Spring may be my favorite season, but summer is surely a close second!
I’m not sure whether it’s due to the fact that so many of my years revolved around the school calendar or if it has to do with the slower, more relaxed pace of the season. No doubt, it is a combination of the two.
As we dive into this very unusual summer that comes right on the heels of a 2-3 month quarantine and is still, in large part, governed by social distancing guidelines of some sort, I would love to share some ways you can get outside and have some fun with your grandchildren this summer.
35 Things to Enjoy This Summer
- Play with bubbles and chalk.
- Teach your grandchildren to play hopscotch.
- Run through the sprinkler.
- Go on a scavenger hunt. There are lots of scavenger hunt lists available on the internet. (Lists can be created in picture form for those too young to read.)
- Catch lightning bugs (fireflies).
- Make s’mores.
- Swim.
- Have a reading party under a tree. Spread blankets and eat a favorite snack.
- Build a dirt city. Then gather your cars and trucks and play in it all day.
- Eat a picnic lunch on a sheet or blanket in the yard.
- Go to the park.
- Fly kites or paper airplanes.
- Paint the sidewalk or driveway with water.
- Tie dye shirts.
- Ride bikes.
- Roller skate.
- Play croquet or mini golf in the back yard.
- Pull out the jump ropes and hula hoops.
- Set up your own obstacle course.
- Make popsicles.
- Start a garden.
- Put on a play, puppet show, or magic show.
- Play Hide and Seek.
- Build a blanket fort outside.
- Explore the yard with a magnifying glass.
- Go fishing.
- Climb a tree.
- Play in a creek.
- Look for four leaf clovers.
- Play toss.
- Teach your grandchild a game you played as a child. (Here are a few that I remember playing: kickball, four-square, drop the hankie, kick the can, red rover.) If you need a refresher, simply do a Google search to find the rules.
- Take the Playdoh outside and hold sculpting contests.
- Hold your own track and field competition in the backyard.
- Watch a sunrise/sunset.
- Sit around a fire pit and tell stories (true stories from your life or something completely fictitious.)
Bonus: Build sandcastles at the beach, or in a sandbox.
