10 Free Activities to Close Out Summer Break

You can feel it in the air. And you can see it on the shelves of every store you enter. Summer break is coming to a close.

No matter how you may feel about this reality, chances are you’re trying to pack in a few more days of fun before sending the kiddos back to school. If you’re anything like me, you also love a good freebie. I’ve got 10 activities you can do with your kids that should cost you zero dollars.

Here is my list of tried and true summer fun things:

1. Hot Wheels Car Wash - this is a fan favorite with my boys. Grab that water table that’s sitting in some forgotten part of your yard. Don’t have a water table? An empty bin, bucket, or even large Tupperware will do. Fill it up with water and a squirt of dish soap. Find a couple old toothbrushes, dump the Hot Wheels in, and voila.

2. Baking Soda and Vinegar - This combination is pure magic, and there are lots of ways to play. Our favorite is the ‘volcano’ activity. Check out my previous blog post for this idea and more.

3. Scavenger Hunt - My kids are obsessed with scavenger hunts. You can keep this very simple. Hide a piece of candy somewhere, and come up with clues to lead them to said candy. Or, lead them to the popsicles in the freezer. You can do an inside-only hunt on super hot days, or hide clues around the yard if you need to get outside for a bit.

4. Chalk Hopscotch - Like regular hopscotch, but with a twist.

5. Hide and Seek - The classic that never gets old. This is even more special if you can get involved. Pro tip: grab your favorite cookie or candy treat, and hide in a closet. That should definitely give you enough time to enjoy your treat in silence.

6. Build a Fort - Another classic that is simply timeless. We built one in our living room recently, and it has yet to be taken down.

7. Water Balloon Toss - You know you have a bag of balloons from the dollar store in a bin somewhere. Do some digging and let the fun begin!

8. Pillowcase Races - Basically a sack race, but who actually has burlap sacks laying around? This one is sure to end in a case of the giggles.

9. Stick Letters - We made these in the early days of the pandemic, and they remain one of my favorite crafts. Cut your desired letters out of cardboard, gather sticks from outside, and hot glue them onto the cardboard letter.

10. Paint Rocks - This is an activity that has a goodness domino effect. Gather rocks and paint them with fun words, designs, etc. Then go for a walk, and hide the rocks for others to find.

I know I said I had 10 ideas, but I’ve got one more for ya. A free activity that truly never goes out of style? Do a random act of kindness. It may just turn someone’s day around.