70 Summer family activities to do at home

Ah, summertime. The warmer temperatures. Children happily playing outside while adults sip lemonade in the shade. Wait. What?! That’s not how it goes. If your family is anything like mine, it’s a precarious balance between planned activities, downtime and pesky things like work and chores. And that’s not even including the mom guilt that kicks in during summer break.

But you don’t have to make every moment of summer break Instagram fabulous to make good family memories. Lots of summer fun ideas for families are easy to pull off and create fabulous memories for your entire family.

Whether you’re looking for rainy day activities for families, outdoor family fun activities or a mix of both, we’ve got you covered!

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Outdoor summer fun ideas for families

One of the great things about summer is beautiful weather. For those of us here in the Midwest, we enjoy the warmer days that aren’t too humid and hot to be outside. Check your local weather forecast and figure out when these outdoor summer fun ideas will work best for your family. Don’t forget that mornings and evenings can be great for being outside, even on blazing summer days.

Launch rockets

From rockets you stomp on for smaller kiddos to building rockets for older kiddos, this can be a great summer family activity that works in some science to boot!

Water toys

Nothing says summer family fun more than cooling down outside with water. You can have a blast as a family with water toys. Be sure to leave some towels by your door for when you go back inside all wet! We usually follow up water play outside with showers, PJs and a movie.

Family yard games

Playing games as a family is always fun. We love tabletop games year-round, but summertime is the perfect time to get outside for some fun. Whether your looking for traditional field day activities or a classic croquet set, these yard games are terrific summer fun ideas for families!

Sporty summer family fun activities

If there’s one way to encourage kiddos (and adults!) to be more active, it’s by playing a game. These sporty games and activities are a great way for your family to have fun this summer as well as get in some cardio!

Indoor summer fun ideas for families

These family fun indoor activities will keep your family entertained and having fun inside when it’s too hot to be outside. They’re also perfect rainy day activities for families and really can work any time of year. Who said you have to be outside all the time to have fun?

Educational and fun STEAM toys

Learning doesn’t sound super fun over summer break, but these STEAM toys are actually fun for the family. And they help your kiddos hone things like problem-solving skills, physics concepts and more.

Imaginative play toys

Most family have a decent amount of toys around for imaginative play, but adding some new ones to the mix can turn into a great family fun indoor activity. Imaginative play is not only good for our kiddos’ brains, but it also gives your family a chance to interact together in new and different ways. Take time to play!

Care for living things

Without springing for a new puppy, you can still have a great time this summer taking care of living things with your kiddos. From plants to easy pets, these ideas are perfect family fun indoor activities!

Crafts for your family

I am pretty inept at crafts and art, but with the right craft kit, I can hold my own. These craft kits and ideas are perfect rainy day activities to keep your family entertained. Work on them together and see what kind of masterpieces you can make!

Puzzles and games

Puzzles and games are perhaps the most quintessential rainy day family activities. And there’s a good reason: they’re fun! Make some snacks and prepare for a good time with these puzzles and games!

Summer fun ideas for families

With so many outdoor and indoor options, you family can have lots of fun this summer. Make memories whether it’s a rainy day, hot day or gorgeous day with any of these 70 ideas!

Find more great family fun ideas in these posts:

• Family read aloud chapter books for kindergarteners through 5th graders
• Family fun night activities at home
• 15 Ideas for spending time at home with your family
• 10 Family bonding ideas
• “Finding Grace at Home: 7 Days of 5-Minute Devotionals for Families”