Keep the children busy during the summer holidays with these fun and fantastic summer activities for kids.
Whether it’s glorious sunshine or a not so sunny British summer, we’ve got your activity inspiration for you and your little one covered. From outdoor activities designed by our very own PE Specialists to indoor STEM, sensory ideas and delicious summery snack recipes for you to try.
Don’t forget to supervise children at all times during these activities.
Summer is the perfect time to take your activities outside and explore even more learning opportunities. Here are our favourites that you can give a go at home.
This is one of our favourite summer activities for kids as it involves getting messy, creative and being outdoors… What’s not to love?
Why not give your garden a refresh and give your flowerpots a quick and easy makeover with this fun summer activity? Your child will love getting creative by adding their own designs and patterns to their pots! Here’s some inspiration.
The children at Fennies love to make herb soups and flower potions in our mud kitchens, and they also make a great activity for the summer holidays!
Mud kitchens are great for sensory development and exploring the outdoors; discover more benefits here.
Playing with floating flowers is one of our favourite summer activities for kids, simply add some water to a tray and add some flowers. The filling and pouring are great for those fine motor skills!
We love this fun summer activity that also helps to develop your little one’s fine motor skills! Simply collect petals, leaves and flowers from around the garden and thread them together, perfect for keeping the kids entertained on a hot summer day.
Planting fruit and veggies at home is a fun summer activity and a great way to get children outdoors and develop an understanding of where their food comes from.
It’s also a good way to encourage children to try new foods that they’ve grown themselves!
Going on a picnic is perfect summer fun for the whole family to enjoy. Discover our tips for eating alfresco this summer holidays here.
This ice smash activity is great for keeping kids cool on a hot summer day whilst they learn hand-eye coordination and cause and effect. (Don’t forget to supervise children at all times during this activity.)
This is one of our favourite summer activities at Fennies, and the children love taking their creativity outdoors. Simply grab some colourful chalks and encourage your child to draw whatever comes to mind on the pavement outside.
Our very own PE Specialist, Nasim, shares his favourite outdoor summer activities for kids:
The children at Fennies love reading the Mr. Men books, so we created a ‘Simon Says’ style activity inspired by the series. We give each character an action, i.e. when “Mr. Small” is called you must crouch down, for “Mr. Rush” you run in a circle and for “Mr. Tall” you must jump! This fun summer activity is great for identifying visual cues and following instructions.
We love recreating this obstacle course in the nursery inspired by the classic book, 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt.' We set up the obstacle course in order of the story, using items to jump over, crawl under and hop across. We like to incorporate flour, water spray, teddy bears and a bed sheet to develop imaginative play.
We love taking this classic circle time game outside for more summer fun, it’s also great for supporting physical development and personal social and emotional development by taking turns.
For this simple activity, all you'll need is some beanbags and hoops. Encourage your child to throw the beanbags into a hoop. For older kids, you can add obstacles or colour match the beanbags to the hoops.
If you live in England, you’ll know that the holidays aren’t always so sunny! But don’t worry, you can bring the sunshine indoors with these summer activities that keep the kids entertained no matter the weather.
This activity is great for children of all ages and perfect for adding a splash of colour to your summer wardrobe!
We love the summery twist on this activity. It’s also a great way to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
We love this simple weaving craft that helps develop concentration, creativity and fine motor skills!
Add some extra sensory fun to arts and crafts activities during the summer holidays by using scented paint. We love these recipes for lots of summery scents!
This hands-on, fun summer activity is an engaging way to help develop children’s fine motor skills and build up those crucial muscles in their fingers and hands.
Pouring and measuring activities are great for children to learn about mathematical concepts like space, shape and measure. Add some food colouring for a fun summer activity!
No paintbrush? No problem! We love this idea of creating a rainbow using utensils from your kitchen cupboard to help develop creativity.
Sometimes the best summer activities are the most simple. We love this idea, and you can use fruit that you already have around your home!
Colour matching activities help children learn visual perception and critical thinking skills, so why not give this activity a go?
Playdough is great for developing children’s motor skills and creativity. Try adding some additional sensory elements by including summery flower petals with this recipe to change the texture.
Brighten up your garden during the school summer holidays with these wonderfully simple ladybird pebbles!
Try creating these adorable bugs inspired by the creatures you can see in your garden or local park.
This homemade daffodil craft will keep your kids occupied and make a thoughtful gift or uplifting decoration!
Bring the beach to you with this sandy themed sensory box. Your little one will love exploring!
This floral sensory tray incorporates real flowers and is a wonderful way to encourage the development of fine motor skills.
Incorporating natural materials is one of the best things about summer activities. Unleash your child’s creativity and explore new textures with these nature collages.
These summer activities incorporate STEM elements and introduce children to a variety of concepts, including space, shape, measure and mathematics.
What better way to teach your child colours than with this engaging rainbow themed STEM activity for plenty of summer fun.
It’s summertime and the garden is in full bloom, so use this as an opportunity to teach children about how flowers grow with this fun activity.
What better way to keep your kids cool this school summer holidays than with this ice STEM experiment that helps them learn about volume, weight and measure.
Sometimes the most fun things are the most simple. For this activity, all you’ll need is some paper towels and colourful pens and get ready to watch the magic unfold!
This seed germination experiment lets your child get up close and learn about how seeds grow, and they'll love watching the progress every day over the school summer holidays.
Fun activities have to be visually inviting to encourage learning, which is why it’s great to incorporate pretty flowers into your summer activities. We love this ice tray idea you can try at home!
Create a vibrant rainbow in your very own home with this walking rainbow experiment that will help your child learn about colour mixing.
Forget shop-bought, it’s super easy to make your own bubble mixture at home for endless fun for the whole family!
This is one of our favourite outdoor activities and a great way to teach children about solids and liquids, with a lot of creativity thrown in too!
Beat the heat with this wonderful sensory tray activity that incorporates both STEM and literacy elements for hours of outdoor play.
This activity is a Fennies favourite, and it’s really simple to try at home and help teach your child about cause and effect.
Stay cool with this water tray activity where your child will learn all about scientific concepts like sinking, floating and water displacement.
Give these sensory summer activities a go to explore new textures, temperatures and tastes that will keep the kids busy learning!
Explore lots of new textures by making your own playdough sunshine. You can even make your own dough and use yellow food colouring to make your sun shine bright!
There are so many benefits to water trays, and they’re a great way to enhance your outdoor activities. Give it a go this summer!
Explore bright colours and lots of new textures with this sunflower themed sensory tray. We love the idea of dying the rice by using yellow food colouring to brighten the sensory experience!
Shells, sand and water are not only fun at the beach, but they’re great natural materials to introduce into your sensory play. Try this sensory tray and bring all the fun of the seaside home with you.
Sensory bottles are great for young children as they stimulate curiosity and can be great for relaxation whilst developing their motor skills.
Sensory bottles are great for young children as they stimulate curiosity and can be great for relaxation whilst developing their motor skills.
This fun water play incorporates all the colours of the rainbow and is an engaging way to help children learn about space, shape and measure.
Scoop, squeeze and splatter! Who knew watermelon could be so much fun? Incorporating fruit into play is a great taste-safe way of introducing your little one to new textures.
Here’s some inspiration for you to try at home.
There are so many wonderful textures to explore in the garden. If you don’t have one, then don’t worry! You can create your very own garden sensory tray that incorporates lots of natural materials for sensory exploration.
Add some zest to your playdough activities with this lemon-scented recipe. Playdough is not only a great sensory experience, but it can strengthen fine motor skills and encourage emotional regulation.
For this ocean themed sensory tray, you’ll only need a handful of materials and a good dose of imagination. The variety in textures is great for engaging multiple senses all at once, which is a great way to support your child’s development.
Your child will love getting hands-on with this rainbow coloured soap foam sensory tray! You can use this foam to play games or simply explore by itself.
It’s summertime! The flowers are in full bloom, and we love the idea of incorporating them into your summer activities. This flower playdough is a fun way to introduce exciting colours, textures and floral fragrances to your activities.
Whip up your very own ice cream flavoured playdough! Older kids will love moulding the dough into cones, and younger children can strengthen those little hand muscles by rolling and forming the dough into different shapes. The best bit? It's totally taste safe!
For this activity, all you’ll need is some flowers, a tray of water and some kitchen utensils (bubbles are optional but strongly encouraged!) Your little one will love exploring how the texture of the petals changes in the water as they splash around.
Bring the natural world indoors and explore everything the garden has to offer in your very own hands with these sensory bottles! Get your child involved with collecting the materials for their bottles for a truly hands-on experience.
Creating this summery concoction couldn’t be easier. Simply collect lots of natural materials from the garden, and add some food colouring and kitchen utensils for endless hours of sensory fun.
Create your own summer flowers with this rose inspired playdough recipe. Adding different materials to your playdough can enhance the sensory experience as it introduces new textures and smells.
Cooking together is a wonderful way to keep the kids occupied this summer, so here’s our favourite things to whip up in the kitchen!
Fruit skewers are such a simple snack for children of all ages to help get involved in making. Invite friends over and try some new fruit this summer! Here’s some great tips you can try at home.
Not only are these rainbow fruit ice lollies a great way to cool down, but these are a healthy sweet treat filled with natural yoghurt and fresh fruits too. Your child will also love layering the fruit to make a fun rainbow pattern… what’s not to love?
These healthy, naturally-sweet treats are great for beating the heat this summer. You’ll only need 5 ingredients to make them, and they’re sure to be a hit with the whole family!
Smoothies are a really easy way to encourage your child to try new fruit and vegetables, especially when they're involved in the process of making their own tasty treats.
These delicious pineapple and raspberry flavoured ice lollies are filled with vital vitamins and antioxidants perfect for supporting your little one’s development as well as cooling down.
Capture all your favourite tastes of summer with these coconut and watermelon lollies. The best bit? All you will need is some pureed watermelon and some coconut milk… that’s it!
These cute and colourful snack cups are perfect for eating alfresco, whether you’re packing for a picnic or looking for party food inspiration.
Who says food can't be fun? These adorable tortilla boat snacks can be filled with healthy ingredients and will transport family and friends to the seaside this summer!
What better way to encourage your little one to eat their greens than with these refreshing garden themed mini salads? You can even switch up the ingredients for some variety and encourage your child to try new foods.
You can enjoy these mini pepper sailboats no matter the weather, but they make the perfect addition to any picnic or garden party.
What could be more fun than a beach made entirely from jelly? Give this recipe a go at home for a ‘wow’ factor dish.
These delicious treats are a refreshing alternative to ice cream, and a wonderful way to cool off after a day of summer activities!
If this simple but showstopping palm tree platter doesn’t get your child to eat their 5-a-day, then we don’t know what will!
These shark themed dessert cups will go down a treat. Your little ones will even love getting involved in making them themselves.
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