Summer Fun Jar

We are using a summer fun jar for the next few months. I made ours at my last MOPS meeting of the year a couple weeks ago. A few days a week, on the days we don’t have anything scheduled I will let the kids pick a stick from the jar. Each stick has an activity we can do together as a family. Whatever Is written on the stick picked on a particular day will determine the fun activity we will do that day (or the next day if we are planning ahead).

I color coded our sticks. I made pink sticks and blue sticks. The pink sticks are activities we can do around the house. The blue activities are excursions that require us to leave the house. I did this so that I can tell the kids which color to pick on a particular day, depending on what is going on with our schedule, available time, and energy levels.

Brille loves the summer fun jar. I was reading off some of the fun things we get to do this summer and she was most excited about making Popsicles! This from a girl who doesn’t eat much!

Here are some of the ideas below, we actually used about 30 of these. This is a list of 100 so you can make your own sticks with fun jar and choose activities that fit for your family.

1. Visit the zoo
2. Go to a museum
3. Go to a water park
4. Swim in a lake
5. Make popsicles
6. Make a Cake
7. Create a blanket fort
8. Play tag
9. Play with sidewalk chalk
10. Make giant bubbles
11. Have a playdate
12. Meet a friend at the park to play
13. Have a picnic outside
14. Have a picnic inside
15. Have a dance party
16. Go bike riding
17. Go on a hike
18. Fly kites
19. Have a water balloon fight
20. Go to a trampoline park
21. Go to a fair
22. Have a dance party
23. Create your own photo shoot
24. Have a fashion show
25. Bake cookies
26. Paint rocks
27. Collect rocks
28. Go on a nature hunt
29. Create and execute a scavenger hunt
30. Go to a drive in movie theatre
31. Collect bugs for an afternoon
32. Facepaint
33. Go to an outdoor concert
34. Play charades
35. Play a board game
36. Make a scrap book
37. Go to the library
38. Go see a live show of any kind
39. Make sand art
40. Paint original artwork on canvases
41. Play with instruments and have a home jam session
42. Play home Olympics and be sure to have awards
43. Pick flowers
44. Go to a nature center
45. Write your own children’s story book
46. Make root beer floats
47. Make sundaes
48. Do origami
49. Do a puppet show
50. Play hopscotch
51. Make beaded jewelry
52. Star gaze at night and find the constellations
53. Go birdwatching
54. Play volleyball
55. Visit the local fire station
56. Go roller skating
57. Go to the aquarium
58. Have a lemonade stand
59. Play in the sprinklers
60. Set up a slip n slide
61. Visit a farm
62. Ride a horse
63. Have a Bon fire
64. Roast Marshmallows
65. Have a tea party
66. Play dress up
67. Go to an outdoor sporting event
68. Make puppets using items around the House
69. Make a sand castle
70. Make handmade cards for family or friends
71. Go to the movies during the day
72. Play with playdoe
73. Go to a place to paint your own pottery
74. Create artwork using things from nature
75. Make homemade musical instruments
76. Make family theme shirts using fabric markers
77. Play tennis or badminton
78. Play bocce ball
79. Play frisbee
80. Use large boxes to color and decorate as a temporary fort
81. Create Popsicle stick artwork
82. Go fishing
83. Write an original song and record it on your phone
84. Find a friend with a croquet set and host a croquet party
85. Go to several garage sales in one day
86. Climb a tree
87. Create an outdoor movie night in your backyard
88. Go skydiving (ok just kidding)
89. Go camping (even if it’s just in your own backyard)
90. Catch fireflies at night
91. Buy ice cream from an ice cream truck
92. Eat fresh watermelon
93. Go to a farmer’s market
94. Watch a sunset
95. Watch the sunrise
96. Play Simon Says
97. Make tie dye shirts, tank tops, or socks
98. Plant something
99. Have a water gun fight
100. Put together a puzzle

Summer is a great time for everyone to take advantage of the extra time to enjoy one another and enjoy all that life has to offer. Travel may not be an option for everyone out there, but there is plenty to do in your own hometown, city, or your own backyard! Take the time to enjoy your kids this summer and do fun things together.