Every summer, especially in the middle to end of it, there is always that question, “Mom, I’m bored, what can I do?”

To write a true article on this topic I went to the experts, my family and friends on Facebook who were once kids themselves (some still are). I loved the answers I was given, and keep getting responses to my post. Not only are they tried and true activities, most the activities DO NOT COST MONEY! GASP!

So, when your sweet children come up to you and say, “Mom, Dad, Babysitter, etc. “I’m bored, what can I do”? Check out the list, I guarantee you will find something for them to do.

Some of my favorite summer activity memories:  I loved to build tents/forts out of blankets, sit on my friend’s porch and either color, sew or build with Legos, run in the sprinklers, ride bikes, make things out of salt dough, etc.

Taryn-  I don’t ever remember being inside. We always went on bike rides. Went to the field to catch frogs. Tried to draw the longest hopscotch. Played with my Friends. Played night hide and seek with the neighborhood. Would ride our bikes to the Dairy Queen to get an ice cream cone. Try to eat as many popsicles as possible.

Jill (my best friend since I was three)- You forgot Kick The Can. Cops and Robbers too.

Cade- Fishing!

Tiffany-  Night games were the Best!!! We would stay out as long as possible playing outside and at the park and kickball, capture the flag, ghost in the graveyard, kick the can!!!! So fun, my mom would flicker the porch lights to signal us back home…. she never had to yell for us kids to come home because we knew we would play again tomorrow!

Brenda (another childhood bestie!)- Your very favorite thing, I’m sure, was when we tied strings to our Barbie cars, and ran with them down the dirt trail!! Brenda forgot when we would have “pretend earthquakes” in her house. The details to this one will stay hidden and I wouldn’t recommend it either…

Christy N.- We played outside all day everyday just pretending, swinging, jumping on trampoline, play in sprinklers, riding bikes etc. night games were fun. I also had to cut the grass.

Phyllis- We would build forts in the woods.

Sarah- I was blessed to grow up in a perfect setting of rural farm country in the mid-west. With timber in my back yard and acres of wide open meadows, fields and creek beds, the earth was my playground and I couldn’t wait to get my chores done so that I could return to my splendid day dream.

David- We played baseball in the park by the city rec building. We’d start in the morning, grab a quick lunch and play again until dinner.  We’d also play “Capture the Flag” on the hill that was owned by old farmer Pike. The hill goes down to the rail road tracks. One last thing…We’d eat cherries off Ludlow’s trees and later in the season we’d eat plumbs off Cain’s tree, both until we got sick. (Kept us “regular” that’s for sure.) There were many more things we did but too many to list. GREAT FUN being a kid in the 70s!!!

Robin- Play in the creek that ran behind my house, ride horses, bike rides to the 7/11, sleighing down the sand hills behind my house.

Cathy- Eating watermelon & Ice Cream playing hide & seek at dusk running through sprinklers & playing tag.

Karen J– Ride horses with friends, night games and ride my bike.

Natalie-  I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and we basically played in the street-stick ball, hide n seek, marbles, and of course the open hydrants to cool down. Then in the evening the ice cream man would come and we would all get ice cream. All the neighbors sat outside and talked.

Paula- We would go to my grandmas and catch frogs, collect chicken eggs, play in the fields.
But we did like watching the “Big Money Movie” once in a while on a long summer afternoon. It was hosted by Bernie Calderwood

Sandi- Paint rocks with paint and hot rocks with crayons… swim, read for hours, with flashlights, garden with G’mas. homemade ice-cream, irrigation water (yuck)

Diane K-  All the kids in the neighborhood would get together and play games like red rover, hide-n-seek, etc. We had a lot of fun.

Crystal P.- We would read or watch a movie. We couldn’t stay outside forever without sunburns happening quickly. All of us were fair skinned and we had two red heads and one blonde which made matters worse. We went to the local park and played. We played Sardines, a reverse version of hide and seek where you find the person who’s it and all cram into the same hiding spot and the lady one to find you all is it next. Water fights, we did swimming lessons one year, sunburns galore! We played board games occasionally, but movies were our go to!

Do you have any ideas you would like to add to the list? Please feel free to post them!

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