This summer, don’t let “I’m bored” be part of your kids’ vocabulary! Here are 10 ideas for fun indoor and outdoor activities to do with younger kids.

Indoors

Sew something together! Buy some cloth at a fabric store and make something simple – a blanket, a pillowcase, an apron or a rag doll.

Make a meal plan for the week with foods from a different country each night. Learn a little about Italy before eating spaghetti and meatballs, read up on India and make some chicken masala, find out 5 facts about China and make homemade egg rolls.

Make sock puppets from extra socks by decorating them with pieces of felt, buttons, markers and string. Help the kids create a short script, and then have them act out their play!

Why not start a book club for kids and parents? Read books that are interesting for all ages like “The Giver,” “The Little Prince” and “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Build a “club house” by using couch cushions, chairs, pillows and cardboard.

Outdoors

Make a lemonade stand and get creative with the flavors! Raspberry lemonade, peach lemonade, iced tea lemonade…

Go local! See if there are any farms nearby where you can buy fresh produce and pet the animals.

Buy disposable cameras and go on a fun learning adventure! Snap pictures of things from A to Z (an apple, a bird, a car, a dog, etc) or by color (a green leaf, a green car, a green cap). Make a scrapbook with your kids writing out the names next to the picture.

Create a butterfly garden or a birdhouse. Go to the store together to pick out materials and spend the afternoon building and learning about winged creatures.

Have a potluck picnic where the kids contribute by each making a dish. It can be as simple as no-bake dessert bites or fruit salad; just giving them the task of being responsible for their own dish will be a good experience!

What’s your kids’ favorite summertime activity?