep the twins busy while I was cooking…and that was a blast! I can’t imagine how much fun colored ice cubes are!
12. Play water balloon darts.
Another fun one! My boys are finally old enough for this and I think they’d love it! Between Carpools, a really cute site, has a fun water balloon dart tutorial for ya. Go check it out!
At the end of the day…
And there you have it momma! Twelve really fun ideas to stay cool on a hot summer day. I didn’t go into any water play ideas really, because that’s what the next post is all about! Great water play ideas for at home. 😉
Sometimes staying home can be really tough. Especially if your kids are hot, whiny, and causing a little ruckus. 😆
But at the end of the day, we know, as sahms, that we made the right decision. We are staying home with our kids to spend more time with them, make memories, and set them up for a lifetime of success, by teaching them our family values.
That’s what it’s all about, momma.
That’s why we go to great lengths trying to keep them busy and entertained at home – even on those hot summer days. 😉
More summer activities for kids
Fun water play ideas for at home
Awesome outside games to play this summer at home
Fun things to play after dark during the summer
