Bust summer boredom with these 50+ Kids Summer Activities with Family Dollar Store Items. This post is sponsored by Family Dollar. All crafty, thrifty and fun opinions are my own.
50+ Kids Summer Activities with Dollar Store Items
We are saying goodbye to school and hello to summer!
With my kids at home all summer long, I love coming up with creative ways to keep them entertained, engaged and having fun. But let’s be honest, it can be a challenge to plan kids summer activities on a family budget. That’s why I have your list of 50+ Kids Summer Activities with Dollar Store Items – from food to crafts to water play, there’s plenty of ideas to beat summer boredom!
Keeping my kids engaged and entertained during the summer can be challenging. That’s why I love having Family Dollar just up the road from my house. It’s so convenient to pop in for a few craft supplies, food items and play ideas for our summer days.
Family Dollar is well stocked with quality products for all of our summer adventures. And with a store full of $1 WOW items, Price Drop deals and Smart Coupons for extra savings too, we can stock up on lots of fun kids summer activities without breaking our family budget.
Food Play
- Create Your Own Popsicles
- Have a S’mores Night
- Host an Ice Cream Party
- Make an Edible Volcano
- Have a Backyard Picnic
- Host a Movie Night (with extra popcorn!)
Crafty Play
- Paper Plate Crafts like this Fish Paper Plate Craft
- Create Q-Tips Crafts like this Q-Tip Craft
- Paint with Q-Tips
- Paint with Cotton Balls
- Make Countless Popsicle Stick Crafts
- Craft Wooden Clothespin Animals
- Make Construction Paper Crafts – like this Checkerboard Craft
- Make Shaving Cream Puffy Paint
- Make Your Own Finger Paint
- Paint with Squirt Guns
- Craft Some Pet Rocks
- Color (not just for adults!)
- Create Wooden Spoon Puppets
- Learn Origami
- Paint with Ice (just add food coloring and freeze!)
- Make Stamps out of Pool Noodles
- Treat Yourself to At-Home Manicures and Pedicures (let the kids help!)
- Jam Out to Your Own Kitchen Band (wooden spoons make great drumsticks!)
Water Play
- Toss Some Sponge Balls
- Water Balloon/Water Gun Fight
- Play Water Balloon Baseball
- Squirt Gun Race
- Slip n’ Slide
- Add a New Pool Float/Pool Noodles to Your Pool
- Go Swimming
- Create a Water Obstacle Course
- Host a Neighborhood Water Themed Party (like this Finding Dory Party)
STEM Play
- Perform Ice Melting Experiments
- Microwave Ivory Soap (with parental supervision!)
- Make Your Own Snack Launcher
- Create Your Own Race Car Track (wrapping paper tubes cut in half lengthwise are perfect!)
- Build Marshmallow & Toothpick Towers
- Create an Oil and Water Sensory Bottle
- Float Sponge Sailboats
- Make Milk Carton Sailboats
- Build an Awesome Fort with sheets and clothespins
Outdoor Play Ideas
- Have a Beach Day (don’t forget the $1 flip flops at Family Dollar!)
- Host a BBQ
- Play Backyard Games/Sports
- Man a Lemonade Stand
- Blow Bubbles
- Make an Epic Bubble Bath
- Wash Cars
- Make Your Own Bubbles
- Feed the Ducks
- Play with Sidewalk Chalk
- Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk Paint
- Plant a Summer Garden
Hope you’ve grabbed lots of new Kids Summer Activities to keep your little ones busy all summer long. And don’t forget to stock up on your summer supplies at Family Dollar, your one stop shop for crafts, food, and play!
What kids summer activities would you add to this list?
Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for crafty inspiration, family recipes, travel tips and more.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I shop at Family Dollar all the time. I get all our summer fun supplies and food there.
mitch says
What a great selection of affordable activities for this Summer, and for the kids! You are covered until school starts!
Dandi D says
We love to play outside in the summer, and these are some really great ideas!
robin rue says
You have lots of great ideas here. I am looking forward to doing some of them with my kids.
Lauryn R says
This is such a great list of Summertime activities using dollar store items! I love the dollar store! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Sarah Bailey says
What a fantastic list of pocket friendly ideas to do with kids over the summer! i can imagine that many happy hours of playing will be had with these.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
These are all cool ideas! My grandchildren would love to have anything to do with water. The slide looks perfect for them!
Catherine Sargent says
These are all great activities. We always spent a lot of time at the beach or playing in the sprinklers.
Deborah D says
My nieces and nephews would love the water slide the best.
Lisa Favre says
Yes, yes, and yes for sponge balls! We did this outdoor activity last summer and it was so much fun.
Cacinda says
Well this will keep them busy for a while! This is such a great list of activities on a budget.
Amanda Love says
This is proof that there’s so much that you can do during the summer vacation! I think these are brilliant and it will keep them active all throughout the summer as well.
Kelly Hutchinson says
I love to shop at Family Dollar! We have one around the corner. They have the best seasonal department of any store I have been in. Plenty of summer items to keep the kids busy.
Pam says
Great ideas. These are good ways to stave off summer boredom with dollar store items!
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
You have a lot of great suggestions, and some of those crafts are too cute. I wish we had a Family Dollar closer to us.
Theresa says
Family Dollar is a great place to shop for summer fun essentials. We just picked up some pool toys there last week actually!
Maryann D. says
FAMILY DOLLAR STORE has so many fun and useful items. These are great ideas.
Tracey says
What great ideas! Outdoor play and water play are awesome to do in the summer. No one wants to be cooped up inside!
Seattle Travel Blogger says
Wow, this is quite an assembly you post here.
I like your ideas and how they are all inexpensive ways to keep the children entertained during Summer.
Crystal says
I’ll be honest, I didn’t do much planning for summer fun. This is a life saver! I thought I would have to spend a fortune to keep the kiddos entertained!