47 Quarantine Summer Activities for Families that You Can Do During the Pandemic

You don’t have to be stuck at home and be miserable. Here are some great quarantine Summer activities for the whole family that you can do during this stupid (excuse my french) Pandemic.

Quarantine Summer Activities

Summer 2020 looks a lot different than what we all originally planned. Being quarantined, stuck inside, and not being able to see family is not my idea of a perfect Summer. Plus there’s the fear of getting sick, getting others sicks, and people dying. The world is going through a crazy time right now. My heart reaches out to all the people who have been horribly affected by this virus. You are in my prayers.

If you have been ordered to stay at home, or are quarantining yourself for obvious reasons, there is still hope to have a fun Summer. There are plenty of activities to do with kids and families that don’t involve being around other people. (which is sad)

If you’re a goal-setter and to-do-lister, like me, then download my FREE 2-month Summer activity challenge, which includes 60 kids and family activities that you can do this Summer all while avoiding COVID-19. Do an activity a day, and you have 60 days worth (2 Months) of activities. The kids will wake up every morning and ask: what are we doing today?

You can also buy my 60 Summer Activity Binder that includes details of all activities, templates, variations, and more!

Here are 47 different ideas of how to enjoy Summer this year.

This post contains affiliate links. 

47 Kids Quarantine Summer Activities

Nature Bracelet

Make a nature bracelet by wrapping a piece of duct tape, sticky side up, around your child’s wrist and have them stick whatever they can find on their bracelet. This can be grass, flowers, pine needles, leaves, etc…

Learn a talent

Set a goal to learn a new talent you never thought you could or would do, like: juggling, riding a uni-cycle, doing a back flip, keeping a journal, finishing a 2000 piece puzzle.

Write a Letter

Who doesn’t love getting an old fashion letter in the mail? Write a letter to loved ones, friends, or find a pen-pal. Try out PenPal World to find a pen-pal from across the planet!

Watermelon Eating Contest

Have a food eating contest. Watermelon is great because it’s in season, super yummy, and easy to eat. And low on calories.

Water Games

Make a water game day. Turn your backyard into a water park. You could have a mini pool or a slip-n-slide. Buy and fill up a bunch of water balloons or squirt guns. Get the sprinkler running and let the kids run around it. Create a fun-filled water day. Another option would be getting a water table, especially if you have a toddler, they are great!

Fly a Kite

Buy a kite and go out on windy day.

Window Painting

Do a creative art activity by painting the windows. 

Star Gazing

Take a blanket, some snacks, and a star gazing map, and go lay out in a field and look at the stars. This is one of those activities that can sound really boring, but actually ends up being a lot of fun! If you have a real space lover on your hands, you can get a constellations book.

Outdoor Tic Tac Toe

Create a big tic tac toe outside with some spray paint and paper plates.

Outdoor Olympics

Create an outdoor Olympic party, complete with medals. Here are some great Olympic party ideas.

Bike Ride

Go on a family bike ride. If you have little ones, consider buying a kid trailer, or kid seat for your bike. I’ve also seen a lot of people use those tag along trailer kids bikes. They look super fun!

Catch Bugs

What kid doesn’t love catching bugs? Firefly’s, rollie pollies, ants, butterflies, you name it! You could even buy a few bug catching kits. 

Craft and Activity Boxes

Invest in signing up for a craft box for kids. A fun box filled with treasures that they send to you monthly, it contains several items to do different activities throughout the month. I really like Green Kids Crafts, they have a lot of science boxes, Think Outside Boxes, which has great outside and nature gear, or the We Craft Box.

Garden

Grow a garden. This is a great learning opportunity. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Start some tomato plants, or even the container gardens, which are super fast, and seeds are super cheap. Or have your kids create a fairy garden. Super fun and doesn’t require as much supervision.

Bake

Bake your favorite dessert, or teach yourself something new to taste! Here are some kid-friendly recipes for desserts:

Peanut Butter S’mores Dip
3-Ingredient Banana Bread
Nutter Butter Cheerios Recipe

Play in the Rain

It rains a lot during the summer, let the kids play in the rain, jump in the puddles, or do a mud fight.

Hike

Take a hike! This is a great activity to do before the sun comes up, or right before it goes down. Watch the sunrise or sunset on top of a mountain, or just take a nature hike through the woods and let the kids do some exploring.

Rock Painting

I always thought rock painting was sooo over-rated, but it’s not! It is actually super fun and therapeutic. What we like to do in our family is paint some rocks and then place them along the trail that goes by our house. We try to include some inspiring messages as well. It’s super fun, and spreads happiness.

Picnic

Go on a picnic. I am still so surprised about how excited my kids get just to eat outside. Going on a picnic takes it to an even higher level. It’s the little things.

Order Take Out

Instead of a picnic, order take out. Or order take out for your picnic, OR order take out and watch a movie. The possibilities are endless. 🙂 Support a local business who might have been hurt by the pandemic.

Aqua Blob

Super fun water activity that doesn’t involve getting wet: The Aqua Blob

Nature Scavenger Hunt

This is a great activity for when the kids get bored, and need to move outside. Make a list of items for them to collect, or download my FREE Nature picture scavenger hunt, which is great for toddlers too! You could also turn it into a fun learning activity by having them put all the matching colors of nature in different piles.

Ice Cream in a Bag

Make ice cream in a bag. So yummy, and so fun.

Make a Sandbox

Create more fun and activities in the backyard by making a sandbox. You can even do this if you’re in an apartment, just put it on the back porch, here’s how. All you need is some sand and a kiddie pool.

Jumbo Connect Four

Get a jumbo connect four game for the backyard.

Ladder Golf

A favorite in my family is playing Ladder golf, and can involve the younger kids.

Science Experiment

Do a science experiment. Some of our favorites are the Skittles Experiment, Walking Water Experiment, and The Clouds and Rain experiment. You can find 9 different experiments with household items, here. 

Mini Golf Course

Create a mini golf course around your house or backyard.

Tag

Who doesn’t like a good old game of tag? I know my kids love it! You could also play the fun childhood games like: Simon says, Red Light Green Light, and Mother, May I?, Red Rover.

Make Popsicles

It really is the little things. My kids love popsicles. It can easily turn boredom into excitement, and it can be a great treat without being too sugary. We usually use crystal light or Kool-aid to make the popsicles, but you could also use fruit. We use the popsicle containers with straws because my kids love them!

Feed the Ducks

If you live near a pond, you probably have ducks around, or might know a place to see them. Feed the ducks. If you’re worried about the ducks health, pick up some duck pallets to feed them.

Backyard Camping

Set up camping in your backyard. This is a great time to practice camping, if you have young kids. If you have a fire pit, make s’mores, or do them in the oven and make S’more Dip. You could also add in an outdoor movie and other fun camping games. You could also go camping in a remote area, away from the people. Here are some tips for camping with kids. 

Outdoor Movie

Speaking of outdoor movies, plan an outdoor movie night.

Go for a Drive

Roll down all the windows and go for a drive. We used to do this when I was little, and we would sing at the top of our lungs! On a nice day, this will lift anyone’s mood.

Spikeball

If you’ve never played this before, it’s super fun. It’s active, and geared more toward older kids.

Run or roll down a hill

Find a giant hill around your house and roll or run down it. Kids LOVE this and you can join in. It will make you feel like a kid again. If you have bad allergies, I might refrain from rolling.

Do Shadow Activities

Draw the kid’s shadow on the ground outside with sidewalk chalk. You could do it throughout the day and watch it change. You could also make hand shadow puppets in your room at night. This is also a fun camping activity.

I Spy

A classic game, but has saved boredom for this mom a few times. Go on a walk, drive, or sit out on the porch and play a classic game of I spy.

Cloud Gazing

I have no idea if that is an actual thing, but go watch the clouds go by, find shapes, or even talk about your dreams for the future.

Photography

Take pictures of nature. There are some pretty sights in the Summer. Find a good place to take a hike and take some pictures. Let the kids take the camera around. You always get interesting pictures, for sure.

Tour the City 

How well do you really know the nearest big city to you? Do some exploring. Drive around and see what makes the city unique without even getting out of your car. This is a great time to play I Spy or learn some history of your city.

Build a bird feeder

Build or buy a bird feeder. Set it up in your front yard and watch the birds.

Bird Watching

Watch the birds. You can see some fascinating birds. You could also buy a bird book and document what you see.

Life Size Jenga

This game is so fun. You wouldn’t think it would be that much more fun than the regular one, but it is! I’m pretty sure my friends and I set a world record playing this game.

Sidewalk Chalk

Again, it’s the simple things. You can’t beat cheap sidewalk chalk. There are a ton of things you can do with sidewalk chalk, and the kids love it! You could do it at a park or biking trail and write or draw inspiring words or art.

Do a Craft

Do a simple craft that costs almost nothing, and could be done with what you have on hand. One of our favorites is Q-Tip Painting. You can download some templates with 19 different pages for Q-tip painting. 

Bubbles

Bubbles are a super fun activity for kids, and there are so many things you can do with them. You can find bubbles at any dollar store, or make them yourself with this homemade bubbles recipe. You can also buy a bubble wand that makes huge bubbles.

Outside Painting

There are a lot of ways to paint and do art outside. You can do splatter paint, balloon painting, spray paint, and more. You can find several different ideas, here.

Drive by Birthday Party

If one of your family members has a birthday during Quarantine plan a Drive by Birthday Party. Here are some great ideas of how to do that. 

Hopefully you can find something here to create fun quarantine Summer activities. Don’t forget to download your 2-month Kids Summer Activities Challenge

Related: Free and Frugal Summer Activities for Kids

Related: 9 Science Experiments for Kids with Household Items

Related: 25 Tips and Hacks for Camping with Kids

Related: Q-Tip painting for kids and Toddlers