101 things for kids to do this summer

"Faith, you don't have kids, why are you making a list like this?" You might ask. Well, you see, for about 15
years now I have bugged my dear mother every single summer with those two words we all hate.."I'm bored".

 So, I composed a list of 101 ideas for kids of all ages to enjoy.

 FIY: I noticed most lists include stuff like "go to the zoo", which is fine if you want to do that (just stay away from the Gorillas) but stuff like that is an all day event that both a) costs money and b) requires quite a lot of adult supervision. So I tried to include mostly things that are free and that kids can do on their own.
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Here we go...

1. Make a movie or play (or a documentary, a cooking show, a Spanish soap opera, whatever)
2. Make a music video
3. Choreograph a dance routine (to go with your music video, obviously)
4. Make up a secret handshake
5. Learn a new card game (or make one up)
6. Compose a family recipe book
7. Draw a self-portrait. (Make sure to add something cool...like a third arm or a tail)
8. Come up with a family obstacle course (Perhaps a mud run. That is, if you don't mind ruining your backyard)
9. If you have a trampoline, put a sprinkler underneath it. (Optional: pour dish soap on the tramp too. This makes for a wet, bubbly, slippery mess. And as a bonus the kids probs won't need a bath that night.)
10. Joust with stick horses and pool noodles.
11. Make a zipline for barbies
12. Have a water balloon fight
13. Go to the pool
14. Pull out the old slip and slide (add dishsoap or shaving cream for an extra-fun experience) 
15. A traditional game of cops and robbers, perhaps? 
16. Make and bury a time capsule
17. Make up your own language (or just learn PigLatin. Tsiay Osay Uchmay Unfay!)
18. Paint rocks (bonus points if you can make them look like your family members)
19. Make a target on the fence for water balloons/water guns
20. Pull off a family game of Capture the Flag
21. Cover the whole driveway in sidewalk chalk 
22. Play some traditional games: Simon Says, Cross the Ocean, Little Sally Walker, Telephone, Charades, Tag, Hide and Seek, etc.
23. Take those traditional games and add your own exotic twist to them.
24. Create a family newspaper. Conduct interviews and everything. 
25. Make a list of books to read
26. Have a family movie night 
27. Have a picnic, but pick out items from the fridge/pantry blindfolded. 
28. See who can keep the balloon in the air the longest
29. As long as the balloon hasn't popped yet, try playing basketball, tennis, volleyball, or even golf with it.
30. Have a nature scavenger hunt (I should be posting one you can use soon) 
31. Find some Mad Libs to fill out (and then make up your own)
32. If playing games like soccer, baseball, and basketball are too boring, try spicing it up by decorating the ball with markers, catching it in an old pillowcase, or inventing a new game. 
33. Hide a small toy somewhere and draw up your own treasure map, then hand it over for your sibling to conquer.
34. Host a slumber party
35. Make a couple batches of cookies using different recipes and hold a family taste-test to see which is best
36. Dig out your old wii games
37. Try some upcycling projects with your old clothes that you don't wear anymore
38. Start a bullet journal (for older kids & teens, like myself :-P
39. Write down a bunch of writing prompts and put them in a jar. 
40. Take a twister map and put paint on the circles. Oh, and wear old clothes..
41. Throw a ball in the air and choose a task to perform before it lands (i.e, high five eachother, do a cartwheel, or sit down and stand back up)
42. Crab race
43. Learn how to breakdance
44. Get a popsicle mold and see who can come up with the best flavor. 
45. If it's windy, fly a kite. If you don't have one, make one. 
46. Take an empty picture frame and make it into a photo collage (example)
47. Make friendship bracelets 
48. Learn origami
49. With a paintbrush and a bucket of water, paint the driveway (See if you can paint the whole thing before it dries)
50. Join a Library's summer reading program/book club
51. Find something in the Guiness Book of World Records to try to beat
52. Challnge yourself to a thousand of something in one month (like sit-ups, laps in the pool, jump rope, etc.)
53. Grow a garden (Even if it's just a window one)
54. For older kids, find a small job like baby-sitting or pet-sitting
55. Find somewhere to volunteer at
56. Challenge yourself to keep your bedroom clean (My mom suggested this one)
57. Pick a new Bible verse every week to memorize
58. Write a list of 3 things you're thankful for every day
59. Explore different careers
60. Make a chair out of newspapers 
61. Make "Open-When" letters for your friends
62. Compile a list of jokes
63. Test out a bunch of Life-Hacks
64. Learn to crochet
65. Make jewelry out of paper beads (the beads are made out of magazines/newspapers) 
66. Try to make your own solar oven 
67.  Train to become ninjas
68. Write letters to your future selves (If kids have their own email account, use futureme.org
69. Paint your nails (find some pinterest-inspired designs)
70. Have a photoshoot
71. Paper mache
72. Make and decorate paper airplanes (and then wage a war)
73. Make your Halloween costume
74. Build a fort (out of blankets or cardboard boxes)
75. Identify birds in your backyard
76. Make homemade play-doh
77. Look at the stars
78. Watch the clouds and look for shapes 
79. Make a sprinkler out of a soda bottle
80. Make a sign for your bedroom door (Bonus points if you write it in the language you made up)
81. Pick random acts of kindness to do for your family
82. Make life-size Lincoln Logs out of pool noodles
83. Set a time every day to write, by the end of the summer you just might have a novel
84. Go indoor camping
85. Have a neighborhood popsicle party
86. Find some fun science experiments to try 
87. Make a sculpture out of marshmallows and toothpicks
88. Learn some super cool Yoga moves
89. Make a bunch of Essential Oil stuff (You know who you are...)
90. Master some magic tricks and put on a show
91. Build a house of cards
92. Count how many board games you can play throughout the summer
93. Do the "Egg Drop" challenge
94. Make a sundial out of Legos
95. Tear up pieces of paper and glue them down to make a mosaic picture 
96. Have a family talent show
97. Create a rock/leaf collection
98. Paint flower pots
99. Paint a jar and see how many pennies you can collect this summer 
100. Cook dinner one night a week for your family
101. Wash the car (Or the dog. Or both at the same time)

Let me know in the comments what you like to do in the summer!