Twelve Things To Do With Your Children This Summer

July 12, 2021

• Topical

With the summer fast approaching, we have compiled a list of exciting activities that you can do for free with your children. The British weather at summer is a very unpredictable thing, so we have included options for indoors and outdoors, so matter the weather you can still have fun!

Go for a picnic

Grab an old rug or scarf and some delicious snacks, then head to your local green space. You could even bring along some games to play for after eating. If the weather is bad outside, you can even have an indoor picnic by laying down a rug and eating lunch on the floor.

Go camping

Summer is the perfect time to get back to nature. Whether you rough it in the wild or even set up a tent in the backyard, having the chance to camp under the stars is a wonderful experience for all the family. You could even set up a campfire and toast marshmallows over the fire before bed!

Have a movie night

Sometimes all you want to do is curl up on the sofa and watch a film. A fun thing to do is set up a mini movie theatre at home with snacks, fairy lights and a brilliant film to watch. You could even make tickets and a poster for the film being shown to feel like you are going to the cinema!

Watch the sunrise or sunset

On a clear morning or evening, going out to watch the sun rise or set can be a mesmerising and thrilling sight. Maybe go to a local coastline or hill from where you can see the phenomenon and enjoy the experience.

Visit the beach

Going to the beach is a whole day of fun sorted in one place. By taking spades and buckets or just yourselves, you can have a fun time jumping over waves, skimming stones, building different objects in the sand, and searching for shells. You could even take a picnic, but just be careful you don’t get sand in your sandwiches!

Visit a free museum

Many cities and towns have museums that are free to visit. These can be a great place to spend a whole day and learn about science, history, art, and many other interesting topics. Over the summer many museums run free activities such as art and craft classes that are great to get engaged with.

Check out this guide from the Guardian on the top free museums and galleries in the UK.

Go for a treasure hunt

Getting outdoors is important and a fun way to spend the day is organising a treasure hunt! This can be as easy as hiding little presents around your garden and then letting your children hunt for them. If you are going on a hike, you could set a challenge of finding different species of plants and wildlife.

Build a fort

Take some blankets and two chairs to build a very simple blanket fort. You can try to get creative with what you have in your home when building the fort. Bringing in pillows, toys and fairy lights can create a very cosy and fun space place to play in.

Host a fancy tea party

Who doesn’t love the opportunity to dress up? Why not hold a fancy tea party equipped with drinks, sandwiches, and a multitude of cakes to share with the family? A great way to make it even more fun is to have a theme to the tea party, to give everyone the extra challenge when dressing up.

Star gazing

There is nothing like taking the chance to lie under the night sky on a clear night and see the stars. Look out for the star signs in the sky and other astronomical phenomenon like comets or meteors. You could even try and draw pictures with the stars you can see, what do they resemble?

Check out this link from the National Trust on some of the best places to stargaze in the UK:

Get green fingers by gardening

A suitable plant pot can come in many forms from old boxes to welly boots! If you have any bulbs or cuttings from a favourite plant, why not encourage gardening by planting the bulbs in your plant pot. Then you can spend time watching the plant grow and filling your outdoor space with greenery and life.

Write and perform a play

Shakespeare had to start somewhere! This summer take the chance to be creative and write a short play: maybe it can be set on Mars, or contain mermaids, or a magic mirror. You could even make some costumes, scenery, or props to use in the play and then perform to friends and family. Don’t forget to take your bow and round of applause at the end of the show!